Home education is on the rise in the UK as more and more families realise that it is a viable option for their children. However, many still don't understand what home education actually consists of and how they ensure they stay on the right side of their Local Authority. Furthermore, home education looks very different from family to family, with some wishing to stick very closely to what they were doing at school, whilst others want a much more flexible approach. My experience working with home educators allows me to offer bespoke support.
WHAT I OFFER
SUPPORT
Many families don't understand the parameters of home education and can do with a little bit of support at the start of their journey to set them off in the right direction. I offer an explanatory Zoom call and provide a personalised report which gives them details about their new way of life.
ONLINE CLASSES
My online classes allow learners to progress at their own pace, succeed in exams, and develop friendships with fellow students. Working in a welcoming learning environment allows home educated students to flourish outside mainstream education.
ELITE SPORT
I work with elite junior athletes across the globe to support their academic performance and ensure they can balance their time effectively. I schedule their education to maximise performance so that they can train well and compete successfully.
PREDICTED GRADES
I support private candidates and home educated students to ensure that they can gain predicted grades in order to support college and UCAS applications. Many such students struggle to get the help they need when they aren't registered with a college or sixth form.
Home education allows you to be flexible with your approach and for your child to progress at their own pace. You don't have to choose specific subjects, or build your schedule according to a rigid structure, but you can if you want to! The beauty of home education is that you are in control.
You will often see the terms home education and homeschooling used interchangeably but they have slightly different meanings. Homeschooling is widely used in the US but in the UK it has connotations which link it closely to schooling at home which means you are still under the auspices of the school. Home education means that you are officially deregistered and taking control of your child's education.
Yes! You can read more here.
You must write a deregistration letter to the school stating that you would like your child to be removed from the school roll as you will be home educating. You do not need to explain your reasoning but they may ask anyway.
No! Schools may try to dissuade you for a variety of reasons but you are under no obligation to listen to them. The only exceptions are if your child is at a special school or they have a school attendance order, in which case the local authority's consent is needed.
It doesn't have to be expensive. You can find lots of brilliant free resources - have a look here to get started.
Not necessarily. Some families choose to go down that route, either on a 1-2-1 basis or by joining online classes, but many do things their own way and find that their child guides the learning by exploring areas of interest.
Home educators don't have to follow a specific curriculum.
The Local Authority will contact you to arrange a meeting to discuss your plans. I would advise you to maintain a good relationship with them as they are merely doing their job. The meetings are usually very short and just involve a quick chat to ensure the home is a safe environment.
Students sit official exams in the same way they would if they were in mainstream education. They enter with a local exam centre and this does incur additional costs. All of my students receive discounted entries with our exam partners Tutors & Exams.
For home educated students to sit exams, they must register with either a local school/college or a private exam centre. This incurs additional costs. All of my students receive discounted entries with our exam partners Tutors & Exams, where the average IGCSE costs £169. If your child has recently deregistered from a school, it is always worth contacting them to see if they would consider facilitating the exams.
There is a common misconception that home educated children end up being isolated and lonely - this isn't the case! There are hundreds of Facebook groups which organise local meet-ups and you will find that socialising can be more natural as your child will gravitate to individuals they share common interests with rather than just those who are the same school age.
WHAT THEY SAY...
What do home educating families say about me?
'If there were Home Ed awards then Patrick would get one! He has worked with my son in multiple subjects and shown great skill in his approach. He really cares about the wellbeing of his students. I have no hesitation in recommending Patrick.'
'We came to Tutors & Futures as private candidates looking for help to get a Centre Assessed Grade during 2020's Covid-induced exam chaos. The situation has been particularly difficult for those who have studied independently, but from the moment we made contact everything was incredibly clear and smooth. All the worry and stress was minimised and I am deeply appreciative of all Patrick did for my son.'
'We took our daughter out of school as she is a gymnast competing on the international stage. Patrick managed her schedule effectively to ensure that her long training hours didn't negatively affect her academic performance. The service was comprehensive in nature, offering advice on nutrition, training, and study, and working in collaboration with her coaches.'
'Our daughter is an aspiring actress so we decided to home educate her to ensure that she had ample time to prepare for auditions. Patrick structured her learning with the utmost efficiency to give her the best opportunity to succeed with her passion. She spent time filing in multiple locations across the world, acting in programmes such as Game of Thrones, but we never had any worries that her education would suffer.'
'We took our daughter out of the private school she was at because we felt that she was struggling to keep up with her peers. She is dyslexic and often found it difficult to keep track of what was going on in lessons. Patrick taught her daily and instilled a confidence in her that we didn't know she was capable of. After a year of sessions, she decided to return to school as she was missing her friends. When she returned, we were amazed at the difference Patrick's sessions had made, particularly in English where she is now near the top of her class. We've kept on lessons with Patrick after school and we can't thank him enough.'
'As an aspiring gymnast, we decided to home educate our daughter so that she could spend more time training. We enlisted Patrick's help to monitor her academic progress and ensure she wasn't falling behind in any way. He explained to us that she could work at her own pace and focus on particular areas of interest.'
'Before Patrick, I didn't know that home education was a thing in the UK! We were introduced to him through a friend and explained our son's situation. He was struggling at school due to anxiety and it was beginning to spiral out of control. Thankfully, we found Patrick and he detailed why home ed might be the best option. He offered us lots of advice and the 'guide' he produced for us was brilliant.'
'I appreciate that many people can get resources and support from the home ed Facebook groups but due to the nature of our jobs, we just wanted some quick info from a reliable source. Patrick was recommended to us by a family friend and we are grateful for the way he simplified everything for us. Our two children are now thriving in a home learning environment.'