I’m 15 and half way through my gcse’s but I want to be home schooled. Could I still take exams at my school because I want to do a level and for that I need my gcse’s. I really want to know the details of home schooling, what it’ll be like for me, how things would work and how I’d get my course work and gcse’s done.
Thanks
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TBH, halfway through GCSEs is prolly the very worst time to make the switch from school to home education (sorry!). Homeschoolers don’t do GCSEs, we do IGCSEs (as do many private schools and grammar schools). And for a very good reason; no coursework and no continuous assessments. There’s some overlap between what you study for GCSE and what you’d study for IGCSE, but there’s also some pretty big differences. If you’re serious about home education, you’d have to take a look at the various IGCSE syllabuses and see if there’s enough overlap for you to make the switch. Or start again.
BTW You would not need any GCSEs in order to do A Levels as a homeschooled kid. GCSEs are such a hassle for homeschoolers that it is actually common practice for kids to skip GCSEs and go straight to doing A Levels (or Pre U’s). Or, having turned 15, you could skip the lot and go straight to working on a degree with the Open University. Basically, because your parents have to pay for everything you want to do if you’re homeschooled, no-one tells you what you can or can’t do (or have to do).
Schools only insist on GCSEs before A Levels because it is the school who is paying for you to do A Levels and wants to know you’re capable of studying at the higher level before they part with their money!
There’s no single way to homeschool so it’s pretty much impossible to tell you what it’d be like for you. There are as many ways to homeschool as there are people doing it (and that may be as many as 150,000 people in the UK). Typically though, it is much quicker, more efficient, more informal and more relaxed than sitting in a classroom with 29 other kids at school. It also does not have to look anything like school (unless that’s how you want it to look).
If you do decide you want to be homeschooled your mum (or dad) has to write to your current school telling them to remove your name from the school register. You donot need the school’s permission, nor do your parents need any sort of qualification to do this. There’s a template for the letter at Education Otherwise’s website.
If you want a structured approach to doing (I)GCSEs at home, there are several companies that’ll sell you everything you need to do the (I)GCSEs, including a tutor you can always ring or email for help and support. Examples incl. Wolsey Hall, Oxford Homeschooling and the National Extension College.
Education Otherwise – http://www.educationotherwise.net
Home Ed UK – http://www.home-education.org.uk
Home Ed Info – http://home-ed.info
What the law says about Home Education – http://edyourself.org/articles/guideline…
Wolsey Hall – http://wolseyhalloxford.org.uk
Oxford Homeschooling – http://www.oxfordhomeschooling.co.uk
National Extension College – http://www.nec.ac.uk
IGCSEs:
CIE – http://www.cie.org.uk/qualifications/aca…
Edexcel – http://www.edexcel.com/quals/igcse/igcse…