Home Education Matters

Welcome to our summer series - School's Out! Where we'll be shining a lot on some of the issues within the education system which has led many of us to opt out.Whether it was an ideological choice, a responsive choice to school or even an imposed decision due to your school situation, we've all come to this because we feel this is a preferable route. In this podcast, Helen gives us her honest perspective on school and home education. This episode, from a self-titled 'homeschool slacker' has everything, running the gamut from prison yards to unwanted erections. It's a no holds barred look at Helen's encounters with education, both at home and at school.And next week, we'll start exposing stories of negative school experiences and allowing individual traumatised children to have their stories told.And yes, it's not all schools and all teachers and all children. But it's enough of them to make it worth passing comment, and a home education podcast feels the perfect place to showcase these stories. We're opting out and speaking up.

Join Ash and I for the last episode following her journey into home education. And this month we look back at July but also take a wider look at the things she has learnt, the rewards and challenges of the last year, plus what she's looking forward to in the future.I know we've all loved the monthly chats with Ash and it's been such a joy to follow her and Ismael's journey this year through a process that ultimately was a restorative and healing one for the whole family.And who knows maybe this is just au revoir rather than goodbye ...

Home educating through exams can be difficult to navigate so, in this podcast, Julie Barker from Faregos guides us through the procedure for access arrangements.We cover what they are, how to get them, what they're not, top tips and advice and much more. Check it out and share around with any fellow home educators who may be wanting access arrangements for their exams!

Today we talk through the nuts and bolts of the exam process with Paul Turner from the very popular exam centre 3A Tutors in Bristol. It's a long one so skip to the bits that are relevant to you or settle down for everything you ever wanted to know about exams as a home educator!TIMINGS -5:45 Exam sittings11:30 Registering for exams13:00 Fees14:15 Access Arrangements24:15 How the process works25:45 Exam entry codes and booking exams31:30 Timings of exams and what to do if you’re late34:30 Exam subjects and IGCSES vs GCSES40:30 Oral exams and MFL subjects43:15 AS levels and modular GCSEs47:30 On screen and online exams51:15 Practicals for exams56:15 Coursework59:15 Exam rules1:10:30 Special Consideration1:16:45 Cancelling exams1:19:00 Grade boundaries1:22:30 Results and Certificates1:25:20 Appealing grade results / Review of marking1:29:30 Post exams1:30:45 ResitsAnd keep an eye out for our Access Arrangements deep dive coming up next week ...

Today's podcast dives into the world of online learning. Myself and the fabulous Mary Middlebrook discuss:How to get the best out of online resourcesWhere to find top quality online educationWhat to look for and what to avoidCreating a pick and mix global online education to support self studyAnd much much more.Enjoy the podcast! And don't forget that if you'd like to support the work we do to bring these episodes to you every week, you're now able to donate to the show and help to keep us free and airing into your homes every week:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeEducation

When you home educate you get used to people saying "oh I could never do that, we'd all get on each other's nerves so much". So today we will be discussing conflict and how to handle it if you home educate (and if you don't!).Sven Lauch guides us through his 4 step approach and explains why conflict need not always be avoided but instead can be used to further healthy communication and connection.[This podcast is very much a labour of love, but it's also both a costly and time consuming process ... if you'd like to Buy Me a Coffee - no obligation at all! - you can do so here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeEducation]

Join Ash and I as we discuss how her home education journey went in June. We talk about the bravery it takes to home educate and the bravery it's currently taking to put Ismael back into school. And much more.If you enjoy this episode, click 'subscribe' so you get alerted when new episodes come out!

Today is the last episode in our mini series where we showcase some of the amazing stories from within our home education community.And we meet Naomi John O. who is an inspiring 16 year old home educated student who is busy making a difference to the world we live in. Check out her story here and maybe share it around with any 'doubters' who question your decision to home educate!

Want to help your child improve their writing skills without picking up a pen? We've got you covered on this podcast where Munira will guide us through her top tips to improve your child's writing.We cover some great strategies and approaches which are all designed to build confidence and ability without some of the anguish that goes with copy writing or handwriting practice.

Today's podcast talks about the unique challenges of home educating when you have ADHD. And we talk to Amy about her journey of self discovery around having ADHD and how it's affected, positively and negatively, her home education experience.Alert! If you don't want to listen to 15 minutes of discussion about how broken the school system is, skip ahead to 15:00. You have been warned ;-)

Join Shelley and I as we discuss home educating a child with Auditory Processing Disorder and the value of incorporating British Sign Language into your home ed journey. This is a fascinating and sometimes emotional conversation where we talk about the pressures on ourselves as home educating parents and the balancing act of prioritising our children's needs with little state support. We delve into what APD is, the struggle to get diagnosed and also discuss BSL and its variations, along with the sheer joy of learning a new language and being able to communicate with your baby and child in an empowering way. 

Today I am joined by Pamela Anton who set about persuading her parents to home educate her when she was a child, at a time when home education was much less common. Armed only with a magazine article and a distinct hatred for school, Pamela launched into home education and now has chosen that route for her own children.Listen to Pamela's fascinating story about her interaction with the school system and the impact that being in school had upon her on a day to day level. And how this experience has informed her own parenting journey to this day.

Ash and I discuss how her May has been going and it's been a month of ups and downs. Both Ash and Ismael are working to get ready for their return to school in September and it's been a bumpy ride!

