Support
Round-the-clock support for people outside the school system. We can assist with everything from structuring learning to advising about socialisation.
Subject Guides
Study packs for your chosen subjects in whichever exam board you have selected. The guides advise on how to progress through the course.
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Our support packages are suitable for home educators at all stages of their journey.
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Deregistration
The decision to withdraw from mainstream schooling is a major moment in any family's educational journey. In fact, many families are hesitant to take that step, despite knowing that it would be the best option for their child.
Schools can be reluctant to provide information about alternatives to traditional education. It is imperative that if your child is of compulsory school age (5 years +) then you deregister them from school. All you need to do is send a letter to the Head Teacher of the school. They are then obliged to contact the Local Authority.
We offer guidance and support to families considering embarking on the home education journey. Once you have decided to to move forward with deregistration, you can fill out our handy template and give it in to the school.
We can then support you as you transition to home learning.
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Home Visits
Once you have deregistered your child, you will normally be contacted by the Local Authority to arrange a home visit. There are conflicting views within the home education community about whether to allow these visits but our general advice is that they are a useful exercise.
The law is clear that you are not required to let anybody from the Local Authority into your property. It may be that you are happy with your circumstances and don't want anybody invading your personal space. Our experience suggests that most visits are merely to check on the child's welfare, and they generally a quick, pain-free process!
The visits can be useful in providing you with more information about home education and how to access certain services. The most amiable representatives have also been known to provide contact details for other local home educators. They may ask what your plan is regarding your child's education but don't worry, you don't need a comprehensive map of their future!
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Special Educational Needs
If your child is in receipt of Local Authority funding to attend a specialist school then you need to gain their consent to deregister. This does not apply if your child receives support in a non-specialist school. It is important to note this slight difference in the regulations.
Once you have deregistered then your educational landscape changes. Many parents choose to home educate because they believe that their child will develop better in the home environment. It removes many of the pressures that school presents including the 'forced' socialisation which so many children struggle with.
Our SEN support package offers up-to-date legal advice and guidance along with assistance if and when your child chooses to sit examinations.
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Exams
Applying for examinations as a private candidate can be a highly stressful experience. Whether it be GCSE, IGCSE or A-Level, the whole process can be very confusing, with exam centres asking questions which you may not possess the answers to.
Our partnership with Tutors & Exams ensures that the process is as smooth as possible. We can provide support for those students requiring access arrangements.
Our predicted grades service was devised in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the subsequent cancellation of examinations. Whilst we were already providing such a service to our students, thousands of candidates were left in a position where they were unable to receive grades due to a lack of evidence.
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Flexischooling
This option is one step below full-time home education and allows the child to attend school on a part-time basis. You must obtain the agreement of the school's head teacher.
Many head teachers will be reluctant to allow flexischooling but they must consider it as an option if it would appear to be in the child's best interests. They will often make contact with the Local Authority in order to discuss the matter further.
Flexischooling can be a great option for many children and is particularly prevalent in those with an exceptional sporting ability. We have worked with a number of international sportspeople who have made such arrangements with their schools. Many parents also look towards flexischooling because it means that they don't have to give up their jobs.
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College Entrance
Many home educated students choose to re-enter the traditional education system at college level due to the difficulty of completing A-Levels as a private candidate.
Children, and their parents, who are unfamiliar with the process can find the experience especially daunting. Furthermore, colleges often ask for information which home educated students don't have easy access to. We are able to provide references attesting to the strength of the student with detailed explanations for our recommendation.
Those students who use our predicted grades service are able to put forward the best case for their application to be successful. We are also in a position to advise on the most suitable college for each candidate.
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University
Choosing from the staggering array of university courses available can seem like an impossible task, especially for those outside the school system. Furthermore, many home educated students are unaware that they can even apply for university.
We offer comprehensive support, from advising on personal statements through the interview stage, to settling in at University. The personal statement is one of the most important parts of the UCAS application and wording it just right can make the difference between acceptance and rejection. Collectively we have experience of writing successful personal statements for Oxbridge and many other universities and we can advise students on how to make theirs count.
Our interview preparation makes sure you are fully prepared for any question that you might get asked.
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School Entrance
There are occasions when children return to school after a period of home education. It may be due to a change in the family circumstances or the desire to attend a certain private school. Children often feel a strong weight of expectation, particularly if they have been out of the school system.
Preparing for school entrance examinations - be it the 7+, 11+, or 13+ - can be extremely stressful, especially for home educated families. Tutors can help children to prepare themselves effectively. Using mock examinations they are able to identify strengths and test for areas of weakness, before developing them with focused work on past paper questions.
We can then support the whole family as they transition back to mainstream education.