Home Education

I probably don't know enough to answer fully, but I think GCSEs are optional, as I remember some people leaving my school as soon as they turned 16 and not doing any exams. These kids might study at home then go and sit the exams I guess?

You can go back and do them at a later date or do other qualifications that are equivalent to GCSEs. I'm going to be applying for jobs today but I don't think any of them ask for GCSE Maths and English specifically. Will have a closer look...

I suppose that makes sense Doughnut as you are able to leave school on your 16th birthday aren't you. I find it interesting that as a teacher I push them as being critical based on my perception that most jobs etc require them.

What would happen if you wanted to go to university and didn't have the conventional qualifications? Would that count against you or could you perhaps be let in on the same criteria as mature students who don't necessarily have the same type of qualifications?

Sorry lots of questions!!

Just checked out the jobs I have saved and they don't mention GCSEs but do ask for a degree, so I guess the GCSEs are assumed as without them you wouldn't have done A levels, then degree.

You can do an Access course to get into university if you don't have the necessary A/ AS 'points'.

Edited to add, I do see them as critical as they open doors - if you've got them, you can choose whether to get a job when you leave school (and I guess school-leaver jobs want to know what GCSEs you go, to prove you can work hard/ apply yourself) or go to college, for which you also need decent GCSEs.

Home ed doesn't mean that you wouldn't put your child in for exams though does it? AFAIK there's no obligation to cover anything in particular if you are home educating. You don't have to follow the national curriculum, but then nor do independent schools. Similarly, many independent schools don't do GCSEs/A levels but do International Baccalaureate instead.

I knew some home ed people sat GCSE's as we have them coming to do them at my school as independent candidates, I was wondering if it was compulsory or not, but obviously not. I agree Doughnut that they are important as they give you choice. However I am interested in the 'consequences' of choosing not too

I think even the independent schools who do IB do GCSE's.

It is not an area I know much about and I am nosey enough to want to find out! So thanks for your info and indeed opinions

Nope they are def not compulsory. It's up to you as parent and educator (and, more importantly, your kids!) to decide what to study and whether to take any exams.

I think you have to look at where you want to get to, and how you're going to achieve it. We HEd my younger brother for 2 years, who has ASD with MLD, dyslexia and brain damage following a car accident. He's never going to go to Uni, so we were concentrating much more on life skills (spelling, comprehension, mental arithemetic) and whatever he was interested in exploring at the time. He's now back in (special) school - for practical reasons mostly tbh - and they are pushing him to do qualifications - a few GCSEs, a couple of BTECs and a couple of entry levels. I'm ambivalent at best about him doing them as I don't see how they will fit into him living the life he wants to, and they are doing nothing for his self esteem (getting Ds and Es at best when he tries really, really hard). I think the school just want to boost their figures frankly.

More HE info and FAQ at http://www.education-otherwise.org/

PL could tell you more but I don't think she's around today.

Also there is nothing to say what age you sit GCSEs, so if your kid wanted to go to a Uni or college which specifically needed GCSEs, or do a job requiring maths/English GCSEs then they could do them later on if necessary.

AFAIK you don't need GCSEs to do A levels.

Thanks R-A, it isn't something that I personally will be opting for but I can totally see why for your brother it was a much more pragmatic option.

As I said I am always interested in finding out about things - my neighbours don't appear to do any educational work in the conventional sense of the term which is why I asked.

Aha, they are probably autonomous HEers - this is a philosophy which lets the child dictate what, when and how they learn. Amazingly enough, they do learn! ? Kids are naturally curious - especially (and sadly imo) if they've never been to school.

http://www.education-otherwise.org/how.htm - see halfway down the page.

There are a few HE blogs I enjoy, that might be interesting reading for you?

This one has recently become semi password protected but have a look in the archives

http://www.patchofpuddles.co.uk/archives/2603

http://homebakededucation.blogspot.com/

http://www.notsheep.net/

And one I found on here http://www.notesfromthetrenches.com/

Having read some bits of those links R-A I would say they are definitely autonomous, however without any of the focus on social skills the website talks of!! Kids seem very happy but oldest one is now 17 and really struggling to know what to do with her life now.

Interesting discussion, as I am hoping, God willing, to home school any children we have, but was thinking up until 11/13, but obviously will see how things go.

Alexm-I don't know if you meant it different;y to how it says, but most 17 year olds I knew at school didn't know what they wanted to do with their lives either, we were pigeoned holed , ie if you are a good student you should do a levels and go on to university, if you aren't then we don't care, go off to college or get a job (obviously they didn't say that, but that is how it came across)

? I was thinking that too! How many 17 year olds do know what they want to do with their lives?

I agree but at least if you've got some formal qualifications under your belt you've surely got a better start on someone who doesn't when you do decide?

I do agree Roobarb. Anecdotally, most HE families I know have done some formal qualifications, either at home, or through going part time to local colleges or adult education centres.

But as I said earlier in the thread, there isn't an age limit on doing exams, so as and when you do know where you want to head, you can choose and do the necessary qualifications then. It's not necessarily much use to just do random GCSEs for the sake of it, although I agree there's an argument for doing at least maths/English/science for employment reasons.

