Local Authority report
Spring term 2026
Prepared for Leeds City Council
Reporting period: 6 January — 27 March 2026
This report has been prepared using Flybrite, a home-education companion platform used by UK families. It has been generated from records kept across the reporting period and reviewed by the parent prior to submission.
1. Educational philosophy
We follow a blended approach — a structured morning of maths and literacy, then a longer afternoon shaped by the children’s interests, with a strong Charlotte Mason influence (nature study, living books, narration). Tuesdays are reserved for field trips or longer walks. Fridays we review the week together as a family.
2. The learners
Ava Carter-HughesAge 8 · Year 4 equivalent
Ava is in her second year of home education, having left a mainstream primary in Year 2. She reads voraciously, keeps a nature journal, and is currently working through Beast Academy 3A in maths.
Oliver Carter-HughesAge 6 · Year 2 equivalent
Oliver has been home educated from the start of Reception. He is a tactile learner who gravitates to building, cooking and physical play. He reads fluently from early-chapter books and is working through White Rose Year 2 maths.
3. Term at a glance
- Weeks
- 8
- Activities logged
- 34
- Field trips
- 4
- Subjects covered
- 7
4. Subject coverage
The following chart summarises the proportion of logged activity in each subject across the term, weighted by session length. A balanced profile is not a goal in itself — depth is often preferable to breadth — but Flybrite surfaces the figures for transparency.
Daily reading, weekly narration, composition on alternate Thursdays.
Nature-study focus; two longer investigations (states of matter, plant life-cycles).
Structured curricula for both children; weekly practical maths (baking, shopping).
Thematic local-history term (Roman Yorkshire) plus weekly geography with atlas.
Weekly swim lessons, Tuesday walks (minimum 5 km), Wednesday gymnastics club.
Weekly drawing practice (Drawing with Children), Friday music-appreciation block.
Introductory French conversation, once a week with a tutor. Both children.
5. Weekly activity log
Each entry below is a moment logged in Flybrite at or near the time it happened. Entries have been edited for this report; the underlying records remain available to the Local Authority on request.
Visit to the Yorkshire Museum
Introductory visit for the Roman Yorkshire term. Both children completed the trail booklet. Ava took notes on the Ilkley altar; Oliver drew the mosaic fragments and dictated a caption.
Evidence: Trail booklet, sketches, dictated captions.
Narration: The Wind in the Willows, Ch. 1
Ava read the opening chapter aloud, then narrated it back in her own words. Used direct speech for Mole’s lines. We noted five new words (whitewash, upheaved, penetrating, spinney, sauntered).
Evidence: Written narration (1.5 pages); vocabulary list.
White Rose Y2 — addition within 100
Lesson on bridging through 10. Oliver used a bead string and then moved to pictorial. Completed 12/12 independent problems.
Evidence: Workbook pages 14–15; photo of bead string.
Local swim lesson (Kirkstall)
Weekly swim session. Ava: stroke refinement (front crawl breathing). Oliver: confidence back float.
Evidence: Lesson register (photograph).
Nature walk: Meanwood Valley
Winter field walk. We identified five bird species (goldcrest, long-tailed tit, treecreeper, nuthatch, bullfinch), drew an ash-tree bud under a hand lens, and discussed bud dormancy.
Evidence: Nature-journal entries (both children); photos of buds.
Beast Academy 3A — place value
Guided practice on expanded form to 10,000. Ava worked through chapter 1D with minimal scaffolding.
Evidence: Workbook pages; pencilled self-corrections.
Reading: Oi Frog! series
Oliver read a full book aloud. Good decoding; strong expression on rhyme. Narrated the ending in his own words.
Evidence: Audio clip (for family record).
Drawing with Children — five elements
Introductory lesson on the five basic shapes. Both children drew a tea-cup from observation.
Evidence: Observational drawings (both).
Baking: Roman-style bread
Linked to our Roman Yorkshire term. Mixed the dough, shaped rolls, discussed flour origins. Followed the British Museum’s simplified recipe.
Evidence: Photos; written recipe in notebook.
Trip: Aldborough Roman site
Guided tour with English Heritage. Both children completed the family activity pack. Ava handled most of the timeline ordering; Oliver interviewed the guide about mosaic tools.
Evidence: Activity pack; audio of Oliver’s interview.
States of matter: melting rates
Controlled experiment comparing how fast butter, chocolate and a sugar cube dissolve in warm water. Ava wrote method and conclusion independently.
Evidence: Written investigation (2 pages).
Handwriting: Nelson scheme
Lowercase letters f, g, h. Focus on descender length.
Evidence: Handwriting book pp. 18–19.
French with Madame Lise
Colours, numbers 1–20, greetings. Both children recited a short dialogue.
Evidence: Tutor’s session note; photo of practice sheet.
Wednesday gymnastics — showcase
End-of-block assessment at the gymnastics club. Both children moved up a level group.
Evidence: Club assessment slip.
Composition: letter to Mr Badger
In-character letter from Mole to Mr Badger. Ava edited her own first draft, noting where punctuation needed work.
Evidence: Draft + final (2 pages).
Money: adding amounts under £1
Practical activity at the kitchen "shop" with real 10p and 20p coins. Calculated change from 50p.
Evidence: Photos of set-up; notebook totals.
Music appreciation: Vaughan Williams
Listened to "The Lark Ascending" in full. Discussed mood. Ava drew a response; Oliver danced.
Evidence: Ava’s drawing; brief written reflection.
