School is not compulsory

[ailbhe]

We joined Education Otherwise, the UK's home education charity organisation support network thing, on Friday night, filling in an online form. The members' pack arrived today. It's a very good pack; I was impressed. We have a membership card, a list of local contacts, a list of national venues that give discounts to home educators similar to the discounts they give to schools, the newest edition of School Is Not Compulsory, a little handbook about the law and useful information for dealing with Local Education Authorities (where "dealing with" doesn't mean "being unnecessarily confrontational towards" but covers everything from "being benignly ignored by" through "working with" and on up to "fighting in the courts") and other stuff, and a newsletter - with a whole section by and for children.

That was a very very fast turnaround, I think. Mind you, the person in question processed our application at 00:42 on Saturday, so perhaps she got it posted Saturday morning.

So! Now we have a support network in place, which is nice, and I can get familiar with it before I actually need it much, and also we got a free book.

(On the other hand, we're not going anywhere today, because I overdid it at the weekend and caused my knees to swell up, my shoulders and chest to get sunburnt, and I think I strained my eyes in the sunshine. Linnea seems quite content to practice her Independent Play in the cool, dark indoors, though; all the windows and curtains are closed against the heat, due to get up to 32C today, and we're usually hotter here than the local forecast predicts).

Comments

[supermouse.livejournal.com]

There are schools, a very few, who take the same approach - one big building, various activities and the kids pick and choose, then have to demonstrate to their peers that they've learnt before graduating. There's at least one in Britain.

Unfortunately, I can't remember enough to google effectively and I'm feeling pretty bleagh, but if I get a brain and remember, I might look. Not to try to change your mind - I am all for you doing exactly as you want to, for one thing it's not my kid and for the other I love your approach - but because it's a whole school who does as you're doing, and it might have, I don't know, usefl information or something.

[ailbhe]

Yeah, they were on R4 the other day talking about it. I think there might be one with state funding and several parent-funded in the UK, but I'm not sure. None within non-car distance of here, though, and car use is a no-compromise situation for me :)

I do love that such schools exist, because it means that even people who *can't* SAHP, for whatever reason (whether temperament or economics), have access to child-led individualist education if their kid needs it.

Though, as usual, these things are for the already privileged, in general :(