I hadn't even thought about homeschooling until a bloke at work explained how his wife homeschools their four children aged between 5 and 10. From what I could gather, they cover off the lessons in the morning and then do other stuff in the afternoon. She's very involved in community organisations too so no doubt the kids get lots of exposure to different environments etc.

I'm a bit torn. I simply cannot imagine sending DD to school where I have no idea what she is doing all day. I'm also a bit of an academic snob and if I don't think the teachers are using very good methods of teaching reading and writing, I'll be all over them like a rash. Woebetide any teacher who makes any spelling mistakes when leaving comments on DD's work.

I have no doubt that I could give DD a better education at home and that she would be further ahead than if I sent her to school.

However, for me, that is not the deciding factor. I do NOT want to nurture a child who is academically brilliant but has no idea how to relate to her peers (not just adults). I was good at school but was terribly, terribly shy and being clever exacerbated that. I don't want that for DD. I would quite happily take a drop in her grades for the trade-off that she is emotionally intelligent and is socially confident.

So, I'd be interested in hearing from people who homeschool about how they make sure that their child can relate to their peers who may not be as advanced as them.