Lots of our graduate entry medical students have had to do A-levels or access courses as adults because they didn't choose the 'right' qualifications at school, so it wouldn't be dissimilar to that.

Taking your GCSEs or not hasn't got much to do with what you want to do with your life has it? To me, they're something you do at the end of school days to set you up for whatever it is you might want to chose to do one day. Most jobs/careers require some sort of further training or qualifications so it's not like you do X GCSE and you can be a vet, for example. They're a door-opener to other things.

However, I agree with the bit about being pigeonholed. I was constantly told I wouldn't pass at school and it still really affects me today (see my other post re Basic Skills courses!). I was pigeonholed as a bit thick and I only applied to 6th form as it was thought I might just scrape enough to get in. I was told I'd fail all 3 of my A levels and so when I left I got a crap factory job, and while my mates went off to various universities I packed envelopes and moved in with my boyfriend.

My results came in and I passed all 3 and, after a year working, applied and went to university. I didn't believe I'd got my degree until I had the piece of paper with my final grades on it. Age 32, what happened at school still haunts me and I am struggling with my post-graduate studies, mainly I think because I can't believe that I can do it.

Sorry that turned into a rather 'woe is me' rant ? I'm sure there are many others who have been through similar.

But AFAIK Doughnut, you don't have to have done GCSEs to do A levels, and you don't have to have had either to do an Access course.

Anyhoo, as I said on my previous post, in my experience it's pretty rare for HE kids to get to 18 with no formal qualifications at all.

Our school didn't have a 6th form and there are two colleges in our town that do A levels - to get in to do A levels you needed to get 5 GCSEs A-C. Things might have changed since, as I'm 32 now so it was a while ago ?

Sorry, my post wasn't very clear - I meant it wouldn't stop you from doing A levels if you were HEing. You're right that most if not all schools and colleges do require GCSEs to continue to A-levels. So if your HE kid wanted to go to 6th form college to do A levels they would probably need to do GCSEs.

Personal opinion, obv, but I think anyone who doesn't give their children a chance to take recognised exams (in the absence of a very good reason) is doing them a massive disservice. Yes, it's possible to take GCSEs later but it's much harder to do so when you're trying to get on with everything else in life. The ability to revise and pass exams is something you gain through doing exams- expecting a child who has never been tested suddenly to pass A-levels is hugely unfair, I think.

AFAIK universities will consider applicants without conventional qualifications but, in the case of mature students, those applicants will have other things to prove their abilities(eg employment)- that's a completely different kettle of fish from an 18yo with no qualifications and no demonstrable experience.

Not having taken recognised qualifications cuts off all sorts of possibilities.

Doughnut-Sorry I was replying to the bit about the social side and the 17yr old not knowing what she wanted to do with her life

I agree some formal qualifications are a good idea, if we do continue to homeschool our children in secondary age, I would encourage them either do to GCSE's or IB I think, especially as, beign home schooled they would probably have a wider variety of choices of GCSE's they could do (ie at our school you couldn't do both business studies and Art or history and geography, due to the way they are grouped)

Hi sorry not to have replied earlier. When I said the 17 yr old didn't know what she wanted to do in the future I meant that she has no path at all laid out to / for her. Most 17 yr olds will have a couple of paths open to them that they are aware of and can choose between or ignore but at least there is some guidance. She on the other hand doesn't seem to be receiving any guidance and the conventional choices are not necessarily there for her. Parents are very much 'do whatever you want' and that is where the help ends - i don't think she has any idea where to even start looking as tbh i don't think she has any life outside of the home. It is almost like they are cutting her free but have not given her much to go forward with on a tangible level. not sure that makes sense.

Anyway it has been an interesting debate and I feel a bit more educated (!) about home schooling now, so thank you. OT wasn't quite as scary as I thought it might be!

Alexm that does sound tough for the 17 year old. I can completely see the benefits of not pushing your children down particular routes - way, way too many children go to University just because - but if you're going to let them decide you need to help them do that by talking about options. I agree with KN as well that no qualifications at all would be a risky strategy. Like it or not, businesses and universities have to have some way of assessing candidates and without any qualifications that's hard. That doesn't mean I think that GCSEs/A levels are necessarily the best option, but if I were to HE I would be working towards formal qualifications eventually.

Thanks for the clarification Alexm. I agree KN and hazel, if I was HEing older kids I would definitely be aiming for some sort of qualifications. I take the point about exam practice, although I definitely think we've gone much too far in the wrong direction in the current school system. I don't think I'd be queuing up to put a HEed 7, 11 or 14 year old through SATs by choice.

Tbh I think this is why many HEers gravitate back towards the 'mainstream' as their kids get older, esepecially if they want to go on to further education. I think at the same time kids themselves are more likely to want to take up specialist opportunities etc in their teens (e.g. go to school/college with music, arts or sports facilities and specialist teachers). I also think that generally, with age, even those kids who initially struggled/would struggle with school, will be able to slot in more easily into structured group situations.

In principle I'd be very happy HEing a primary age kid - and I'm absolutely convinced that the continental Europeans have a much better idea than us about the right age to start formal education - but I'd be surprised if they didn't want to go to school by the time they reached secondary age.