Why Time & Space Learning?
Educational pressures
As teachers we had always recognised that some children struggle to access learning in the school environment for a variety of reasons, some relating to various subjects but some finding difficulty with the whole environment and even educational ethos/methods. Some children need to explore for themselves, make their own mistakes and cement what they learn through practical application. This can be difficult to manage in a class setting; resources and time may restrict what each child can achieve. The pressure on teachers to accommodate a huge range of learning styles and progress can be daunting.
As parents ourselves living in a rural area we discovered how hard it is for families with a very limited choice of school and which offered very limited options of ethos or flexibility of learning style to meet our children's needs. So we decided to explore home education.
Educational Extension
Learning happens everywhere. The most important thing is to identify where and in what contexts a child learns best. Parents that provide opportunities outside of and maybe in additional to the school setting will give their children a significant advantage. Hobbies like aeromodelling (and many more) are a great way of reinforcing the learning in a school setting, particularly in STEM subjects where schools tend to be increasingly limited. We offer courses after school, at weekends and in the holidays.
Home Education option?
An ever increasing number of families- in the thousands per year are finding themselves in Home Education for what ever reason. And as soon as they home educate a new set of issues can add to the struggle of funding and organising your child's education - the LA will almost certainly contact you to ask for or even demand a range of things to show that you are providing appropriately for your child. (Despite the fact that the LA may already have been unable to do this through the school setting) The LA will most likely want to assess your provision despite the fact that you are in legal terms the arbiter of the quality of your own provision. Many parents feel that they need support in home education and rightly so - we are all learners here and for this reason T&S seeks to provide a range of resources and groups for mutual encouragement and facilitation.
Hope!!
There are many benefits of learning in an Other Than School setting such as at home, in the community or attending discrete subject provisions; one of these benefits is independent, community based democratic and intentional learning. Children learn very safely and naturally given the right environment - and arguably more safely. Resources for home educators are on the increase and the 'time' that Home Edders have available is often more flexible and actually greater than in school which means they can focus for longer as well as learn at a more relaxed pace. Legal advice is more readily available about what one's obligations and those of the LA. Some LA's are recognising that HE is an appropriate and effective way of educating and some officers are very supportive. Home Educated kids can and do access college courses, employment and careers and particularly so where they demonstrate authentic attitudes of personal learning and thinking skills inherent in them. And so what can we do with this opportunity? What can we achieve that could not be achieved in a school setting? This is the challenge! Not only can we at T&S help to restore your child's confidence and wellbeing we can provide a range of facilities that can help your child achieve more than they would in the school setting at a given age or discipline.
Solutions
Whilst we (T&S) are not a 'school', or 'child care' we support parents who Home Educate.
We also offer EOTAS and AEP to local schools for reengaging children with learning and wellbeing.
We provide a range of learning and social opportunities that parents might not normally have at home and that even schools would struggle to provide. Our courses are currently normally 2 hours per week and serve to develop the child's independent learning strategies.
Our programs promote teamwork and practical productive learning experiences. We have a number of social groups/contexts for meeting and sharing in a safe and peaceful environment.
We also provide for school children and youth organisations in evenings, weekends and holidays.
Credibility
Our experience over more than a decade shows that our provision works well. Our Home Education strategy has facilitated our own children's access to international learning opportunities, degree courses, fulfilling careers and very happy families. We have many friends in the children and their families who have spent time with us as participants, staff and volunteers and some of whom now contribute to our provision years after having attended as clients. We have trained further in Law and Education and are active in a number of democratic learning contexts to support those who take this big decision; in many cases in the face of significant opposition and with limited funds.