Home Schooling
Home Schooling
Your Approach
How are you going to approach the journey ahead?
Your role is now teacher across several subjects, manager, pastoral care and exams officer. Time passes quickly and exam entry deadlines are early (often very early – 6 to 9 months ahead). Equally, once in a home environment time constraints are less important and you can proceed at your own pace. Do bear in mind though that you will no doubt have other things you enjoy in your life and you probably will not want to be home-educating indefinitely! Choosing how to approach your home-education journey is very much your own affair but there are broadly two schools of thought and each has its advantages and disadvantages.
Option A or Option B?
Option A
Choose a small number of subjects and intend to cover them in just one year. Once completed choose another small number and again, try to complete them in one year. Keep repeating this method until you have the desired number of GCSEs.
Advantages
- Managing a small number of subjects is easier.
- Exam fees can be kept lower if only entering a few subjects at a time.
Disadvantages
- Cramming the content into one year can be a challenge. Although there is obviously more time per subject there is little room for wider learning.
Option B
Choose a large number of subjects, work through them concurrently and take exams when you are ready (some may be sooner than others).
Advantages
- This method is more comparable to school and allows children variety. Exam costs can still be staggered if some exams are entered earlier than others.
- You are more likely to finish with a larger number of qualifications (it can be tempting to lower the burden once the target of five GCSES is met).
Disadvantages
- Can be a large undertaking for a parent from home.
Social Media Groups
Please be aware that social media groups vary in their approach to home-education. If you are planning to sit exams stay with the advice of the groups which exist solely for the purpose of taking exams from home. Home education is a difficult challenge for most and you need to bear in mind that you are undertaking the full role of a school single handedly. There are no short cuts. Your son or daughter will need all the same qualifications as their conventionally school educated peer group friends so don’t be persuaded that universities are more lenient towards home-educating students and therefore you can do less and still reap the same rewards. They are not; universities, colleges and employers require the same qualifications and grades from home educated students as they do of any other students.