Hello Mimi, As you know we home educate and I think if he has even a little taste of school he'll realised which side his bread has been buttered these years. It went the other way with us, we withdrew our kids from schools because we were very unhappy so our kids already had the experience of school and really didn't enjoy it. Our daughter whose 8 has never been to school, and if she ever had to I'd cringe at the thought of the arguments she'd have with teaching staff as she's very independant and wouldn't entertain things like school uniform and would constantly question the need for things ( you know the sort of daft rules some schools are so keen on). We had a junior school behind where we used to live and we were taking some jumble there for the jumble sale just as the kids were coming in from break. The teacher blew a whistle and all the kids stopped, then she blew it again and they all lined up, then she blew it again and they all marched in. My daughter wryly observed to the teacher concerned that "you teach sheepdogs like that".
I've noticed a lot of home educated children are constant questioners and free thinkers and wonder if your son would integrate well into being in a "herd".
If you could get say a months trial it might be an idea, but personally I'd have a really good talk with him and see if he's still dead set on it. If he just weants to play with lads, maybe you could enrol him into some blokey type after school clubs first and see if that does the trick.Either way you've not let him down at all, he;s gothis ow ideas because that's what homed Ed is all about, so in a roundabout way it's actually a success that he's questioning being home educated.