As all home educators know, you have good days, you have bad days, and you have wibbly wobbly days!! I was thrown into a wibbly wobbly panic by the combination of texts, brightkites and other communications of people looking into schools for their children of SB age or a year older. My nephew preparing to sit his 11+ doesn’t help either.
So, Key Questions:
1. Do I think we can home ed to GCSE standard. yes I do, but whether we know the ‘tricks’ that would turn a B to an A or an A to an A* I don’t know. i guess we could get tutors near the end for that…
2. Do we WANT to do GCSE rather than IGCSE or IB? ermmm
3. If her friends school, would SB want to school anyway?
4. What are our schooling options then?
well, need to ponder 1 and 2, 3 is currently unknowable, so lets look at 4
State Schools:
a)our catchment area comp is dire, there is no other word for it, and offers single science only. This is a no
b)The next comp does a bit better, but not sure whether it offers double science and def not triple [SB fav thing is science, she wants to do something science and sea like at uni she thinks... so we are currently thinking 3 sciences and geog required to give her whatever] It also has currently a bit of a reputation for bullying…
c) the third comp better still, but 10 miles away, we are out of catchment does do separate science for top stream. If we chose anywhere this would have to be it. But it isn’t an enthusiastic proactive choice. Rather an, well, ok…
Alternative state schools
a)there aren’t any selective schools in our area. If we had, then I guess we would consider working towards the 11+ ‘to see’ Argh, why can’t we have a school interested in science in our area!
b)There is a sciencey one near a friend of ours, so can see why she is considering it for her son! But we are looking at a 40+ min drive each way, and also way out of catchment!! No transport, and really, taking 2 1/2 hours a day to commute not really an option.
Private
well, there are a number of really good private schools in the area, each costing approx £15,000 per year! and all prob about 30 mins drive away, tho those south east rather than east have transport links. but think money! and entrance exam! [spelling!!! maths and NVR no probs i don't think]
SO, having looked at the above, and wibbled greatly, and discussed [a bit] with DH!
PLAN!
1. AIm to go down the home educated to the bitter end route! research 1 and 2!! ie what exams are there, where can they be sat, can we resource them, how best to do it.
2. look at working so that if we need/want to consider not HE cos not satisfactory for SB’s needs we can consider entrance to private at 13 [less years to fund, and if really feel that is best option, BB may be suitable for school and Chris work to fund - does this sound ideal?? i think not!]
3. when we know what we can do, talk to SB about how this all works, how it affects her future, and then see what she thinks.
4. move!
arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! [please comment!]
Number 4 is drastic, but… we moved for J to start at a particular school in reception, and serendipitously having moved since then, the local village college does seem to be a good fit. (Is that us you mentioned?!)
We (J included) thought it would be easier to start secondary school and then drop out/back to home education, rather than start school later. But then we are already partly on the school path.
Good luck, whatever you decide.
Brief thoughts off the top of my head:
Things changing with GCSEs, so no point in worrying yet. We had no difficulties following AQA science specs this year. The practicals are changing though, so after next year you’d have to either have an exam centre which is able to facilitate practicals, or do the IGCSE option (AQA is introducing this, think Edexcel poss already offer).
If doing private candidate option, which exam board often depends on what boards local schools/exam centres offer. When you reach gcse study stage, that’s the first thing to find out.
Any school which offers single or double award could offer triple – either with extra tuition in school or with you arranging it separately and them sorting exams/practicals out. It’s really just about whether the school is flexible enough to do it (and tbh they really should be, if you’re willing to do the teaching – it’s not that much admin for them to do exam entry/invigilation).
Tricks to improve grades: marking schemes freely available and very informative. Lots of past papers is the key IME. DS1 achieved one A* and two As in gcse sciences this year – in retrospect I would spread them out a bit more, as one of the As was only a couple of marks away from A*, and it would have been less stressful. (He did 3 x science plus maths in space of 6 months.)
