Home schooling can be highly beneficial to a child’s educational development. Children receive tuition either one-to-one or in small groups, meaning that they often gain from more personal attention than those learning in the school environment where large class sizes are often the norm. Classes, tasks and learning styles can [...]
Thanks for getting in touch with your enquiry. It is not generally the duty of an au pair to provide an education for a child and if you do undertake this task, you should negotiate on the other tasks you will be expected to perform. Do not allow yourself to [...]
First of all, it's important to check out GCSE dates. In schools, most students take GCSE courses over a period of two years. If your son plans to learn intensively at home, you may choose to sit the exam one year after beginning learning, but either way it is important [...]
As a parent who is considering home schooling, or interested in educational philosophies, you may well have heard of Steiner schooling. While you probably know some of its practices or concepts, you may be less aware of how these are put into play, or how they can be integrated into [...]
For your child, when you, he or she or your partner first brings up the idea of home education, there is likely to be a strong reaction – either negatively or positively. If a child has been bullied at school, he or she may be especially keen to leave behind [...]
Even contemplating making the move to home school your child is a huge prospect, and you might feel overawed about all the options to consider and issues to think about. A good way to help to break down your huge decision into more easily manageable chunks is to answer the [...]
While both the Internet and TV programmes offer huge educational resource opportunities, some home schooling families can feel tentative about how to integrate these two technologies into their education plans. One of the reasons that many parents have serious reservations about both TV and the Internet is that they both [...]
The socialisation issue is often discussed as a concern for parents who are considering home schooling their child – how will he or she adapt to being taught alone (or with a sibling or two)? Will he or she become more developed academically to the detriment of honing social skills? [...]
When parents become interested in home educating their children, the idea can seem scary as well as exciting. Often parents are keen to find out more about other families’ experiences, how they found home teaching when they started out, tips, pros, cons, and practical advice. Sometimes there are local home [...]
When parents make the decision to home school their children, this can bring on extra stress when considering the myriad of other tasks to be carried out to enable the smooth-running of the family home. Some home schooling parents place pressure on themselves to carry out the full “duties” of [...]
Teaching a home schooled child a foreign language can help to introduce him or her to the exciting world community around them while also boosting his or her writing, speaking and listening communication skills. This article looks at some teaching ideas, tips and ways to teach a foreign language effectively [...]
To help children prepare for exams within a home education, there are past exams papers available for all kinds of exams, from eleven plus examinations to GCSEs and A levels. These are available to buy from book shops and websites, and may also be possible to borrow from the library, [...]
Many home educators provide all of their child's teaching themselves, or employ tutors for occasional sport, music or art training, but some home schooling families do opt for more home tutoring time within a home education. Some of the benefits include a child getting used to a different style of [...]
Many home schooling families have more than one child, and sometimes they will all be home educated at the same time, while other families may only home educate one child while the other(s) attend a mainstream school. Other families may have several young children or toddlers and another, older child [...]
To many home educators, the idea of home schooling and a break time will immediately sound oxymoronic, because many home teachers believe that learning is not a specific, desk-based event but something that is part of every day life and can be picked up just as much in the supermarket [...]
Benefits of Home Education Support Groups Support groups can be an ideal way for both you and your home schooled child to get to know other families who are experiencing the same education system. Your child may benefit from meeting fellow home schoolers as well as other friends in interest [...]
Information About Exam Entry for Home Schooled Children For home schooled children who have studied for a public exam like GCSEs or A levels either independently, through a private tutor, or via a correspondence course, it is usually the pupil's own responsibility to find an exam centre, register for the [...]
Many home schooling parents feel overwhelmed by the idea of teaching maths, since it is often a subject that parents felt weak at during their own education. Even confident mathematicians worry that the modern techniques for maths have changed a great deal since their own school days. But while maths [...]
Some home schooling parents have concerns about teaching science at home. Science may be a subject that parents struggled with themselves at school, or they simply remember the subject requiring lots of resources such as Bunsen burners and chemical elements. It's very unlikely that home teachers will be able to [...]
What are Lesson Plans? A lesson plan is usually a written document made by a teacher, or in this case home teacher. It sets out the objectives of a session of learning and describes how that objective will be met, including the lesson's activities, timings, possible break periods, etc. A [...]
Most students feel nervous about exams, but homed schooled students might have extra nerves about taking the exams in a large exam centre with students they may have never previously met. It's a good idea to take your homed schooled child along to the exam centre in advance of the [...]
Exams are scary events for most children, and for home schooled children who will usually be taking exams in a big study hall when they are used to studying one to one in their living room or bedroom, exams can be an especially scary event! This article looks at ways [...]
Why Do Some Home Schooling Families Buy Lesson Plans? Buying a lesson plan from a specialist education company is another option for families considering beginning teaching a home education, since starting to teach from scratch, as well as organising and choosing a curriculum to follow (an educational route that some [...]
