tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5990013432459445862.post1754467406452960672..comments2023-05-14T01:57:50.979-07:00Comments on Catholic Home Education UK: Educating older childrenUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5990013432459445862.post-12980311297436843522012-09-09T16:03:52.853-07:002012-09-09T16:03:52.853-07:00This is from a friend, Carolyn Crawshaw (thank you...This is from a friend, Carolyn Crawshaw (thank you, Carolyn!);<br /><br />Hi Amanda,<br />Really good to hear your news.<br />Our eldest son, Joe went to sixth form for two years and has just finished. I remember so well the anxieties you write about. I remember finding a pack of eight Mars bars in his school bag and was sure it marked the start of irretrievable moral decline! He seems to have come through alright. He loved the social side of school , especially the sport and music possibilities. He learnt something about other people - especially about how they behave in groups (he was very observant of how strangely boys can behave in groups) but I don't think he was drawn into the posturing. Some of the teaching seemed very good; other very poor. The hardest thing for us was not really knowing what was going on. Negotiating the system was a challenge as Joe wanted to try to sort things out himself a lot of the time. Certainly the end results academically were probably no better than the haphazard but closely watched home education. I suspect possibly a grade or two lower. He did just miss one grade he needed to study Engineering at Nottingham University so has decided to take another year to re sit and do other things. It is an answer to prayer that he has this time to pause before going to University. We don't regret his time at school at all; but he really does appreciate how wonderful his home educated life was compared with the alternative of 13 years of school. Our second son is probably going to go on to the same sixth form ( a Catholic boys' school)next year. He is going a year later (he'll be 17) and just taking a couple more IGCSEs this year and maybe a short Open University course.<br />Apologies for such a long post!<br /> Amanda Lewinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02393388911844784899noreply@blogger.com