"Do they really think that you can ONLY learn by sitting behind a desk with a blackboard in front of you..."

Sorry, Lizzie, but that really does show how out of touch you are with modern teaching practices. Even if you could find one in a school today, you'd have to call it a "chalkboard" - but you're much more likely, however, to find an interactive whiteboard and kids working in groups and on computers.

Aside from the education debate, there are a couple of other areas that worry me about home schooling and, before I attract a tirade of abuse, let be emphasise that I'm talking from my own, personal perspective here.

As we live in a small village with only a handful of children, my daughter's friends (and my son's before her) are drawn almost exzclusively from school. Without school, she would have few friends. Then there are the after-school clubs that she goes to - these, too, are an important part of her life.

I also believe that one of my obligations, as a parent, is to teach my kids self-reliabce and independence. I worry that, if they'd been taught at home, this might have been stifled. As I am 60 and my daugter is 9, there's a strong possibility that I won't be around to help with many of the important decisions she'll have to make so I want her to have the knowledge and confidence to make her own decisions (and not to be afraid to make mistakes)and I believe that this can best be achieved by interacting with as many people as possible and that her school is the right environment for this. It has certainly worked with our son and it is something that my parents were wise enough to do with me. I can honestly say that this approach has helped me get through a number of difficult periods in my life and I am eternally grateful for my parent's foresight.