Homeschooling

home education also known as elective home education (EHE) is the education of school-aged children at home or in another setting than the school. If your child is currently enrolled in a school, it’s important to inform the school if you intend to provide homeschooling for your child. If you plan to withdraw your child from school entirely, the school must accept your decision. However, they can refuse if your intention is to have your child attend school part-time.

In cases where your child is attending school due to a compulsory school attendance order, you must first obtain permission from your local council before transitioning to homeschooling.

Regarding the quality of education and curriculum, it’s essential to ensure that your child receives a full-time education starting from the age of 5, but you are not obligated to strictly follow the national curriculum.

In certain situations, the council may conduct an ‘informal inquiry’ to verify that your child is receiving an appropriate education at home. If they believe that your child should be educated in a school setting, they have the authority to issue a school attendance order.

If your child has special educational needs (SEN), and they attend a special school, you’ll need to obtain permission from the council to homeschool them. However, you do not require the council’s permission if your child attends a mainstream school, even if they have an education, health, and care (EHC) plan in place.” (https://www.gov.uk/home-education, 2023)

The New GCSEs

The Government and the Department for Education (DfE) have specified that the new GCSE syllabuses will include more challenging and knowledge-based content with exams only at the end of the course. There is less non-exam assessment too. English language, English literature, and maths were the first to be graded from 9 to 1 in 2017.

For Maths and English, resitting is compulsory if you haven’t achieved a pass (grade 4). You’ll need to continue studying these subjects until you either pass or turn 18.

1. If you got a grade of 3 and will be studying full-time (540+ hours) next year, you’ll need to resit the GCSE
2. If you got a grade 3 and will be studying part-time (150 – 539 hours), you can take a functional skills qualification instead of GCSE
3. If you got a grade 2 or below, you can take a functional skills qualification instead of GCSE
4. If you’re going on to an apprenticeship, studying Maths and English will be part of your program

If you achieved a pass in Maths and English, there’s no requirement to resit, but you can if you’d like a higher mark.

If you’re unhappy with your grades for a different subject, your school or college should be able to organise resits at your request.

AEL offers support to enhance your child’s home education experience. Starting from year 1 and continuing through year 13, you can enroll in our homeschool program, carefully tailored to meet your child’s educational requirements while they study from home. Throughout the years, we’ve assisted numerous families by providing guidance and tutoring, which has enabled some children to even take their GCSE exams at an earlier age and achieve exceptional grades of 9s and 8s.

Private Candidates

If you’re currently not in school and aim to take your GCSEs and A levels ahead of schedule, or if you’re an adult aspiring to complete your GCSEs, we’ve got you covered. AEL can assist you in preparing for and sitting your GCSEs and A Levels, either as first attempts or retakes, through our affiliated schools and exam centres. We offer intensive one-year courses for both GCSE and A Level. Additionally, for those whose first language isn’t English, we provide dedicated support in Somali, Arabic, and French.