My long term vision for my son.

I spend every single day supporting other parents to make very important decisions. Decisions about their children that will impact the rest of their lives (their lives and the lives of their children). I take what I do very seriously. It is of upmost importance to me to support parents all over the country to make the best choices possible for their children.

You see, I didn’t have the best education growing up. We were certainly not ‘wealthy’ and my parents did the best they could with the knowledge that they had at the time and the circumstances they experienced at the time. However, it is very factual for me to tell you that my education could have been far superior. And if it had been, perhaps I wouldn’t have had to have struggled as much as I did between the ages of 18-35. Perhaps I would have made better financial decisions between the ages of 18-35 and perhaps my life would have just been filled with far more choices than those that I had between the ages of 18-35.

The education that our children receive is very important to me.

Currently, I am creating a long term vision for my son.

Having been state educated myself from the age of 5 to the age of 18, I know with certainty that I do not want him in a state school. People will say to me that I shouldn’t let my experience cloud my vision for my son. I will let my experience be the shining light to guide me very carefully in making this decision. My experience matters.

Having worked in state education for over a decade and having taught in hundreds of schools (including private), I know that I do not want him in a state school. I’ve seen too much. It’s a straight and easy no.

Private schooling is an option, sure. But not in his very early years. I want to have the flexibility to take him out of school and travel with him, to visit family, to go to new places and to have new experiences with him. I cannot do that if he begins school full time from September 2026.

I know that I can provide him with a ‘world class’ education that the government tell me they are offering all of our children. My education was far from ‘world class’.

Socially, it will be up to me or organise activities where he can interact with other children. Not because I think children socialise in schools (I don’t), but because my son adores to be with other children. And what I’ve actually noticed is that he loves being with different children (not the same ones every day).

Long term, I do want him to be very, very academic. I want to follow his lead and see what he is drawn to and provide him with everything he needs to achieve what he wants. I do want him to achieve high grades at GCSE and A-level. Not because of the grades themselves but because they will open doors for his future endeavours. I would like him to go to university but this will be completely up to him when he is mature enough to make that decision (I do not think 18 is the age to make these choices personally).

I don’t necessarily want him to work full time or have to work full time as an employee (unless he tells me that he wants to do this). I will steer him towards the entrepreneur route. I know that this will give him the freedom that I have been creating for myself and my family over the last 2 decades. I want him to feel positive and negative emotions in equal doses. I want him to develop the tools and skills to be able to handle both to the best of his ability. I want to be his main teacher. I want to be his guide. I want him to continue to have the hunger for learning that he currently has. I do not want this to be taken away from him by anyone.

I do not want anyone telling me what I should or should not be doing when it comes to my son. I do not want to follow rigid rules. I want freedom. It’s what I have always wanted - it’s just not what I was conditioned to want.

This is my long term vision for my son.

What is your long term vision for your child?