I requested flexi schooling for DS1 in reception year but was turned down (it is at school’s discretion if they allow it or not). Actually, it has been fine with full time school so have not pursued it any further. My sister, Emily’s Mum does flexi school- she’s on GP here quite often.
I requested flexi schooling for DS1 in reception year but was turned down (it is at school’s discretion if they allow it or not). Actually, it has been fine with full time school so have not pursued it any further. My sister, Emily’s Mum does flexi school- she’s on GP here quite often.
Maybe she might see this thread and comment….I hope so! My little one is OK with full time school but I long to home school and this might be something that could work for us. Plus my DH would be happy with it. He was never sure/happy about me HS 100% of the time and I felt i couldn’t go ahead without his 100% back up.
I requested flexi schooling for DS1 in reception year but was turned down (it is at school’s discretion if they allow it or not). Actually, it has been fine with full time school so have not pursued it any further. My sister, Emily’s Mum does flexi school- she’s on GP here quite often.
I´m confused, if education isn´t compulsory until 5 then shouldn´t kids be able to attend reception class as their parent´s see fit? Bit of a pertinent issue as my daughter has started today and I´d rather HE but my ex blah blah blah. Anyhow I´d be interested to hear your reply as I´m planning on her going alternate days (though the head mentioned in passing once that they rather the reception kids take whole days off rather than reduced hours, so there´s hope), I wasn´t even thinking about asking permission!!
I requested flexi schooling for DS1 in reception year but was turned down (it is at school’s discretion if they allow it or not). Actually, it has been fine with full time school so have not pursued it any further. My sister, Emily’s Mum does flexi school- she’s on GP here quite often.
Read this http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/sacode/ , perhaps the term “flexi-schooling” threw them, that is up to them however it would appear only once compulsory education age is reached. You´d hope with a spending cut minded government perhaps they might encourage it….must be cheaper to have less kids in school full time
Hi-
I’m here!!!!! yes, I flexied my DD for her first year (she is now full home-ed) and my DS starts reception on Monday and will be flexi too.
Yes, it is up to the head teacher whether it is OK with the school- even though school is not compulsory until they are 5 years old, if you have signed them up for school then they are expected to attend full days unless you have had permission from the head teacher- if you take them out for school without permission then the school will have to record it as an “absence without leave”- so marked against the school; if you have approved flexi, then it is called “absence with leave” which is not recorded against the schools attendance register.
There are obviously 101 reasons for flexi, and lots of ways of organising it- i have heard of children just attending mornings, 3 set days a week, etc- but i thought this would result in my child being seen as “different”- possibly leading to bullying/ singling out/ falling behind as they will probably be missing the same lessons every week.
I arranged for DD to have 20 days off school a year- to be taken at any time as long as I notified the school in advance, and I had to prove that the day was “educational”( we made a scrap book/ photo album of what we got up to) and we did have an inspection after about a term of agreeing the flexi. As the days were random, the rest of her class (and parents) didn’t really notice so she was treated like all the other pupils.
DS will have the same system of random days, but I have arranged 25 days this time, as DD is home ed, there are loads of trips organised that we would all miss out on if we had to be back in town to collect him from school.
Any specific questions, give me a shout
Gill
x
I proposed flexi schooling based on all the fears many of us have when our baby is approaching school starting age- he’s too young, he’s so happy at home, 5 days a week is too much, 9am-3pm is too long, how will he cope, what about all the lovely things we do at home, he’ll get too tired… flexi-schooling looked like a way to maintain the life we had enjoyed for the last 4 years for longer (the only life we knew at that time as he is our eldest) and to try to get the best of both worlds (I was just asking for 1 day per fortnight at home).
I wanted to go into it with the full support and cooperation of the school. I do not believe it is in anyone’s best interests to just announce to a school that your child will only be there x days per week. It effects the class planning in such a way that your child could actually end up missing out on so much at school unless the teacher is 100% with you in arranging the flexi schooling: which days activities are planned for your child, how your child fits in group projects, PE lessons, school assembly days, school performances, sports day and the weeks of preparation(!), special activities and themed weeks that are based around everyday participation. I knew that if school was just not working out for him I could remove him full or part time, we all have a get-out clause until that compulsory school age without having to consider ‘official’ HE.