Where motivation in a mainstream school setting usually stems from the organised structure of a planned curriculum, marked assignments, sometimes peer to peer competitiveness, striving for the praise of a teacher or parent, home school educators generally emphasise learning for its own sake. Home schooling parents therefore often try to [...]
The basic answer to the question 'what do universities think about home schooled students' applications to further education?' is that every institution differs. Most universities want to be certain that applicants to their courses will be able to cope with and benefit from their education at universities, and to many [...]
All about GCSEs and A Levels 'GCSE' stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education, the exams that within mainstream schools in the UK most students take at the end of year 11, usually when aged 16, although GCSEs can be taken at any age and home schoolers especially often take [...]
This article looks at how home schooling students and their parents can put together a home study timetable, which can help to create a feeling of organised study as well as helping students to succeed at achieving good grades and exam results if studying for a qualification. What are the [...]
What are Lesson Plans and How are they Used in Home Schooling? A lesson plan is a structured document that breaks down a subject's curriculum into bite sized chunks that show how to help a child to understand and relate to a topic's information within a particular time period objective [...]
For some home schooling families, the National Curriculum has no impact on their home learning and home teaching - because, by law, it does not have to have any role in a home education. Home schooling comes under the bracket of the Education Act which refers to provision for 'education [...]
Many new home schooling families are surprised to find that there are no laws or regulations in place through Government Acts like the Education Act regarding the curricula that children who are experiencing home schooling need to undertake. In addition, the same is true of Local Education Authorities, (LEAs) and [...]
For most home schooling parents, their child's development of social skills will be a central concern. In a mainstream school environment, children are usually taught in a large classroom which provides many opportunities to interact with fellow classmates of the same age, plus adults like teachers and teaching assistants, as [...]
Home Tutoring In A Home School Education Some parents feel unable to cater for their child's entire teaching and want to hire a private tutor for some subjects, or others may book a tutor for a child's entire home learning. It's best to shop around as many tuition agencies offer [...]
All about A Levels A Levels are higher level qualifications for students in England, Northern Ireland and Wales - in Scotland, the equivalent qualification is the Scottish Higher. A Levels are now split into two qualifications, AS (Advanced Subsidiary) and A (Advanced) level qualifications, which normally take one year each [...]
Parents making decisions about home schooling their children tend to be thinking first about the benefits or disadvantages that a home education would give their child, and it may only be once the decision has been made to home educate that he or she begins to consider the actual process [...]
Types Of Home Schooling Routines It's an obvious cliché but many families involved in home educating their children proclaim that there is no such thing as a typical day when a child is learning at home. One of the benefits of home education is its flexibility - if a child [...]
Home schooling students who want to take GCSE qualifications (which usually last two years, and in schools culminate in exams usually taken at the age of 16, in school year 11) have several options to consider. While the school norms for GCSEs are outlined above, GCSEs can in fact be [...]
The Basics about Home Schooling Children with Special Needs Children who have a statement of special educational needs can still receive a home education, but the process of starting home educating may differ slightly. The Statement, once a child is withdrawn from school, is unenforceable unless the Statement itself reads [...]
This articles takes a look at the key issues that differentiate school and home school education, looking at the pros and cons of home tutoring's more individualised approach and the issues surrounding socialisation that some view as a disadvantage of home learning. This article lays out the issues, because the [...]
Sometimes behavioural issues are a key reason why parents decide to home school their child, since the child is not doing well at school because of his or her behaviour. Often this has a root cause, such as bullying, or having difficulty learning in the school's teaching style or environment, [...]
One of the chief benefits of home schooling is the individualised attention a child receives from his or her parent (or tutor, or grandparent, etc.) which is usually in contrast to a school environment with twenty or more students in a class and a low teacher or teaching assistant ratio. [...]
Getting started as a home school teacher can feel intimidating; parents often feel particularly apprehensive about teaching subjects that they themselves struggled with at school, often including maths or science. Once you have researched the advantages and disadvantages of home schooling, and looked at how to do so (the practical [...]
The issue of a child's social skills is a major concern for parents who are considering a home education for their child. Some criticisms of a home schooling environment include the idea that it prevents children from developing social awareness of how to act in particular situations, or what to [...]
The relative freedom and flexibility of home schooling regulation in the UK means that parents who move or travel abroad with their children are sometimes surprised to discover stricter laws regulating home schooling in other countries. Parents who teach their children via home schooling have to follow the rules of [...]
Families and children may choose to embark on a home school education for a wide range of reasons. This article looks at the main reasons that parents name as significant factors in their decision to choose a home schooling education. Note that many parents -and children- opt for home schooling [...]
Sometimes home school educated children who are seen out and about in school hours are targeted by truancy officers, who may not believe their (probable) protestations about being home schooled. In 2007, the Government Department for Children, Schools and Families (previously the ministry for education) issued guidance on truancy, and [...]
