We asked the kids 8 questions about how they feel leaving school, home educating and travelling the world full time.
A quick flashback to 4 weeks ago, and we were preparing for the kids last few days of school. It feels like a lifetime ago as we were also completely emptying our house and doing a deep clean, prior to renting it out and setting off for the summer holidays in the UK. I can’t believe we managed to squeeze it all in!
The kids had end of term discos to attend, last school trips and lots of goodbyes to share with their friends and teachers. It was a weird, emotional time, but also full of hope and excitement. We’ve been talking about and planning our travels together as a family for so long now (over 6 years) that I don’t think the kids batted an eyelid… they were cool and calm about it all. From packing up their bedrooms, taking down their beds, not having sofas to sit on for 3 days and not having a fridge during an epic freak heatwave!…. They have weathered it all.
To deregister them from the UK school system, I researched how to write the formal letter asking for them to be removed from the school register and stating that we would be taking on the responsibility of Home Educating the kids. I used a very helpful website to get the basic template (https://educationalfreedom.org.uk/deregistration/) and then added my own details and removed parts as I saw fit.
Sometimes in the UK, deregistering your child can come about after a period of stress or friction with a school, but this was definitely not the case with us! We have had a wonderful primary experience for both my son and daughter and wanted to express our utmost thanks and gratitude to the school for their amazing teaching and support. So I changed the wording to make it slightly more relaxed and friendly, and added a chunky paragraph about how thankful we are for what the school and staff have done for our kids.
I had to do a formal letter for each of them and emailed it to the school office. Some people don’t get a response from their schools when they deregister, but we got a lovely email back to acknowledge the letter and also to wish us (and the kids mostly!) a fantastic adventure travelling together.
We’ll always be very grateful to the school for that.
Officially, the school remove the kids from their school register from the day you ask them to. We asked for their deregistering to take place on the inset day (staff training day) on the last day of term, when only the teachers would be on site and the kids had all broken up for the summer holidays.
I asked the kids what they thought about being officially taken out of school and leaving to go travelling (and about leaving our long term and much loved family home!)…. Here are their thoughts….
1. How does it feel knowing you have left school and won’t be heading back next year?
Son – Ha ha to all my friends who have to go into secondary school! While I get to travel around Europe 🙂 just joking…. I hope they all have a lovely time at their new schools and I’ll think of them whilst I’m travelling. I feel free and really excited for our adventure
Daughter – A bit weirded out because I won’t see my friends for a while, but I still have their contact details. And I’ll see them when I come home for visits. I’m looking forward to using my time how I want, about learning how I want to and not having to ask to use the toilet!
2. What will you miss the most about school?
Son – Hanging out with my friends and the teachers.
Daughter – I will miss playing with my friends on the field.
3. Describe your time at school so far with three words
Son – Sometimes boring, happy.
Daughter – Annoying, funny, caring.
4. What three things are you most excited about for travelling?
Son – No school, learning actual fun and interesting topics, food!
Daughter – Meeting new people, going to new places and eating lots of different food!
5. What are 2 things you are worried or nervous about, when it comes to our travels ahead?
Son – Sleeping easily and sickness.
Daughter – Having injections! And being in really, really hot places.
6. What are your favourite memories from our family home?
Son – Bug hunting in the garden, chillin’, our neighbours, the washing machine, our movie nights and watching One Piece in my bedroom.
Daughter – I’m going to miss that I grew up there, so… having lots of family members near, I loved the hammock we had in the garden, dinner times and lots of other lovely memories. It would take me years to talk about all of them!
7. Although we still own it and will be renting it out, what will you miss the most?
Son – The privacy.
Daughter – I will miss the TV! And the big space the house had. And the past it has.
8. What place or country in the world are you most looking forward to visiting and why?
Son – Japan because it’s where One Piece came from and if there is ever a Eiichiro Oda meet n greet I would love to do it there. I love sushi and I love Japanese culture.
Daughter – Croatia because it has amazing beaches and hopefully seeing loads of colourful fish. Also our family will be coming to visit us out there and going to Split together, the beaches, eating ice creams… so that’ll be great!
Last thoughts from the daughter……
I loved my home because it had lots of memories in it and I hope the future holds lots of cool stuff for me. I’ll miss home but I’m really excited about travelling.
Last thoughts from the son…..
Lubly jubly, fun, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, amazing!
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