I planned to send him half days for the first term at least (they all did compulsory half days for first 2 weeks). But DS had other ideas- after 4 weeks or so he did not want come home at lunchtime, he wanted to stay whole days… I didn’t think he could cope with it, too tired etc but he insisted so we tried and he did fine! He’s very happy and doing well. He has proved me wrong in all my concerns.
I think there is a vast difference between the 2 extremes of flexi-schooling: a day out per month or per fortnight I think is manageable and I may have pushed for that if I felt it was right at the time. The other extreme of having only a couple or a few days per week in school would need very careful management and thought- children like to fit in, to be like their classmates (whether we like it or not! as happened to my son wanting to stay whole days) and it could be easy for a flexi child to be seen as the odd one out. There is a boy who is often not in school in my son’s class (I think he is ill, maybe he is flexi schooled, I don’t know!) but he is known as the one who isn’t there much. It is hard to make close friendships with someone who is not there most playtimes. That sounds a bit negative and for many children it would not be a problem (especially if they are part of a thriving HE group), but it is something one needs to think carefully about. The school class becomes like another family, a team, and to be on the edge of it, not quite fitting in because you are only there half time could be a problem for some children.
I still think it is a fantastic thing to do and would be the ideal set up really, if it was more mainstream and less alienating (I know, so we should all do it and then it becomes more normalized!). In Holland there is a regular half day every week when primary children are home and that is how I’d like to see it.
In the end, we still do all the lovely things we used to- in weekends, holidays, inset days, after school and DS is happy and thriving at school, even making great progress in reading and writing (and enjoying it - writing is his favourite thing, he said today!) which I was convinced (!) he was not ready for and so worried they would be pushing him into against his will… what do I know, eh?
Anyway, that’s the end of my ramblings, make of them what you will!
Yes, it is up to the head teacher whether it is OK with the school- even though school is not compulsory until they are 5 years old, if you have signed them up for school then they are expected to attend full days unless you have had permission from the head teacher- if you take them out for school without permission then the school will have to record it as an “absence without leave”- so marked against the school; if you have approved flexi, then it is called “absence with leave” which is not recorded against the schools attendance register.
Ah, yes, I forgot about that bit: that is why you do need school agreement even if under compulsory school age. Thanks Gill!
Yes, it is up to the head teacher whether it is OK with the school- even though school is not compulsory until they are 5 years old, if you have signed them up for school then they are expected to attend full days unless you have had permission from the head teacher- if you take them out for school without permission then the school will have to record it as an “absence without leave”- so marked against the school; if you have approved flexi, then it is called “absence with leave” which is not recorded against the schools attendance register.
Ah, yes, I forgot about that bit: that is why you do need school agreement even if under compulsory school age. Thanks Gill!
...and ‘absence with out leave’ does not just count against the school ,it also ‘counts’ against the child. In the school records it is noted how many days the child is absent and that record stays with them through school, I assume.
But if you read the link I posted (which is a government website) it clearly states “e) parents can request that their child attends part-time until the child reaches compulsory school age. “ - I´d be interested to hear what the school said, chances are they might not even be aware of your rights.
Re: children under five. Remember you can take days off as you see fit without even needing to phone the school. Polite if you do though, simply quoting non-compulsory school age absence.
best
w.w.
But if you read the link I posted (which is a government website) it clearly states “e) parents can request that their child attends part-time until the child reaches compulsory school age. “ - I´d be interested to hear what the school said, chances are they might not even be aware of your rights.
I think the word REQUEST is key here, the school does not have to accept the request, as far as I can see. But, I am not expert… one certain thing here is that it certainly is not clear to parents what our rights are in terms of part-time schooling or what the school has to agree to.
We’ve just started - this morning <weeps into keyboard> My beautiful girl (aged 9 and home schooled since age 6) is attending 3 days a week at the local village school….
