Assisting Lily Reach Her Academic Potential

Hey there fellow funders!

My youngest daughter is a bright button who has just come out the other side of a diagnosis of severe eczema. Though she still has eczema, it has just been down graded and we have just this month been discharged from the care of GOSH. Which is great progress after a number of very difficult years.

When Lily initially got diagnosed with severe eczema in 2021 she was covered from her scalp to the soles of her feet with it and often her flareups would result in hospitalisation. She did not have a solid night sleep for over a year. She was five years old. It got so bad that she did not attend school for the best part of a academic year but still managed to do her schoolwork and excel, receiving a certificate from her school as a star learner “for making great improvements in her learning and producing some fantastic pieces of work in maths and literacy”. Despite the fact she had not attended she retained the status of top of her class ( and year in some subjects).

Fast forward to the present day Lily remains a keen learner and is still top of her class/year in most subjects. Her learning is led by her passion. And I of course encourage this. It came to my attention at the beginning of this academic year that Lily was feeling disheartened with her learning, often complaining that whatever they had been teaching in school on that particular day she knew already.

Though I had taught Lily the basics until this point, (she could spell and write her name, knew her ABCs, could count to 100 and beyond in English, and to 10 in French before starting nursery), I was very aware that the pool of my knowledge was fast running out. I myself especially struggle as I am dyslexic. Knowing what a keen learner she is I started looking into a local prep/grammar school. We went to one of the open days and Lily loved it there and has set her heart on attending. I have secured donations towards our endeavour from some of my elder family members. But we’ve a long way to go, especially if you’re taking into consideration not just the fees but the extras like school uniform school equipment, school trips and lunches. Not to discount the duration of what’s left of her formal compulsory education.

I am a single mum, struggling through the current financial crisis. I am a sole trader, selling Preloved and Preowned items online. Unfortunately my income is currently topped up by the UK benefit system and by attending a food bank. The food bank subsidise our groceries as fortunately I found out what the triggers for Lily‘s eczema are, (often eczema sufferers do not find out what the causes of their flareups are). These triggers being food stuffs, means our food shop for her are very expensive, especially on our budget and initially I would occasionally skip meals to ensure my daughter not only ate well but didn’t feel left out when others were receiving sweets and treats that contained ingredients she couldn’t consume.

Apologies for digressing slightly. I just want to give you the full picture of our situation.

Of course Lily could continue in state School, helping her less gifted peers and those for whom English is not their first language, (which she loves doing), but I fear this is not the best fit for her academic talent and I fear that she will lose momentum and enthusiasm for her learning if the status quo continues. This in turn may impact her mental health and will definitely impact her future potential and prospects, in my opinion.

So help me help Lily reach her full potential so that this fun loving, kind, compassionate and intelligent lover of academia and the arts, (she attends subsidised extracurricular drama, music and art classes at the weekend), grows into the brilliant rounded adult and contributor to society that she has the potential to become!

Thanks in advance!

Tamara & Lily ✨