They grow up so fast...

I have a five-year-old... It's crazy to me to think about that, like, seriously! When did that happen, because it sure doesn't feel like five years ago since I first laid eyes on my Little Bear. It barely seems like five minutes ago some days.

That makes Bear Compulsory School Age now, (CSA) which means that had we been planning to put him through mainstream school, he would now be expected to attend school at the start of next term, which I believe is the beginning of April. He would have technically started school in September 2024, which is the beginning of the school year during which he would turn five, but you can still delay that start time, even if it isn't widely discussed now.

We were flagged by our local council last summer due to having applied for a nursery place for Bear, which we turned down after I changed my mind about him being in that kind of structured setting. We received several letters asking us to apply for Bear's school place and when I emailed a response about not needing a place, they replied giving us the details for our local Home Education Team and told us they'd be in touch.

I heard from them not long after, introducing themselves, and said they'd be in touch in the new term after Bear turned five, so we are expecting that contact after Easter. 

Do you have contact with your local authority's Home Education Team?

We'd love to hear your experiences, I know there is a huge variation and we have heard great things from some of the other home ed families in our area. We have had really good experiences with the health team, and the 0-19 team in our area, so I have high hopes for that to continue further. Bear has a habit of befriending pretty much everyone he comes into contact with, so I don't have any doubt that this will be the same!

Mama Bear