Does anyone here home educate?

I see what your saying, but I don't think it's a good enough reason to be put off HEing a primary age child

I didn't say it was, it was in response to a question about people HE at secondary age

I have secondary school aged kids at home. We don't have any of the problems you are highlighting.

I don't know about it being "common" for HE children to go to university at 15/16 or university at 17. I know it happens but this is an interesting blog on the subject of higher ediucation for HE children http://homeeducationheretic.blogspot.co ... cated.html

I'm not too bothered about the more advanced stuff, I've yet to use algebra irl for example. If they were interested in Maths or wanted to go on to do higher subjects or careers that needed them then they would be learning such because they wanted to.

This is where I was getting to. Perhaps my use of the word "teaching" was wrong but how the do you facilitiate and help the learning of an advanced subject if that is what they want to learn. I understand about them learning because they want to learn but with complex subjects they might need help to learn? (I really wanted to do accountancy but have never been one to read it in a book and understand it straight off, I have needed tutors to show me how it works).

And I'm not saying this is reason not to HE, I am just understanding how it works

There is a very well known HE family (not on here) where the husband is an accountant (all self taught with no formal qualifications at all).

But to answer you question, they would do the same as anybody else learning something, they would find somebody (IRL or online) to discuss ideas with and ask questions. By the time they are at a "complex" level, they are usually old enough to go to college if that's what they want anyway.

I don't know about it being "common" for HE children to go to university at 15/16 or university at 17. I know it happens but this is an interesting blog on the subject of higher ediucation for HE children http://homeeducationheretic.blogspot.co ... cated.html

I meant the HE children who decide they want to go to college or uni are often that age. Obviously some will decide they want to go straight into the workplace. Some will do Open University courses too.

what happens at college/uni level when they dont have exam results?
id love to HE, but from dawns responce to nursery i think she needs the social aspect. (and im scared id be lazy or not clever enough )

They get a place on a portfolio and interview. It's common for HE kids go to college at 15/16 or university at 17.

Your educational background is irrelevant. Even kids from lower income poorly educated families, do better than the school educated children of middle class well educated parents.

I've said this lots before, nursery and school is not natural socialisation. Do you need to spend 8 hours a day, every day, with 20 or 30 people the exact same age as you (who you might have nothing in common with) to make friends?

My youngest nephew started college a year ahead of what he would had he gone to school and had done no GCSE's. He got in on his portfolio of work and is one of the top students in his class

I never quite understand why people say school is necessary to learn how to cope with life late on, for example going to college, uni or starting a job. College and uni is a different environment to school. The self discipline and ability to self-learn they develop from having been HE'd is just what's needed to get on with a uni course, IMO, and how many work environments are in any way like a school, except for of course a teacher in a school By being HE'd a child has learnt how to interact with people of all ages, backgrounds, cultures, etc, an ideal way to be prepared for entering a work environment

I'm not saying children who go to school don't mix with different groups of people, but I know I only did because I went to church and if it hadn't have been for that I would only really have mixed with my peers and family, from what I see of children around me this is more generally the case

I don't know about it being "common" for HE children to go to university at 15/16 or university at 17. I know it happens but this is an interesting blog on the subject of higher ediucation for HE children http://homeeducationheretic.blogspot.co ... cated.html

This is Simon Webb's HE blog, it's called heretic for a reason. He is universally hated by the entire HE community, banned from just about every HE forum and list (and the ones he remains on he no longer posts on).

He is a Judas, in the pocket of Graham Badman (the author of the EHE Review in England last year).

You can read about him and his crackpot ideas here:

http://www.renegadeparent.net/post/Simo ... tants.aspx
http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6019184
http://irdial.com/blogdial/?p=2031

His blog is worthy only as toilet paper (if you could be bothered to print out the carp he writes).

My youngest nephew started college a year ahead of what he would had he gone to school and had done no GCSE's. He got in on his portfolio of work and is one of the top students in his class

I know 5 HE children (all in Scotland) who went to university at 17, one that went to college at 13 and another at 14 - all without any exams.

My DH is totally self taught in his IT skills

Why is he banned? just because he doesn't agree with the majority of HE-ers? that's a bit alarming really......

I have read somewhere (can't recall) that a significant proportion of HE applicants to Oxford get in, maybe even all? Possibly this is a bit of self selection in that it's more likely that they are genuinely wanting to go but it's an interesting statistic nevertheless (if indeed I could actually quote the statistic it might be more interesting lol).

With stuff like accountancy I didn't learn any until I joined a firm aged 22, and when I taught it students did better at the professional exams if they hadn't studied it at Uni or A level (which gave them slightly incorrect ideas, or half a story).

I did need extra help at school at A lever for Maths but actually I didn't get it.......on the other hand some of my teachers at school were a total inspiration to me, and introduced me to things that never really got mentioned at home (one was a total feminist for exampe and used to challenge us all the time on our perceptions of the world). But of course role models can be found anywhere.

I'm not entirely sure that going to University or College early is a great aim tho, especially if it is due to proficiency in one subject at the expense of others (as in Ruth Lawrence) but others will of course disagree.

I've said this lots before, nursery and school is not natural socialisation. Do you need to spend 8 hours a day, every day, with 20 or 30 people the exact same age as you (who you might have nothing in common with) to make friends?

I can't see that HE kids (at least the kids of HE-ers on here from what I know about your activities etc) would have any trouble making friends. But I think that learning to get on with ppl who you have nothing in common with is a useful lesson in life, and not one you'll learn from going to small special interest groups, where by definition you are all interested in the same thing. Even HE groups I would imagine there is a similar political slant. Going to mainstream school teaches you to deal with all sorts. Having said that, of course that's not reason in itself to send kids to school if all the other markers point you towards HE.

Regardless of any of the above, I just couldn't do it because it would drive me bonkers, I take my hat off to you all.