Educational Philosophies/
Statements of Educational Provision

Example 1a

A report updating statement sent previous year (statement at Example 1)

For convenience, I have separated S’s activities into subject areas. However, I am very keen that S should understand that nothing exists in isolation, and that she should develop an understanding of the interconnectedness of all knowledge. Referring to my Philosophy of Education, you will see that I am not dividing her learning into separate compartments, and this is a natural consequence of my approach. I would also like to point out that my provision is completely flexible and fully able to accommodate her developing interests. For example, if S feels that she would like to take another GCSE next year (see below), and is prepared to work towards it, I can easily add it to her schedule.

I am continually impressed and surprised by S’s application to her interests.

English

Creative writing

One of S’s favourite themes is that of a female character who goes through and overcomes trials of one kind or another. The loss of S’s mother in 1992 has obviously coloured S’s outlook on life. She has also created many stories involving characters from her favourite TV series, ‘Charmed’. Her use of language continues to improve. S is able to inhabit a character and to write convincingly, with their voice, in the first person.

Language

Together we have investigated the roots of various English words, using the two-volume Shorter Oxford English Dictionary and the Oxford Paperback Thesaurus. I have a very good knowledge of what constitutes well written English – punctuation, spelling, grammar etc. – and so am able to support S in her writing.

Reading

S has several areas of interest, including; biographies and autobiographies of famous and not-so-famous women; the novels of Jacqueline Wilson; the novels derived from the TV show ‘Charmed’.

My approach is that S should read. In a sense, what she reads is not relevant, as good writing always becomes apparent from experience.

Recent reading

Riding in Cars with Boys by Beverly Donofrio
Goodness had nothing to do with it, the autobiography of Mae West
Dancing on My Grave, the autobiography of Gelsey Kirkland

There are several more biographies waiting on her shelf, e.g. Josephine Baker; The Duchess of York.

Art

S has illustrated some of her stories. Her illustrations display an excellent sense of design and colour and are highly individual. How can I make this assessment? Some of my paintings are on display in the foyer of the Council offices – you probably see them every day. I also trained in graphic design.

IT Skills

S is highly computer literate. She has her own computer with internet access and various software. She often creates her stories in StarOffice 5.2, a program very similar to Microsoft Word. Files can be exported in MSWord format for printing on my system.

S is very familiar with the internet and search engines, and finds her way around very easily. She has created and maintains an on-line MSN community devoted to Charmed, with over seventy members at this date. This involves skills such as typing, organisation, research and on-screen layout. Computer literacy is essential for today’s world.

S also likes computer games and she is continually exploring the boundaries of what is possible. This is a very valuable experience – learning how to learn about new software.

Discussion

We often have long discussions together on a wide variety of topics. As an example, we recently began by talking about S’s early life memories, which led to a discussion of the history and development of English words. This involved using the dictionaries and thesaurus, which in turn led us to a discussion of ethics in personal relationships.

Connected learning

An example demonstrates how I am encouraging S to find the learning value in any activity.

We were watching a film together. One of the characters used the phrase ‘on the rag’. I asked S if she knew what it meant, she didn’t and I explained that it’s an old saying used to describe a woman’s monthly courses. S then went on to spend a considerable amount of time researching the history of sanitary towels and tampons, using the internet. She was subsequently able to give me a detailed history of the practices of women from various historical periods, and how the composition of tampons developed during the twentieth century.

Sociology and Psychology

S has become very interested in these subjects (see below). She is reading a GCSE textbook ‘Sociology’ by Christopher Townroe and George Yates.

She is also reading an introduction to Psychology and an introduction to Psychoanalysis. It appears that Psychology is not available as a GCSE subject at present.

GCSEs

As you are aware, the National Curriculum only applies to pupils in state school. However, S is keen to take some GCSEs. She has decided to start with English and Sociology. We are currently researching her options as a private candidate and will most likely use the Welsh Joint Education Committee. I am also given to understand that the CFCS may be able to help with a tutor for S, and I am waiting for details. I am projecting a date of Summer 2004 for S to sit English and Sociology. After that I will encourage her to develop and follow her course of study.

Socialising

S continues to see friends from school and her two supportive older sisters. This week we met two more home educating families with daughters of S’s age. She is also a member of internet lists for home educating teenagers.