Educational Philosophies/
Statements of Educational Provision

Example 10

3rd March 2005

Dear Mr

Re: our letter to you of the 13th January 2005, where we stated that

“...as it will be a year on 24th Feb 2005 since we wrote this report, we will fulfil our responsibility in this regard by sending you an update by then, detailing changes that have taken place over the subsequent year. This will give you time to send us your detailed response to our original report, so that we may expand anything you find unclear.”

We sent our first Educational Philosophy and Implementation on 24th February 2004, which set forth in substantial detail not only our philosophy for home educating our children, but also our specific approach and progress on the curriculum which includes Islam; English; mathematics; I.T. skills; research skills; history, geography and social studies; science; art; music and singing; Arabic; arts and crafts; sports and activities; and outings and camps.

You acknowledged that our statement “may be appropriate” and that you were pleased with the range of activities provided for the children. You have not provided any detailed objections to the contents or sufficiency of that report. Therefore, below we shall update the existing report, which we believe can leave no question but that our children’s education is efficient and suitable.

UPDATE FOR DS1

In this past year DS1 has continued to grow in confidence and maturity as well as academic and physical abilities.

He has accomplished a few of his personal goals. For example he has been:

**caving in the Mendips with the Education in the Environment Caving Club
**obtained his Brown stripe belt for Seiki Judo Karate
**gained a Grade B in his GCSE mathematics
**completed one major woodwork project, the making of a treasure chest from selecting wood, taking measurements, using various tools and putting it all together. ( He has since also worked on a robotic arm, and completed another box, working entirely by himself).

In English and Science DS1 is continuing with the CGP books for his ability level.
Some science experiments are from the Discovery series programmes, eg. when he watched the Romans and how they used water plus levels to move machinery and clocks, DS1 re-created the experiments at home.
In English he has continued to write his own fictional style stories, as well as having to write essay style answers to the work we are doing for Muslim Civilization and History.

He continues to read widely, for pleasure and to increase his knowledge of subjects he is interested in: examples of his recent reading have included:

How to build series: eg. How to build a robot
The Horrible Histories series (magazines arrive in the post on a monthly basis)
The Horrible Science series (new magazine begun January 2004)
The Fly: Islamic science
Calvin and Hobbes by B Waterson
Frankenstein by M Shelly
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J Rowling
Tell me about Islamic History by L Nagy
Islam the D-I-Y guide by R Maqsood
Animals by L Ames
Levers technology by M Gordon
The boy from Mecca by S Omar
The Sleepers in the cave by J Iqbal
books such as Vikings , Volcanoes, Genetics at Work at Level Z from the a-z Reading site

Mathematics has come to a close for the time being, since November 2004, as he has sat his Intermediate Level GCSE and gained an excellent pass of a Grade B.
He may choose to take the subject up again in the future but for the moment he is focusing on other activities and subjects.

DS1 has also discovered Home Economics, and developed a good level of food preparation skills. He has covered the basics of nutrition and has learnt to make many simple dishes such as rice, roast chicken, leg of lamb, pasta, scrambled eggs, fruit tarts, cakes and biscuits etc.

DS1 is using the Lifepac series in History and Geography following the landforms, population traits and History and Geography of the world by continents.

He has also taken part in online classes with other home educators on Earth Science. The most recent class was on cave features and erosion, its types and causes as well a focus on prevention and possible effects of man on his environment.

Currently DS1 is considering following a course in GCSE Islamic Studies, and perhaps starting an OU science course. He has the books available, and access to a tutor, while he makes his choice as to which subject he wants to try next.

We continue to offer him a range of activities and subjects, and we are continuing his education in exactly the same mode as described in the Educational Philosophy and Implementation document you have.

The online Arabic has now been replaced by Saturday morning school at XX but in all other subjects we are proceeding as before.
We are very pleased with his progress in Quran reading, memorization and pronunciation.
His use of daily Arabic, spoken and written is steadily improving.

His recent exam and sports success bears out that our method of home education is proving to be effective and fulfilling for DS1.

UPDATE FOR DS2

DS2 also continues to grow in confidence and is enjoying his sporting activities. He has moved up to Water Skills1 in swimming and continues as a red belt in Karate.

He is a keen reader, reading for pleasure and on topics he has interest in. His recent books have been related to Cats as his new pet has generated a lot of enthusiasm and has spun off into project work on the Cat family.

Other examples of his recent reading have included:

I Wonder Why series ( Castles had Moats, PyramiDS1 were built etc.)
The Vegetarian Troll by Ralph Wright
The Book of Beasts by E Nesbit
Tell me about Hajj by S khan
Garfield books by J Davis
The poor woman and the bread by s Salim
The Horrible Histories series, ( magazines arrive in the post on a monthly basis)
The Horrible Science series, (new magazine begun January 2004)
Quranic stories for children
Usborne Young reader series, eg. Dragon in the Cupboard

He has used the CGP workbooks to follow Spelling, Literacy Strategy and comprehension. He continues to write stories focused around his interests, (spiderman, good fighting bad, etc.).

DS2 is also working through the M.E.P. site for mathematics, http://www.ex.ac.uk/cimt/mep/.
The primary material includes a full Mathematics scheme of work for pupils in years 1 to 5 (ages 5-10).
He is also continuing with the Letts Maths skills booklets that he enjoys.

DS2 is using the Grade 4 Lifepac series in History and Geography following Mapwork and Exploration of the Earth. He has also taken part in online classes with other home educators on Earth Science. The most recent class was on stalagmites and stalagtites plus other cave features and erosion.

He has also discovered woodwork and has completed a major project in the building of a 'cat station' for his new pet. He was involved in designing a play area for the cat, selecting wood, measuring and cutting wood and putting the station together.

Science work has been from the http://www.primaryschoolscience.com/ site, and experiments have been from books such as the Big Book of Experiments, by B Watson.

His Arabic and Quran are progressing very well and we are extremely pleased with his achievements.
He is memorising Juz Amma, and is he has also enrolled in the Saturday morning school at XX for everyday Arabic.

His educational plan continues as described in the Educational Philosophy and Implementation document you have, and again his success and progression shows this style of home education is appropriate for his ability and level.

His art work has picked up pace as his confidence increases and he has made a model village for his small toy men. Measurements, art and maths were heavily a part of this.

We trust this provides you with sufficient information as to the progression of our home education.

To further demonstrate that our home education is efficient and suitable, we are enclosing nine letters of support from families and professionals we are in contact with.

We hope that the above will prove satisfactory, and expect that if there are any issues you will specify them in a detailed report, along with a response to our letter of the 13th January 2005. We do hope you will confirm that there is no reason to believe a suitable education is not taking place, and that we can move forward into a more positive and constructive relationship with the LEA.

Yours faithfully,

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