Starting Home Education in Yrs 7-9

See also:

Starting Home Education in Year 10

Starting Home Education in Year 11

Where Do I Start?

Starting home education in the secondary years (or just reaching the secondary years as home educators) can be scary. Don't rush out and sign up to courses or buy resources. Take time to do your research.

You don't need a long term plan yet . Short term is good. Explore interests and different ways of learning while you find your feet.
Things to think about -
What are you hoping for from HE?
What do they enjoy?
Do they have any long term aims? (lots won't at this age, so explore interests and keep options open)

It might not feel like it but you really do have lots of time. Do not be in a rush to jump straight into GCSE level studies. It can be more valuable to spend some time exploring different ways of learning and different interests with you child at this stage to help you make better choices of what and how to study. It also helps to get an idea of your child's strengths and weaknesses, and things you might need to work on before starting GCSE level study. Plus it can be good to have some fun with home education first, to allow confidence to recover and grow - the exam years can be a bit of a grind.

There is a lot to get your head around. Sitting exams outside the school system is very different. It is possible! There are many of us who have taken our children through GCSEs/IGCSEs. Take your time to get to grips with it. Learn the jargon. Look at what subjects are open to home educators. There are some that are very difficult but there is the opportunity to explore options far beyond the standard school curriculum. The more familiar you become with the issues the easier it will be to make decisions around exams when the time is right. But don't expect it all to sink in immediately, time and patience. Lots of tea and lots of reading of this Wiki will help. As will following these groups:

Home Education UK Exams and Alternatives Facebook Group

HE-Exams Email Group

They are exam support groups and unable to support with KS3 resource or general home education queries so joining other local and national groups may be helpful.

Useful places to start on the Wiki

FAQs and Jargon Buster are good places to start

The Quick Start Guide gives an overview to what to do, if you want your child to take traditional qualifications through home education

Make sure you are aware of the difficulties certain subjects and exam boards may cause. The following links may help.

IGCSEs

Exam Boards

Subjects

When should we start studying for GCSEs/IGCSEs

There is no right time to start studying or sitting GCSEs/IGCSEs. It is when is right for your child.

What you do not need to do is stick to the school model of studying 10/11 subjects over 2/3 years with all exams sat at the end of yr 11. Home education gives you the flexibility to work out a plan that is right for your child.

Most home educators opt to spread out exams over a few years/sittings. Some start as young as 11 but 14 is more common. Some continue with GCSE level study to 17 or older. They may study 1 or 2 subjects intensively for a year and then move on.

Home educators often approach the exams process strategically, with their children taking the more straightforward (less analysis/non-essay) subjects first and saving the ones that are more career-vital or require mature thinking until last. Sometimes the first subject might be a tester subject - a subject done for interest but which is unlikely to be carried forward. Allows the student to learn the process of exams and build confidence.

There are some advantages to spreading out exams:

* there is less pressure compared with sitting 6-10 exams in one go;

* the first exam(s) teach children a lot about the exam-taking process, so they can be considered a good practice for more crucial or tricky exams taken later.

* it's easier to budget for the cost of exam centres and textbooks/courses

* it gives teens the option to review interests and any career aims, change their mind and drop/start other subjects along the way;

* doing fewer exams in one go allows time to pursue other interests alongside studying.

* it provides a backup option if life gets in the way (eg illness) or, as we've seen in 2020 and 2021, exams are cancelled. Not having all the eggs in one basket can help in these situation!

* starting exams a year or more early than their school peers means that a student going to a college or sixth form interview will already have some results to demonstrate their ability.

Potential disadvantages of spreading out exams/starting early:

* The exam-study period can feel like it's dragging on for a long time.

* The joys of an interesting and varied home ed can be overtaken by textbooks and exam prep.

* Doing an exam early might mean the student doesn't get the grade they might do if they waited another year or two. You'll need to weigh this up against the pros of spreading out exams and be selective about which exams to take early.

Do we need to cover KS3 before doing GCSEs?

No is the short answer.

Most GCSE/IGCSE courses are stand alone courses and it is possible to jump straight in.

However while they often don't build on specific knowledge they do build on skills. This is particularly true for maths and English. Good foundations in Maths and English can help with lots of subjects. Other subjects such as History and Science can benefit from a general background. This doesn't need to be done by working through the KS3 course or textbooks though.

How do I know my child is ready for GCSE level study?

Deciding when to start GCSEs is a tricky and personal decision. There are two aspects;

a) Are they able to cope with study at that level?

b) Are they emotionally mature enough to cope with the stress and demands of exams?

The two aspects don't always match up. Children may be ready academically before they could cope with the exam stress. In which case studying slowly and focusing on mastering the content before looking at the exam aspect can work.

There is no magical way of knowing. It's like most parts of parenting - guess work based on knowing your child. The reality is we'll never really know until we look back with hindsight.

Flexibility is key. If you start studying GCSE level and it turns out to be too difficult or stressful, you can take a step back and go back to plug some gaps or slow down and take your time over the content if needed.

Do I need to find an exam centre now?

The advice on the groups is to find exam centres early so you know which exam boards that you can access. However if you're not planning on your child sitting the exam within the next 2 years, be aware that a lot could change in those 2 years. There's no guarantee that the centres you find will be taking private candidates or even exist in a couple of years. It's fine to look at exam centres, but keep options open :) Beyond 3 years syllabuses could have changed.

Local groups are the best place to get information about local centres. The HE Exams group can also help as can here - Finding an exam centre

Advice on studying towards exams

Many home educators successfully home educate through exams without tutors or courses. They are not essential for many families or all subjects. You will find some useful advice here - Study Skills. The home ed community offers lots advice, link sharing and moral support through support groups.

There are lots of tutor services/advisory consultants in education, but few with relevant elective home-education experience. You can find some listed on our Distance Learning Providers page

If you are going to use such services then here are some things to consider:

• Do they come personally recommended to you by other home-educators; Ideally look for several recommendations, even if you see it linked/advertised on a HE group or on this site. If you are interested in a company search home ed groups - does it get recommendations from a range of people?
• Their knowledge of specific board/specification you need to enter the exam for. Mainstream tutors sometimes make mistaken assumptions based on their school experience rather than for private candidates. Make sure you know what options (GCSE or IGCSE, exam boards) are available to sit as a private candidates - tutors do not always get this right;
• What experience do they have with home-educated students (not just after-school students);
• SEN experience if relevant;
• Their qualifications;
• Any professional bodies they are members of;
• If your chosen specification includes a non-examined assessment (often difficult for private candidates to be entered for) do they have a recognised arrangement for this with an exam centre;
• DBS checks (NB. this can be relevant EVEN FOR ONLINE ONLY provision as well as in-person tuition);
• Insurance (for e.g. professional indemnity insurance);
• Will they offer a (paid) trial session before both sides commit?