If by IB you mean Int’l Baccalaureate – it’s only available through accredited schools, so not a possibility for HE’ers.
We do have grammars in our area, and some with good reputations, but ds1 has no inclination to go, and tbh I don’t think they’d provide better teaching than what he does for himself (my role really is mainly that of facilitator now).
DS2 less science-y, more creative/drama-y – now *that* has me stumped…!
What they have done to science teaching in state schools is just so crap.
My reasoning on it all:
KQ:
1 – yes, you can HE to that standard. And yes, she could get A and A*’s – I don’t think there are many tricks (maybe in Eng and MFL), it’s more just a case of not making mistakes
2 – whatever is easier/cheaper to do as a private candidate.
Plan:
1 – I’m just not sure I can face the effort involved in finding exam centres. Or want to pay some of the amounts involved. I may not have any choice though, as there is no guarantee that there will be places at schools for Y10. Don’t really want Gwenny going before then as think (shallowly) that it would be good to give the boys a chance to get a bit taller before she gets there, lol, and (less shallowly) that if she doesn’t want to do e.g. Music and History here, then doing an unnecessary year of them at school doesn’t make much sense, plus also what seems like a grim commute at 11 is far less daunting at 14 so she would have more choice of where to go. The only school I can find that does Spanish GCSE looks really nice but is probably a disaster transportation-wise.
3 is a given, but 2 and 4 seem less appealing!
It’s rubbish to feel that you have no choices. I hope that SB is happy at home for now – and wouldn’t rock the boat if she is, she’s getting an excellent education from you two – and hopefully things will become clearer as she gets older. ***hugs***
I think we’re to the bitter enders, although obviously reserve the right to change mind at drop of hat. What about OU courses (in a few years time obviously!)
Could we enhance our current camping/ youth hostelling outings by running more structured subject oriented camps? (Trying to think out of box here!)
And you are fabulous home educators
oh, and have you seen jason.org ? Science site for kids from national geographic, might be right up SBs street
Oooo this is tricky. I came via Jax’ twitter…..
Our 16 year old just went to college this year. We umm’d and arghed about going straight to the OU in Australia (where we are from), but decided that a year in a (semi) formal setting would be good for him. The OU in Australia is open to international students but you will pay. The reason we were looking at that route is he could sit the first 8 units of a pre-degree course in Journalism, and enter uni through the back door without GCSE’s and A-Levels- through UCAC. Most Australian universities are more open to home educators without the more formal qualifications than here I feel. But given he wants to do Journalism we wanted him to be well grounded in English. The college insisted on Maths and he wanted to pick up a science himself.
He is doing a BTech in Media with Math’s, English and Physics GCSE just for fun
The home ed curriculum (we have not touched KS3) he used has been well and truly sufficient to cover off the the learning he would need to handle this course. Or is it more that he has been self directed in his learning for many years now, so is able to cope with learning new material? I am not sure of the answer to that. Probably the latter.
I wish I had started him on the GCSE’s at home earlier. I will be doing this with my daughter who is 14 next month. And possible her 12 year old sister in the near future. My second daughter is a different learner to her brother and is far more creative in thought and deed. I will insist on a maths and english GCSE, but am very very happy for her to follow any creative or academic route that takes her fancy.
From what I can gather, it doesn’t look terribly difficult to navigate the GCSE route and I would be inclined to do IGCSE’s so we wouldn’t have to do the course work.
If in doubt I would pay a tutor to go over with them exam techniques, short cuts etc. But I think by listening to others there is oodles of info (past papers, marking schemes) out there to help you do this.
The biggest hurdle seems to be organizing exam centers, but it isn’t an impossible task.
I am glad we waited until he was 16 to put him somewhere more formal, even if it means he is slightly behind his peers on time frames. So far it has been a positive experience for him and he seems to be top of his classes (or close too) in the more academic subjects. Not a terrible boast when you think it is college we are talking about and not grammar school, but still it has boosted his confidence in the education he has received. He is more emotionally and socially ready being that bit older and has settled down nicely.
