Independent Education Consultancy Amanda Kemp BA(Hons), MontDip, AdvMontDip

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Supporting Home Educators   The consultancy understands that for some families home schooling will seem to be the best option. Home schooling, where supported to provide a strong and rich curriculum, offers parent and child a valuable programme of learning together, that will last a lifetime freedom to incorporate a spontaneous aspect to education time to enjoy the acquisition of knowledge fewer distractions such as arbitrary discipline and indiscriminate testing greater opportunities to enjoy extra curricular activities elimination of classroom bullying, peer pressure and anxieties. The consultancy can offer a full or part curriculum each term, with email support and home visits. The family will be advised how best to record and store evidence of their wonderfully inspiring journey, and the local authority will know that the National Curriculum targets have been taken into consideration at the planning stage. Meaningful Schooling can show the family how to produce plans, outcomes and evaluations, photos and samples of work   The law states that parents have a legal right to home educate. They are not required to justify their decision, or await approval of their educational plans. If the child is to be removed from a school, the parents must inform the Local Education Authority in writing. The LEAs may from time to time request written reports, samples of work and home visits. Parents may prefer to submit an Educational Philosophy instead. “Education is compulsory – school attendance is not” For free information on your rights contact Education Otherwise reg charity 1055120 or Home Education Advisory Service reg charity 1063179   Some parents will be confident in all they do at home with their children, others will enjoy the support and reassurance offered by Meaningful Schooling. Weekly or monthly visits offer the opportunity for professional discussion of books and resources chosen, as well as some adult contact for the Home Educator. We can also step in, where sickness or family difficulties suddenly threaten the survival of the parents’ much treasured Home Education. Our consultancy is currently supporting an increasing number of home educators. Our range of diaries, curriculum planners and downloadable project resources are made available to all our Home Schooling clients. We offer workshops on devising Plans of Study. Local HomeEd groups can take advantage of our group booking pricing. What can Meaningful Schooling offer? * Advice for parents                    *Resource library * Small group seminars             * Home Educator Support We can tailor a curriculum for your child and then support you, allowing you to be involved in your child's education. Support can range from 1 or 2 visits and a curriculum plan, through to a regular weekly or fortnightly visit, coupled with training for home educators to help you gain confidence in your role. Perhaps you feel anxious about covering a subject you yourself struggled with? Our curriculum plans and occasional informal seminars will help you to learn with your child. Many parents over the last few years have expressed increasing concern about the direction which state primaries and many schools in the independent sector are expected to take, towards more and more exams and assessed tests. Not all children will thrive on this approach, and seeing your child put under this pressure can be upsetting for you too  Meaningful Schooling offers further options  What we do Example 1: Family A has an exceptionally bright and articulate son. He can be very sensitive to perceived criticism, and is not keen to conform in group situations, although he is working on this. After a happy time in Montessori nursery, his parents chose homeschooling for his formal education. Both parents are highly intelligent and have a lot of time and enthusiasm to invest in their only child’s education, however they have anxieties about his personal, social and emotional development, and are keen to ensure he has a varied and balanced academic curriculum. Meaningful Schooling provide a termly planned curriculum which is Montessori based, at the parents’ request. The programme also has links back to the National Curriculum targets. The plans include book lists and downloadable resources. The consultancy supplies printed diaries and Excel spreadsheets on request. A wide range of materials is available on loan. A consultant visits monthly and produces a progress report. Email and telephone support are provided. Example 2: Family M have recently arrived in theUK and do not expect to be here for more than a year. The family’s home languages are French and Arabic, although the parents speak English fluently, and since the extended family all live together it is the family’s desire to home school the children, ages 6,5,and 3, in Arabic and English, so allowing more free time for family pursuits, and keeping their Arabic language alive for the children. Meaningful Schooling has provided a full curriculum based on the National Curriculum KS1 and the Foundation Stage. Materials and downloadable resources have been provided for all three children, with encouragement to get messy with art and craft. A remit of extending the social circle and increasing the children’s physical activity regime has led to Judo and Dance, as well Mini Gym and a French Class. With weekly visits from the consultancy the family feel they receive plenty of advice and encouragement. Email links to the Daddy help him to know how his children are doing, with suggestions as to how he can involve himself in their current project. Mummy enjoys the weekly visit, and is looking forward to exploring resources for their next project. Progress reports will serve the family well when they return home and their children re-enter school.

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