Play with an axe
Zephyr clambers out of window but mum says all risks are assessed Zephyr takes aim with his toy crossbow, which fires foam bullets
stay in and do stuff. There are no boundaries so the kids get on with life and do what they want.”
Gemma and Lewis decided to home school the children after pulling Skye and Finlay out of the education system when they were aged seven and six. Until six months ago Phoenix didn’t want to learn to read – then decided he needed to, to message pals on his Xbox. Now the kids are taught reading and writing by their parents, but do not take exams or study the national curriculum. Education inspectors visit annually. And Gemma defends home schooling, saying: “They’re behind their peers in terms of academics, but I’m not bothered. GCSEs are a memory test, it’s not about being intelligent.” The only rules in the household dictate that the children do not lie, hurt anyone or be offensive. Their freedom allows them to practise skills they would not be able to learn at school. Lewis, a catering manager, says: “Finlay loves cooking and could put a three-course meal on the table. “Home schooling let’s them learn life skills and they can do a lot of things other kids can’t.” Gemma adds: “We’re relaxed about things other people might find shocking, but we’re probably more on it in terms of guiding and bringing them up than other people are. “We really think about how we bring them up and we get so many compliments about how amazing the kids are. So it seems a bit wild on the surface, but it works.”
mirror.co.uk