I guess this is the point our home-schooling journey begins.
First a little history. Both our children currently go to a private school. It kind of happened by accident; when we first started looking for schools for a then 3 year old Papaya, we were living in an area where there are loads of brilliant state schools, but sadly where we lived meant she could only get a place in the one rubbish school.
We considered home-schooling but then we looked at private schools, discovered this one and fell in love. The things we liked (and still like) about it aren't to do with it being private, we're not concerned by league tables and grades. We like that it has lots of outside learning, no uniform,children are nurtured as relevant people and there is lots of "arts" learning, drama, art, dance, music etc. But...... we can't afford it.
We weren't naive when we chose the school, we realised what it would cost, but at the time we could afford it and the future looked bright. Now finances have gone awry and things aren't improving as fast as is needed. We've been struggling for several terms just about scraping by. We restrict spending on everything else, the house, the car, food even, to keep the children at the school and we're still not managing and fees go up every term. We already receive a bursary and we still can't find the fees this term. We need to be realistic and pull the children out.
The plan is for me to initially home-school whilst looking at other schools, but I am prepared to home-school indefinitely depending on how well it works for us. We feel it's important to do this rather than straight into a new school as we all love their current school so very much and I think it would be unfair on them and the new school as they and we would compare it unfavourably no matter how good it is. I've always been "home-ed curious" as it were ;) so it's nice to get a chance.
Both children will finish the school year so home-schooling will really "officially" begin this September, with plenty of time over the long summer holiday to have a practise. This blog is for me to store ideas, curriculums, books and plans as I figure out what form our home-school will take. At the moment it is a private blog with only a few readers invited, but I may well open in up to the public once we've "come out" as home-schoolers!
I'm sad we're having to take the children out of a school they and we love, but I'm excited about what the future holds!
First a little history. Both our children currently go to a private school. It kind of happened by accident; when we first started looking for schools for a then 3 year old Papaya, we were living in an area where there are loads of brilliant state schools, but sadly where we lived meant she could only get a place in the one rubbish school.
We considered home-schooling but then we looked at private schools, discovered this one and fell in love. The things we liked (and still like) about it aren't to do with it being private, we're not concerned by league tables and grades. We like that it has lots of outside learning, no uniform,children are nurtured as relevant people and there is lots of "arts" learning, drama, art, dance, music etc. But...... we can't afford it.
We weren't naive when we chose the school, we realised what it would cost, but at the time we could afford it and the future looked bright. Now finances have gone awry and things aren't improving as fast as is needed. We've been struggling for several terms just about scraping by. We restrict spending on everything else, the house, the car, food even, to keep the children at the school and we're still not managing and fees go up every term. We already receive a bursary and we still can't find the fees this term. We need to be realistic and pull the children out.
The plan is for me to initially home-school whilst looking at other schools, but I am prepared to home-school indefinitely depending on how well it works for us. We feel it's important to do this rather than straight into a new school as we all love their current school so very much and I think it would be unfair on them and the new school as they and we would compare it unfavourably no matter how good it is. I've always been "home-ed curious" as it were ;) so it's nice to get a chance.
Both children will finish the school year so home-schooling will really "officially" begin this September, with plenty of time over the long summer holiday to have a practise. This blog is for me to store ideas, curriculums, books and plans as I figure out what form our home-school will take. At the moment it is a private blog with only a few readers invited, but I may well open in up to the public once we've "come out" as home-schoolers!
I'm sad we're having to take the children out of a school they and we love, but I'm excited about what the future holds!
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