FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON HOME EDUCATION

Since 2001, I have helped many families with their home education needs ranging from helping them to set up some form of routine or goals to privately tutoring them in the key areas of maths and English as well as many other subjects.  

I have written two books on education, one on the great English philosopher John Locke, who encouraged his friends and relations to educate at home back in the 17th Century!

Early on in my tuition career, I read widely and tested many resources to help clients and my family get the most out of empowering  children in their learning journey - and to remove the stress that it may involve!

Firstly, there is no single method that works for every family and child. 

This is where the free consultation comes in - your child's education needs to revolve around the family situation and your values and time, while ensuring that they are provided an education that is recognisable to  the local authority's representatives, for instance (to take the stress of 'doing something different'!)

Some children learn better with a structure, some do not; some like targets and others crumble at the mere thought!

Parents are the best observers of their children, but the children's voices are important to - and its a voice that may change with time. Listening is a critical skill for any tutor, coach, or mentor to help parents and children learn in the most effective way for them. 

Schools have their methods, and can adapt to an extent to pupils' learning methods, but nothing beats small group sessions or one to one tuition either from a parent or outsider. 

Home education offers you as parents incredibly flexibility as to how and when you teach - from exploring the countryside and museums to delving into sports or literature, for the early years through to mid teens, you can set the curriculum that fits your child's interests. 

As they get older, it's often a pragmatic choice to take examinations to get into the next level of the learning that the child may want. A thirteen year old keen on become a vet will need to pass appropriate exams, while it's often best for all students to secure their GCSEs in English and Maths at least, as they open doors for the 16-18 year old for further education.

The classes I offer are to provide a basis for a child's intellectual development, but if they are keen to do the basic GCSEs, then I would recommend the regular exam-oriented classes I offer in English and Maths or personal tuition in the subjects that they are keen to do well in.

Currently, MATHS and ENGLISH skills in the mornings (civilised times of 10am and 11:15 am respectively) and SCIENCE lessons  at 1pm two to three times a week, and HISTORY once or twice a wee - one of which will be ANCIENT HISTORY. 

On the one-to-one side of tuition, I have tutored and taught a wide range of subjects - after more than 20,000 hours of tuition under my belt, I have experience of helping many students get through a variety of subjects or unravel knots in their learning! 

One to one always caters fully to the invidual child's needs and aspirations, whereas classes are tailored to deliver information to a small group and to share ideas and research or questions that we all have or discover. 

Personal tution is around your child alone - just like a personal trainer at the gym. 

The fee is higher compared to class tuition but, while I offer my tuition nationally, I do try to keep below 'going rates' for experienced tutors so I can reach out to more people who could do with a bespoke service. 

No. I'm not a lawyer and the law is open to interpretations but as it is commonly understood, educating a child is a legal obligation, but parents/carers have  right to not send their child to school or to withdraw their child. 

The government has proposed a register for the home educated, and the main thrust of the register is to be able to check that children not attending school are not being neglected. 

Thus far, there are no recommendations for the children to be taught in a particular way - after all, many home educated families pull their children from school because of how they view the teaching methods, as well as being bullied at school, or being dismissed or their needs ignored.