I was amazed at the strong views people had when we decided to home educate. I have to admit it was a big decision but my husband always felt that sending 4 year olds to school was way too young. He isn't English and he felt six was early enough. When the children were born we occasionally discussed it but we were busy and didn't fully consider it.

When our daughter was two we realised she was reading, by the time she was just four she was sitting reading to her friends at play group when a teacher visiting from the local school commented that it would be a problem when she started school. This did worry me so we visited the school and the head of reception was quite clear that she would have to start off with reading readiness books i.e. books with just pictures, and reading would be gently introduced. By the time she was due to start school she would read all the time, she was very keen on Famous Five books at that time and she also loved her Children's Bible Stories. After lots of agonising we decided that she should miss reception and start in year one. Then we moved house and put it off and eventually she started school at nine. She hated primary school, especially literacy hour which she found so boring and she told me one day that her teacher said she was a nuisance because she finished her maths sheets too quickly.

When the time came for her younger brother to start school we never even considered sending him.

At eleven she went to grammar school and has never looked back. I have no regrets and her only regret is that we didn't send her to school for a term so that she would have known how lucky she was. (her words not mine)