Back to the School of the Air Home Page

WHY?
HOW?
WHAT?
WHERE?
WHEN?
A selection of interrogative adverbs to explain things (optional grammar lesson there, except you've just read it and it's no longer optional)

WHY are we doing it?
The idea for this part of our website is to build on the success of the last five years and to expand into a new area. Owlbut's School of the Air is intended mainly for those who are being educated outside the mainstream system or for those who would like to know a little more about those subjects often put on the back burner by the mainstream concentration on Maths, English and Science.

The original focus of our website was to help children learn more about their country but in a fun, innovative way. Based on feedback from both teachers and parents, this objective has been achieved and indeed more. Then, during the COVID lockdowns, we worked with many parents who were totally lost in having to help their children learn at home and again the feedback told us that we were a great source of help. The fact that our material was non-prescriptive and yet guidance was provided proved a very important point.

Apart from working for over 40 years in the education sector, I have considerable experience, both personal and professional, of working in the area of home education. I have educated three of my own children at home for various lengths of time and, after my second coastline journey, I provided material, support and advice for over two years to various other home educators. Molly, who has now joined me full-time, has also run sessions for home educators during her time leading a forest school. With this new section we want to widen the scope and help even more parents and children.

We also have a desire to encourage children, and their parents, to get outside more, to look at and learn from things around them and experience the awe and wonder of the natural world. In recent months I have seen the amazing benefit children can get from this.

HOW will it happen?
We will upload videos to this part of our site every weekday beginning in September 2024 and continuing uninterupted, apart from a short three week break over Christmas and the New Year, through till July 2025. Each day will cover a different topic. Whilst the videos will have a stand-alone interest, through them we want to encourage our followers to get outside themselves and, at the same time, find out more about their world. The videos on Tuesday and Thursday will be more suitable for the so-called Early Years group, under fives. Monday, Wednesday and Friday will have content for older children. The videos will provide learning material and also give ideas for future study.

NOTE
As with all material on our site we do not, and never will, prescribe that they are for a certain age nor do they follow, rigidly, any particular curriculum. All children learn differently, progress at different speeds and have different interests which drive their learning forward. The ages mentioned above are purely suggestions. All material is there to be used as you or your children want. <

Furthermore, although our programme stops in July 2025 we have plans to continue beyond that date.

WHAT will it cost?
Originally we were going to have a subscription for this part of our site. It would have cost £20 per calendar month. However, as a 2023 Christmas present to all our followers, Molly and I have decided that, just like the rest of our site, this section will now be free for everyone to access. If you like what we are doing and would like to make a contribution to our work, and have a few benefits too, you can find out how here. If you can afford a small donation to help us with our work that would be fantastic.

WHERE can you find it?
All videos will be accessed from the School of the Air section of our website.

WHEN will it happen?

It will all begin on Monday 2 September 2024, with a brief introductory week before that, and go through until the week beginning 14 July 2025.