The case for home-school: bullying
Updated on 26 September 2007
Married mother-of-three Bev Powell, 45, took her youngest daughter out of school after she complained of severe bullying.
My daughter Tiah was bullied at school to the extent that she attempted twice to end her own life.
The school set up a meeting for my daughter, myself, the bully and her mother.
The two girls were asked to sign a document agreeing to be nice to each other.
Tiah asked the bully 'why did you keep putting drinks bottles around the lunch table so that I was unable to sit there?'
The bully replied 'teacher told me to'... This made me realise that the bullying wouldn't stop.
I decided then to take Tiah out of school and home educate her.
'Three months after Tiah had left the school the bullies turned their attention onto some more girls.'Bev Powell
I wrote a letter to the school telling them that I was removing Tiah and why.
I then contacted my local education authority (LEA) and they sent a member of their staff to meet up with Tiah and myself. It was an easy process.
Three months after Tiah had left the school the bullies turned their attention onto some more girls. This led the bullied girls' parents to contact me for advice.
This pushed me to set up cruelatschool.co.uk and go to the local newspaper. The website has helped many families deal with bullying and I am determined that it will continue to do so.
'My daughter Tiah felt happier and actually loved doing her work at home. I didn't have to nag her about anything.'Bev Powell
Home-schooling is working very well for us. Initially I had to buy a few books for Tiah to work from. Tiah and myself wanted to follow the national curriculum but 'home edders' don't have to.
The LEA came to check that things were going well, and they were. Tiah felt happier and actually loved doing her work at home. I didn't have to nag her about anything.
I purchased sats papers for her to sit before the summer hols and to my surprise she did extremely well, getting above 80 per cent in all subjects, except maths but that was very good considering the sats papers were for year nine students and she was year seven...
Now Tiah uses an online school (between £140-£200 per month) because she wants to get her GCSEs. Her day at school begins at 9.30am and ends at 2pm.
She gets a break in the morning, a lunch break and another break in the afternoon. She is enjoying it, she has made new friends. She gets homework set every day and I get regular updates about how she is getting on."
To visit Bev's anti-bullying website, www.cruelatschool.co.uk, click here.
