r/UKHomeEd

Recently heard about flexi schooling. Thinking it would be a great option for my 4yo, currently due to start mainstream state primary in Sept. I work Mon-Thurs and have no intention of full-time home educating (no shade, just not for me!) But the idea I could have him home on Fridays is really appealing - to spend time together, and with his younger brother. Has anyone tried to get flexi schooling approved? I've seen lots of threads about people doing this because their kids are struggling in school (eg due to disabilities or mental health) but I have none of those worries... just that I love my son and would love to spend time with him while he's so young and think I could do a good job at that without it impacting his school life. Wondered if others had tried and had thoughts or advice, especially about getting school approval.

I’ve seen a few comments mocking home education along the lines of “taking your kid to the shop and getting them to count change isn’t an education,” and it’s usually said in a pretty dismissive way.

But that feels like a misunderstanding of what’s actually going on. No one serious about home education thinks that counting change once at the shop is a complete education. But using real life situations like that as part of learning, that’s actually how a lot of children understand things better.

Applying maths in a real world context, handling money, working out totals, understanding value, is arguably more meaningful than just doing abstract worksheets with no context. It sticks in a different way.

And it’s not either/or. It’s not “counting change instead of learning maths,” it’s counting change alongside everything else, reading, writing, structured learning, and other subjects.

What’s interesting is that when schools try to do the same thing, real-world learning, applied maths, practical skills, it’s seen as a positive. But when parents do it, it suddenly gets reduced to “that’s not real education.” Feels like a bit of a double standard.

Of course, if that’s the only thing a child is doing, then yes, that’s a problem. But using everyday situations as part of learning isn’t the issue, it’s actually part of how learning happens.