Home Education

[jan]

Hi All,

 

We have been contemplating this for a while now and given the latest incident in school feel that now is the time.

 

What we need now is advice please from anyone out there who has taken their AS child out of mainstream school to home educate? What do we have to have in place to keep the LEA happy?

 

I'm terrified, but if we leave him where he is we shall be picking up the pieces for ever more!

 

Help!!! All advice greatfully received!

 

Also did anyone have a NT sibling in the same school as AS child? He is settled and happy but we are worried about potential repercussions for him. We are looking for an alternative school, but very rural area, the good ones have no space! Having them both at home is not really an option as I am not sure it would work!

 

Thanks guys

 

jan

[oracle]

Hi Jan

 

Try not to worry there are things to do but none of them are too difficult believe me.

 

First of all please join these two groups now! The first is HE-Special UK. It's a group where parents who have children with SEN, but I would say mostly ASD, now home educate. There are people on this group who know EVERYTHING that you need to know.

 

http://www.he-special.org.uk/content/joinhere.php

 

The second Group is Education Otherwise. This is THE orginisation for Home Educators. If you actually join EO they also give legal advice if needed.

 

http://www.education-otherwise.org

Post message: eo@yahoogroups.com

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The first thing you must do is to write a letter to the school - not the LEA, saying that you want them to remove your son from their roll as he is now is receipt of Education Otherwise than at school. The wording is very important. Take or send the letter to the school and get a receipt for it, or if you are posting it ask for a recipt for it and also ask them to let you know when his name has been removed.

 

Then you sit back and wait. It may be a very long wait indeed or it may be a short wait. Most LEA's will probably send an EWO round to your home to try and change your mind. You do NOT have to let them in unannounced if you do not wish to. I did because no one or nothing was going to make me change my mind.

 

All LEA's operate differently. Some are pleased to be rid of the responsibility of your child, others take it as a personal insult. None can make you change your mind.

 

If your son has a statement then you are meant to keep to that statement when you home educate him - but if this is the case the other two groups will advise you more about that.

 

Eventually you will probably have to submit an educational philosophy, again they can be found on the SEN-UK group. Our's is up there along with others. They are easily adapted. Ours is an autism specific one. We seen our LEA for a follow up meeting in February for the first time in two years.

 

The most important thing to do now is to be in touch with others who home educate. This way you have the support you need and the answers to any questions you have.

 

Home Education is liberating - well it was for us. And my sons have both changed so much for the better.

 

Hope some of this helps.

 

Carole

[nellie]

Hi Jen,

 

I took my son out of school for a year, he could no longer cope (bad school, LEA even worse). I spent the year fighting to get the school changed on his statement, thankfully IPSEA saved the day and came to my rescue. This was some time ago, I am glad I stood my ground but there is no way we could have taken him out of school full time, we would not have coped long term and my son wanted to be in school.

 

I think home education is great, but it's not always the answer and it doesn't always suit the child or the family.

 

Both my sons were in the same school until they were 8 and 10, my eldest then went into special school. I don't think it was the ideal situation and I now realise they would have been better in separate schools.

 

You know your situation best, you can only follow your heart and go with your gut instict. Good luck with whatever decision you make.

 

This is a link to a previous topic on home education. Hope it helps.

 

Home Educating

http://www.asd-forum.org.uk/forum/index.ph...st=0entry3107

 

Nellie <'>

[jan]

Thanks Carole and Nellie.

 

Thought I would just let you know that after a lot of soul searching and research, we have decided to go ahead!!

 

The letter has gone off to school asking them to deregister (sounds painful) our son! Today is his first day at home (needless to say we are having a relaxing few days)!

 

Hopefully this is a short term solution to enable him to transfer as planned to secondary school in September. The school he will attend has several AS children and both children and school seem to be flourishing! We can only do our best to undo the damage that has been done in the school we have just left. We have our work cut out, but we love him and will give it our best shot!!

 

I am feeling a bit wobbly about it all, but I know we have made the right decision!

 

Thanks for your support. I am sure I shall need a lot more of it over the coming weeks!

 

jan

[oracle]

Enjoy the break and do not fret too much about a working schedule. Many parents who de-reg allow a period of de-schooling to. This allows the child to catch their breath and relax.

 

I know that you probably are, but make sue that your Son fully understands that his home schooling is just a short term measure. Is he happy to be attending his Comprehensive School? September is a long way off but it will arrive.

 

good luck

 

Carole

[mossgrove]

Jan

 

If your son is back in school in September there are only a couple of months of termtime to go in this school year, so I can't foresee too many difficulties, even if you don't educate at all. If you have a sympathetic GP you may be able toget him signed off for the last 8 weeks with stress.

 

As I mentioned in another thread earlier we have (as of yesterday) decided not to send our 5 year old son back to his mainstream school while we await an LEA decision on a placement for next year. I think many parents reach a 'break point' when they realise that continuing to send their child into school every day is doing more harm than good. I am sure you are doing the right thing.

 

 

Simon

[oracle]

Hi Simon,

 

It very much depends on the age of the child as to how easy it is to get them 'back' into school. The older the child often the harder the job. Especially if the child has had a really rough ride at school. Sadly a bad experience does tend to colour this issue forever with our kids. I know quite a few parents who have been unable to return their children. And that is why I would suggest that any child who is older and is taken out as an interim measure, is left in no doubt that they are going to back to school. 11 is round about the age when they begin to dig their heels in to get what they want as opposed to what we want. I can not see any problems for Jan so long as her son understands this and is happy to be going to his new school.

 

Carole

[nellie]

Jan,

 

I hope your plan is successful. It will allow your son to stabilise and give the family much needed breathing space. Is it possible for you son to keep in touch with someone who will be attending the secondary school with him? It would help with the transition.

 

Sometimes our children?s emotional needs are greater than their educational needs

 

Keep us posted.

 

Nellie xx

[jan]

Thanks guys,

 

You are so right Nellie. we were watching our child fall apart and it was having a huge impact on the whole family! We were being told not to listen to him (by the head) as he only sees things from his point of view I have a permenant red mark in the middle of my forehead from banging it against the wall so regularally!

 

I think M is a bit shell shocked at the moment! He is very happy not to have to go back to his old school and is really looking forward to his new school in September. He has not stopped smiling, which is great because we have not seen many smiles in recent months! He has stopped complaing of headaches and nausea, which were a daily occurence and he is sleeping better and all this in a few days!! I know this may be false high so to speak and there may be some fallout to come, but to be honest we are used to it. We have lived with so much fallout and meltdowns caused by the situation in school!

 

We are working with secondary school, I have told them of our situation, they were surprised but supportive!! We are hopping to be able to arrange a range of visits for him so that by the time he goes there in September, he is at least comfortable with the surroundings ie., has been there when it is full of pupils going in all directions and has met some of the staff possibly even seen some lessons, especially PE! So fingers crossed that we will have done all we can to help it to work. It will then be sit back and wait and hope!!!

 

We are now hoping to enjoy the best bits of weather and may even decamp to the beach. It would be a crime not too!

 

Thanks for all the advice, I shall let you know how we are getting on!

 

<'> jan

[nellie]

Jan,

 

It's great to read your positive posting. Enjoy!

 

You will now be able to teach your son social and life skills during this period, something that most children don't get taught in mainstream.

 

Nellie <'>