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In a class of her own

James Bartholomew

Wednesday, 13th September 2006

James Bartholomew has decided to home-educate his nine-year-old. Even good private schools, he says, cling to the national curriculum and fail to teach basic grammar

Unlike most nine-year-olds, my daughter Alex is not back at school. She is not having last-minute morning rushes to find her self-losing shoes. She is not getting used to a new classroom or meeting a new form teacher. For during this term at least, I am going to home-educate her.

Alex has been at good private schools. Most recently she has been at a warmly encouraging one with an outstanding headmistress (who has been very good about what I am doing). Before that, she was at a school noted for its academic and sporting success.

But by the time you read this, Alex and I will be in a little cottage outside Aix-en-Provence, staying with an old friend who lives with her bee-keeper boyfriend. The first objective of our home-education will be for Alex to learn French.

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