He was also very ready to be extended beyond what I can offer him. My DH isn’t really very hands on with HE at all (other than helping with maths problems when asked), and with 4 others at home, it has been a coping mechanism that thus far has worked for us.
Next year I think unless we start through the Australian OU, I would be insisting on some A-level English at least, just to ground him well. But we’ll cross all of that when we come to it. He may like to keep on the Media track and do the National Diploma with an English A-level on the side.
I have no doubt that wisdom will come to you.
The heart beat of your family, will shine through even the best advice, and the path will be made clear in time. The hardest thing sometimes in HE is being true to your own convictions to your child.
Wishing you many blessings on your HE journey, not matter which trail you find yourself on.
Kindly
Ria
Sorry, I wish I had proof read that a 4th time….. Oooops!
x
Well, i appear to be in to the bitter e d now.
I would say that finding things to work Fran at at secondary age has been much easier than I imagined. A combination of things is making me seriously consider ignoring GCSE’s and go straight for A Level and OU courses with possibly a few basic ones taken with a year of part time enrolment somewhere.
As Alison pointed out the other day, doing GCSEs free in a year of part time college would make it free anyway and frankly does it actually matter if they do them a year late? No!
I refuse to really worry about it; I AM worrying about my girls being exposed to enough broad influences to expand their beliefs about their futures but suspect this is irrational given the breadth of parent substitutes they have and diverse life but I am someone doggedly convinced that educationally it will all just come right.
And also that even in the 6 years left to F is 18, uni/college/careers/etc is clearly going to have massive change and upheaval. A degree is no longer a way of getting a good job for all but a few.
Just wanted to thank Alison for the ‘shallow’ comment about Gwenny and the boys! Made me laugh!
I can’t help with the dilemma and questions, as school has never even been considered around here. Like others have said, I do feel that the exam system will be changed in the next few years, hopefully for the better. So I’d worry about that when SB was older. (I still have no idea what the difference is between IGCSE and GSCE)
I do hope you come to a decision that you are all happy with!!
well you’ve all been making me think today and you know I had no idea that some schools don’t do 3 sciences! Things have def changed. I was trying to see if our local secondary did and I can’t see for sure but think they might do.
Might come back with a better comment later.
Jax – thanks for that site. Looks great!
Oooh, Helen, I know those wobbles only too well :-/
I’m in the “to the bitter end” camp and I wholeheartedly agree with Jax and Merry regarding the probably ignore GCSEs and go for A levels or OU study whenever you feel the time is right.
My rationale is partly that we can’t afford (financially or stress wise!) to put Emily through, I don’t know, 10 or more GCSEs – and I get the impression that going forward with only (for instance) 4 would make “them” think that the child wasn’t capable of any more. Once you have A levels under your belt, nobody cares about GCSEs anyway. I’ve read several times about universities being happy to take home ed children who don’t have any formal qualifications, including A levels, but have demonstrated ability and interest via a couple of OU courses and/or voluntary work in a related field and/or a portfolio of their own research projects etc. And, as Merry says, things may well change over the next few years in any case.
I know it’s a daunting feeling, but I really do believe that where there’s a will, there’s a way. Of course only you can know if school is the best option for your family in the end, but although I don’t know you personally I’m pretty sure, from what I’ve read of you
that you have the ability, commitment and tenacity to make home ed work for you all “to the (not so) bitter end” indeed.
PS: Are you a member of the yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HE-Exams-GCSE-A_AS_Levels-OU-Others/ ?
It’s very interesting reading; mostly people going down the GCSE route, but plenty of advice and information if you’d prefer not to tread that route too.