Map work: Roman roads of Britain
Used the atlas to trace Ermine Street and Dere Street. Both children added the roads to their own hand-drawn map.
Evidence: Hand-drawn maps (both children).
Beast Academy 3A — word problems
Worked through five multi-step word problems. Two needed a second pass; Ava wrote out her working clearly.
Evidence: Workbook; draft pages.
Plant life-cycle: cress seeds
Set up a controlled cress-germination experiment (light vs dark). Oliver drew a labelled diagram and predicted outcomes.
Evidence: Labelled diagram; weekly observation sheet.
Poetry: Edward Thomas, "Adlestrop"
Read aloud; discussed imagery. Both children chose a favourite line and copied it into their commonplace book.
Evidence: Commonplace book entries.
Long walk: Ilkley Moor (7.5 km)
Full day out with another home-ed family. Ava led the map-reading section. Oliver identified three bird species from field guide.
Evidence: Photos; field-guide entries.
Roman Yorkshire essay — draft
First draft of a 400-word essay on daily life in Eboracum. Used three sources from the Yorkshire Museum shop.
Evidence: Draft (handwritten).
Narration: The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark
Oliver narrated the first two chapters after listening. He noticed Plop’s emotional arc (scared → curious).
Evidence: Oral narration recorded.
Pastel portraits (half-term prep)
Introductory oil-pastel lesson at home. Both children attempted self-portraits from a mirror.
Evidence: Two finished portraits; in-progress photos.
Winter birds: RSPB Big Garden count
Joined the national count from our garden. Logged 11 species over one hour. Ava submitted the form; Oliver counted.
Evidence: RSPB confirmation email; tally sheet.
Roman Yorkshire essay — final
Edited and rewrote the essay in best handwriting. Added one further paragraph on Roman food.
Evidence: Final essay (3 pages).
White Rose Y2 — shape & symmetry
Introduced line symmetry with paper folding. Identified symmetry in butterflies and alphabet letters.
Evidence: Paper-fold examples; worksheet.
French — food and drink
Vocabulary block: 20 food words. Followed by a simple "café" role-play in French.
Evidence: Flashcards; tutor’s notes.
Local-history walk: Kirkstall Abbey
Guided walk with a local historian. Tied to the medieval extension of our Roman-to-medieval term theme. Both children sketched the arches.
Evidence: Sketches; tour leaflet.
Beast Academy 3A — end-of-chapter review
Chapter review on place value and addition. Ava scored 24/26; we worked the two missed problems together.
Evidence: Review pages.
Oi Dog! — reading and prediction
Stopped mid-book to predict the ending. Oliver was almost right. We discussed why the author subverted the pattern.
Evidence: Notebook prediction entry.
Family music afternoon — Elgar
Listened to the Cello Concerto. Both children drew freely while listening. Short discussion afterwards about tempo.
Evidence: Two drawings; dictated reflections.
Baking bread — yeast investigation
Compared a yeasted loaf to a soda-bread loaf. Discussed why the yeasted dough rose. Both children kept a time-lapse photo record.
Evidence: Photos (time-lapse); notebook entry.
6. Subject narratives
English
Ava read widely across fiction, poetry and non-fiction, averaging three books a week across the term. Formal composition was taught through narration and copy-work, moving from oral narration in the early weeks to a 400-word structured essay on Roman Yorkshire by week seven. Oliver’s reading moved from early-chapter books into continuous novels, and he began written narration for the first time this term. Handwriting is following the Nelson scheme and progressing well.
Maths
Ava followed Beast Academy 3A, covering place value to 10,000, multi-step word problems, and an introduction to multiplication. She worked for 40–45 minutes a day, four days a week. Oliver followed White Rose Year 2, with a particular focus this term on addition within 100, money, and symmetry. He worked for 25 minutes a day, four days a week. Weekly practical maths (cooking, shopping, time) supplemented the structured curriculum.
Science
Science this term was organised around the Charlotte Mason nature-study model, supplemented by two longer investigations (states of matter for Ava, plant life-cycles for Oliver). Weekly walks provided consistent opportunities for observational recording in nature journals. Both children participated in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch and recorded 11 species. Practical work included the yeast investigation in week 8.
Humanities
The term theme was Roman Yorkshire, extending in the final weeks to the medieval period. Field visits included the Yorkshire Museum (week 1), Aldborough Roman Site (week 3), and Kirkstall Abbey (week 8). Ava produced a 400-word essay on daily life in Eboracum. Oliver focused on map-work and on recreating Roman bread. Geography was taught weekly with a family atlas.
PE
Both children attended weekly swim lessons and Wednesday gymnastics throughout the term. Tuesday walks (minimum 5 km) continued; the longest of the term was a 7.5 km walk on Ilkley Moor. End-of-block gymnastics assessment in week 4 saw both children move up a level.
Arts
Drawing with Children provided the weekly art lesson. Friday afternoon music-appreciation blocks covered Vaughan Williams, Elgar, and shorter listenings. Both children kept a commonplace book for favourite lines and images.
Languages
A weekly French session with a tutor (Madame Lise, one hour) covered greetings, numbers 1–20, colours, and food and drink. Both children completed short role-plays at the tutor’s request.
7. Declaration
I confirm that the above report is a fair and accurate account of the education provided to my children at home during the reporting period. All records are available for inspection on request. I remain contactable via the email address held by the Local Authority.
Signed,
Nina Carter-Hughes
29 March 2026
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