Why do I Need to Contact the School? If a child has not previously attended a school, parents do not need to contact any school regarding their home schooling choice. If, however, your child is either currently attending a school in England, Northern Ireland, or Wales, or is registered as [...]
In basic terms, the Education Act law in both England, Northern Ireland, and Wales and in Scotland means that while parents are legally required to educate their children, no parent has to do so by sending their child to school. Parents are, however, required by law to ensure they receive [...]
There are no formal rules by the Government, Local Education Authority or any other curricula body regarding the number or nature of hours a home schooled child has to undertake. Usually no home school education is the same: there is no average day, or lesson, or term; the nature of [...]
The development of social skills is an issue of concern for many parents who decide to give their children home education - it's also one of the most prevalent criticisms of home education by those who are opposed to it. Some argue that a home schooling environment shelters children from [...]
While many parents find home schooling offers lots of potential benefits, there are also drawbacks to consider, and many will have a significant impact on family life for the home schooled child but also his or her siblings and parents. This article outlines these potential disadvantages of home schooling to [...]
A child receiving a home schooling education in the UK is not subject to regular monitoring or testing. There are no official attainment standards that need to be met. Home schooled children do not need to take exams such as SATs; in fact, they do not need to take any [...]
Scotland and England have two separate Parliaments and two separate systems of law and administration, which affects their different education policies. However, the home schooling law in Scotland is close to that of England: in both countries parents are not obliged by law to sign up their child to a [...]
It can sometimes feel like children would be better giving parents a lesson on the computer, and if your child's computing ability is above yours - relish the fact! Asking your child to help you to develop your own IT skills can boost their confidence, boost your IT ability, and [...]
Even when younger home school children and their families decided against following a curricula, often as home schooled children grow older, parents decide to give their child the opportunity to gain qualifications like GCSEs and A Levels, and in this case the home education system and teaching tips for children [...]
Young teenagers can be difficult to motivate, whether they are home schooled or not! This article looks at the specific struggles of teaching pre-teens and teenagers, including focusing on how to motivate and retain their interests, and curricula options. Choosing a Curriculum Between 11-16 Many home schooling parents decide not [...]
While a home education can seem appealing for some reasons, many parents foster concerns about making the plunge to take a child out of school into full time home learning. This article looks at some of the advantages of the home education system, from academic reasons to social and family [...]
In England the Education Act on 1944 means that parents are legally obliged to educate their children, but do not have to do so by sending their child to school. The Direct Gov website (by the Government) lists a parent's duty. This is: that a 'child is not obliged to [...]
Home schooling families are the exception to the norm - since such a large percentage of the UK's children are educated in schools, many people have never met a home schooling family, or even heard about the option to home educate a child. Home schooling parents may find themselves faced [...]
Maths can be a difficult topic for parents to face, especially if they struggled with the subject themselves at school. This article describes various of different ways to approach mathematics, focusing on learning number orders, counting, and counting in groups, and looks at how to capitalise on the flexibility of [...]
The first time a parent takes on a role as 'official' teacher of their child can be daunting. This article describes lots of different ways to approach the teaching of English, in various locations and methods, plus includes information on how to find other teaching ideas. Reading English Literature Note [...]
It can be difficult to follow the various debates on methods of teaching reading and writing for younger children. This article describes lots of different ways to approach this kind of teaching, including showing how an education can happen in various different locations and situations. Starting to Read One of [...]
Home schooling is usually a very different education experience when compared with receiving an education in a mainstream school. A home schooled child will usually receive much more individual attention, and the pace of work will be tailored for his or her personal needs. If parents and children decide to [...]
For a child, moving from a busy school day to a less structured home education, where the 'classroom' might be their living room, and the teacher their mum or dad, can be a difficult transition to make. This article will look at how parents should begin planning for this transition [...]
The process of deschooling is only relevant to home school children who have started attending a school and then opt to receive a home learning education. Deschooling is the process of acclimatisation between learning at school and learning in the home environment. This article discusses what parents can expect around [...]
Since every child is different, every home schooling education is different, and this is in fact especially valid for home school educated children, since many children start to learn at home precisely because of their individual needs. However, there are distinct routes to home teaching a child, some more structured [...]
Parents who decide their children would thrive with a home school education have usually examined the motivations and repercussions of home teaching in detail, but will tend to retain concerns about the actual practical process of themselves becoming a teacher. This article will look at the law surrounding their regulation [...]
Since the type of parents and families who decide that their children should receive a home schooled education is very varied, the reasons behind a parental decision to home school a child are also diverse. However, there are general trends for motivation to home school a child, which can generally [...]
It is difficult to know for certain exact statistical information about the number and make-up of children who are home schooled in the UK, since it may not be obligatory for parents to register that their child is receiving a home schooling education. However, evidence from sources such as home [...]
Home schooling (also known as home education, home learning or home teaching) is when a family choose to educate their child, or children, at home instead of enrolling them in a school. Parents who choose to home school their children usually do so in two circumstances. The first is where [...]