The thing that worries me is that lots of universities (obviously for the most competitive courses medicine etc) do look at GCSEs (as my sister is discovering atm) – I know that everyone says oh but universities love HE students & bend the admissions criteria etc but tbh I think anyone with only 5 GCSEs would find it incredibly difficult to blag their way into medicine for example (not that I want any of my children to go for medicine … god help them). I’d be quite happy to do 5/6 GCSEs at home but have absolutely no desire to try and replicate the school experience of 11/12/13 … if that is important to Claudia then she will have to go to school (& at the moment it is) – at least for yr 10/11.
Really don’t have anything to add, but interested in others’ comments leaving my own anyway as you asked so nicely
Not interested because I’m planning to send mine that is… just generally interested in what others do and keeping our options and minds open.
FWIW, I think GCSEs (or IGCSEs) are perfectly doable at home. We will probably attempt a few and see them in the same light as music exams which we also might try in the future. Not age-dependent but interest and ability-dependent. I think it’s a case of sweet-talking an exam centre but some subjects are easier than others. I have a private maths candidate I’m entering next year which has been no problem at all as 100% exam, but I was looking into options for Beth to sit a French GCSE (if she wants to when she gets home) and that might need a few more strings pulling because of the speaking element.
No idea what I said before to put my other comment in moderation!
Have spent evening looking at our local schools, just purely to see what we have around because I have *never* even looked at it! There is a private school in next village *guffaws at thought of being able to afford it*. Our nearest, which is just over the road and is huge/looks like a prison is very new and I think does 3 sciences. I can’t see any others that do 3 near us.
I don’t know if the science thing will be an issue for us, but I guess, like you, it would be good to have the option. M wants to be in the police (so no specific quals I don’t think, but would be good that have some if like now it’s bloomin hard to get into!) and A wants to be a zookeeper (so I guess biology would be good and as another popular career choice – argh!). She’s saying she wants to do uni (prob also as I am there now) so that will prob push us further into exam territory. Both really like science, and I loved it at school.
At the moment I think I’m leaning towards encouraging both to do at least Maths and English GCSE and maybe A level. How we do it is another matter entirely. And then just see how it all progresses. Like others have said, it could all change so much in that time. There have been quite a few local people who have done it as private candidates, so hopefully that knowledge will be helpful too.
I’m trying not to think about whether I *can* teach/facilitate GCSE’s. I reckon yes to English and Maths (and have handy maths tutor nearby to help too I guess
) and I did do Higher Biology and Chem so I should have enough knowledge to at least help with those to GCSE. But a bit of a eeek! moment!
As I said on BK, if you want to explore the private option, our experience shows that it isn’t that difficult. We only knew Abbie would take the 11+ the day beforehand so she hadn’t been prepared at all, her spelling is atrocious, so unless the entire cohort of 11+ takers were all dim-witted as well, it can’t have mattered that much. They *have* to do triple science (Anna keeps moaning about that
)
The kids are enjoying school so much, there’s so much on offer for them there, musically, socially, academically – I don’t doubt that I could have offered most of it through HE if they’d wanted to stay HEd, but they didn’t. The fact that they get so much out of it is pretty much the only reason I’m managing to carry on working, as of course my upgraded pay makes it all slightly easier. (£15k though? at full fees ours wouldn’t be that much! But thank god for scholarships!)
I could do it if it were just Gwenny – I have no qualms about providing the material, finding someone to sort out her Spanish, etc. But I just can’t face doing it for 2 more as well, the thought of it makes me feel quite claustrophic. Buttercup won’t hit school leaving age until June 2021 and I will be 50 and completely insane if I am still HEing by then. I want them to go to school so I can do something else before I’m too old to enjoy it. I’ve done 9 1/2 years – reckon I can do 4 more; get Gwenny through GCSEs (wherever), and Buttercup through primary school. But I think that’s my limit.
Having taught in secondary school and ended up doing all manner of other subjects as well as my own, I know I (and most other literate and articulate adults tbh) could teach pretty much anything up to GCSE and probably also to at least A/S, given a syllabus and a halfway decent course-book.
I suspect we are in it to the end, although as you know we are looking at one, and only one, school option. Even if a place is forthcoming I’m not sure we’ll be in a position to take it, given distance and time constraints, as well as transport costs.
My plan had always been to make sure Maths and English GCSE were covered, then look at other options. Having talked to a fellow-Kentwelly at the weekend, however, I’ve picked up all sorts of interesting titbits, such as that many schools in her area now skip GCSE for top sets and go straight to A/S, meaning a whole bunch of students with no GCSE in Eng/Maths. If she’s right about the scale of it things will have to change in e.g. recruitment for teaching, nursing etc where afaik you still have to show GCSE cert. even once you have a higher qualification (I certainly had to show I had GCSE Maths even when I also had A/S).
Her daughter is now at college, without having taken Eng or Maths, because she was allowed to do the competence tests (usually given to mature or foreign students) instead.
Anyway, I don’t know quite where we’re going either, but I’m trying not to worry about it. Yet…
If J (or any of the others) really wants to do multiple GCSEs but also wants to stay HE then I guess back-up plan is HE until at least year 10 then enough school to get the exams done ;o)
bloody hell I’ve just realised I’ll be 51 when Nellie leaves school. Another huge consideration for us is Jasper. I have v. little idea what is ongoing needs will but – but it’s safe to assume that he won’t be leaving home at 18 (I’m hoping that he & Nell will be fairly equivalent educationally all the way through) … I had planned to go back to do MSc/pharmacy conversion but that won’t happen now. Bah … still don’t really have a plan.
thanks for all the answers! think that a meal at mine with some of the ‘local’ crew [!] might be a good idea too!
oh, and for BB, I will be 54! I think i will retire at 55 and say job done!
Um, I’ll be 57 by the time soa is school leaving age. I think. Depends on precisely when it kicks in…
It’ll be 18 (“Participation Age” rather than strictly schooling) for anyone younger than Gwenny, so yeah, the summer we are 57.
Biddenham, the school in Bedford that does that HomeEd scheme (that I have vociferously opposed . . .) offers IB I believe. None of our more local schools do. It remains my preferred option but seems tricky to do when not offered locally.
http://moodle.mybiddenham.com/moodle/course/view.php?id=81
more ponderings on this will be on blog along with the conclusions of the school visits we made. will try to catch up over the weekend.
@2redboots yes – just over £15k at St Chris (our current preferred school) and that’s just as day pupil. Full Boarding £8,490 per term. Weekly Boarding (Sunday evening to Friday afternoon) £6,500 per term. She would need to weekly board to enable me to get a job to cover the fees. St Francis cheaper but less of a good fit for us I think.
http://www.stchris.co.uk/home/fees.php
So guess we will HE for quite a while yet. Going to stop now else will end up blogging it all here!
ah, having kids young means that when Alex is 18 I’ll only be 40. So doesn’t feel too bad. But then I never got the whole Uni and exciting lives you all had before kids!!
Michelle – that local private I found is only just cheaper than your one. If day pupil then just over £10k per annum!
When we started He my criteria was that we had to find a way not to be doing it by the time we were fifty. Well, that went well. Not. There are no selective schools in Scotland and we can’t afford/ won’t afford 45k a year at thus stage in our own lives. So unless Hannah chooses the local comp at some point then we are in for the duration. As we’ve never had local support we are used to not having it but I can see how losing it after you are used to it would ve a challenge. I know I wobble as Internet friends go down the school route. Hannah’s loose plan is highers at FE college (she is working to the sylabus now though she still has another year before even standard grades required. She is then going to go to Spain for 6 months, do a Diploma in Outdoor Ed and get fluent. She then plans to support herself through OU if she wants to do a degree. It’s a plan that has more going for it than anything I had at 14. She won’t be a doctor dentist or lawyer and I know a lot of my URL friends see that as a failure of HE. Most are fiercely aspirational for their kids in terms of careers. Of course I want her to have the freedom of choice bit I just can’t overthink it. I do wonder sometimes if what happened to Hannah has coloured a lot of our thoughts about what matters most. Hope you come to a decsion That works for you alll, and on phone so sorry if not v articulate!
Sorry 15k, not 45!
Trying not to think about the age thing. I’d already mooted in my head and out loud the thought of alternative but not HE education for Freddie and I think if we do have any more then it will have to be some sort of school. I’d have been 54 before Freddie was 18 and any more now – well, doesn’t bear thinking about!
I’ll be 59! when BB turns 18
60 if we take it to the end of that school year.
Getting qualifications doesn’t concern me too much I think at the moment. There are always ways and means. If you just want to get a wodge of GSCE’s then going into school in years 10 or 11 seems one way to do it. Someone in Leeds went into school in year 9 for that reason IIRC.
Another local HE-er’s daughter went somewhere, might have been a private school or colledge for year 11 to do GSCE’s – a bit intense doing it all in one year but seemed to do ok. (now at a local FE colledge doing A levels). Though a motivation for that was also making some friends. They came over from the US when she was about 13-14 where there we are lot more HE-ers but founhd a paucity of HE-ers of her age range around here.
IIRC their son, who is a older did A levels at home – now doing Maths at Cambridge.
Doing ‘something’ at a round 14 for starters seems a potential move. OU or GSCES’s I’m sure SB could do science stuff at that point.
@kirsty, yeah we’ll will abe looking jealosuly at you as we draw our pensions
The 110th birthday party will be good though
I’ve been thinking of all the 16th/18th/21st birthday parties that will be starting before we know it … then grandkids!!!!!!
I’ll be 46 – at least 20 years of ‘working’ life ahead of me, probably more by the time we reach retirement by which point pensions won’t kick in til we’re about 85 and can pass a full medical ;). Either that or ‘participation age’ will have caught up with *me* and I’ll be ushered back into education
We’re in it for the long haul. I have never had uni or even qualifications of any sort as an intended end result for HE. I’m of the opinion that at some point in the next 4 years or so (ie by the time they hit 14) they will have some idea of what they’d like to do in life and we can find out what they need to know / prove / experience to make that happen. If it’s qualifications then we’ll work towards those in managable, sensible chunks over time – either as private candidates / college at 16 / OU or something. I’m guessing knowing my children that it will be more about experience in the fields they are interested in so we would probably focus more on building that with some paper qualifcations as back up if required.
They have a pretty diverse mix of friends, locally and nationally and various ‘after school’ groups too so the odd child here and then disappeaing off to school doesn’t really hit their radar. This will change again for us next year going off travelling and then no doubt change again depending on what happens next in our lives.
For now, school is something neither of them are remotely interested in, offers nothing that they seem to require or want and just doesn’t seem relevant. I would have no qualms about my ability to support them or find the right support for them to get to at least A level standard in anything they might want to study – but TBH even at GCSE I recall a lot of the learning starting to become self driven and motivated by pupil effort rather than calibre of teaching and I’m hoping motivation, effort and passion will be qualities never lacking in the way I am raising my kids.
Of course they could end up having some sort of crisis, chucking everything in and bumming around the country for a year, but it’s a risk I’m prepared to take ;).
Seriously though Helen, I have always considered the education you provide for SB and BB to be child centred, passion and interest led, resource rich, broad and varied and presented as an adventure you are embarking on alongside them. I don’t think it is possible to offer much greater than that.
Ooh, I followed Michelle’s link and found that there are quite a few state schools doing IB – http://www.ibo.org/school/search/index.cfm?nextStart=1 … 2 schools near(ish) to us, plus one 6th form college. I like the look of that and think Gwenny might like it too, perhaps that’s something to work towards. And now I shall go to bed and stop making up plans for my children that they may or may not go along with!
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thanks everyone for a lot of food for thought and info there. still a bit wobbly, but have enough to start with x x