Today's podcast is all about inspiring your child in their approach to writing and reading. Often these things come in waves of motivation and the beauty of home education is that you're able to flow with your child as their interests shift. But similarly being able to write fluidly, fluently and with ease is an important life skill and can unlock a future of creativity in allowing your child to put their thoughts down on paper, whether with pen or keyboard. Dr Patrick guides us through some great ideas for supporting your child to learn a love of writing and, more broadly, a love for learning that will leave you all feeling equipped and empowered in your home education journey.

Today's episode is Female Rage: The Podcast!Join Sareeta Pattni and I for our last in the series Parenting with Possibilities. This episode looks at the role that anger can play in our parenting and how to honour it and express it in a way that feels healthy for everyone.We talk about boundaries, saying no and when to go and scream into a pillow! Check it out and do share it around with your parenting friends.

Join Ash and I in our latest installment of A Journey into Home Education where the household has been afflicted by sickness and preparations are being made for Ismael's return to school this autumn.

One of the amazing things about home educating is the flexibility it offers and my guest today embraced that flexibility by taking her family across the world. In this episode we talk about how she did it, the places she went to, the reasons she worldschooled and her advice for how to set about it. It's a great episode for anyone with undiagnosed wanderlust!

Andrea returns from our very popular podcast episode 'From Teaching to Tuition' and today we are doing a subject deep dive into English Literature.There are options galore when it comes to English Lit so buckle up while we do a whistle stop tour through the main offerings, look at what you can expect on the different papers and discuss how to choose the right specification for you.

Join my children and I as we talk about our ups and downs during the last fifteen years of home educating. There's nothing more candid than a pair of home educated teens so buckle up and settle in to hear a discussion ranging from the good and the bad, to the possibility of a register and the perils of bad parenting!

For today's podcast, I am joined by Damian from Earthlings Learning to talk through the Cambridge IGCSE in Environmental Management.This exam is a great choice for home educators and is often the first one that a home ed child will sit. So settle back and hear all the ins and outs of the exam, what you can expect and how to maximise your enjoyment of the subject.

It's our March episode of A Journey into Home Education and we are catching up with Ash in her year of home education.Today we talk about the joys of home ed socialising, the prospect of a return to school this Autumn and Ismael's youTube speed run!

Emma from We are the Nomaders is taking her home education journey to the road. With one husband, one van and three children, Emma is exploring the possibilities that home education on the move offers herself and her family. In today's episode, find out how she does it, where she's off to and the highs and lows of life of home educating on the road. 

Today I am joined by Jeanette from Get Keyed Up and we are doing an in depth study guide for Citizenship GCSE and Global Citizenship IGCSE. These are great, relevant qualifications open and accessible to home educators.We compare the two options and then look at the community projects, the type of questions you'll be asked and which is the most maths / essay heavy. Do check it out and don't forget to leave a rating and share around with friends.

Sareeta Pattni and I discuss the role that community and collaboration plays in parenting, specifically home educating parenting. This is a thoughtful and vulnerable episode for both of us and we touch on the destabilising role of comparison, the difficulty of finding your tribe and how we contribute to our own isolation.

I am delighted to be joined by Amy from E-Learn with Amy to guide us through the new and very popular Marine Science IGCSE.We discuss what you can expect from the exam, the topics, questions and the practical component to help you and your child prepare for the exam.

Today's podcast is an up close and personal look at Economics. Helen guides us through all the exam options so that you can choose the exam specification that suits your child. We talk about the layout of the exams, which has the most Maths, which has the least writing and lots more. 

Join Ash and I as we see how February has gone for her and Ismael in their home education journey. This month we see things clicking into place and an exciting new child led project taking shape. 

Join author Richard Clarke and I as we discuss ways to support your child's wellbeing. We talk about how to help them with issues such as anxiety, grief and the effects of covid on a young generation.Younger children often struggle to vocalise their inner emotional world, so it's great to be able to chat with Richard about how we can support our young children with their mental health from home.

Today we venture into the often unknown world of home educating through the college years. There aren't many of us who home educate through A levels / equivalents but that number is growing every year. Jenni, Helen and I discuss the advantages and pitfalls (but mainly advantages!) of home educating through to 18 and beyond.

Today is another of our subject deep dives, and we're looking at Biology IGCSE (with a smattering of GCSE and the space between!). Ibby and I discuss the role of practicals in science, the differences between the exam specifications available to home educators, as well as looking at top revision tips, a general understanding of how Biology as an exam works and resource ideas.

Join Jo and I for our next discussion in our mini series analysing the worlds of parenting humans and animals! Today we are talking about what role discipline plays in home ed parenting. Does it prevent chaos and anarchy or does it create repressed behaviours and increase frustration? And is compliance needed and when? Buckle up for another thought provoking discussion on how the worlds of parenting and dog behaviourism collide!

It's the first of the month so it's time to catch up with Ash and Ismael's journey into home education. And we're on month five and it's been a month of settling into the natural rhythms of home ed. Plus we discuss the benefits of private tuition, the importance of relaxing into it and glimmers of hope for socialising!

It's revision time! And today's episode is a fabulous in depth look at how to maximise your revision success. From planning and scheduling to resources and strategies, we look at how to make revision work in your household. Comment and tell us your top revision tip and let's share our wonderful knowledge as home educators!

Join Sareeta and I as we discuss the role that the parent can play in allowing your child to express their emotions by finding a way to listen without problem solving. Then we move on to the ideas of being grounded as a person to give yourself that space and calmness we need in our centre, creating a bubble around you to help in moments of stress and recognising, from this grounded calm core, which battles are worth fighting and when it's time to let go.

Today we talk about how to use past exam papers as a hugely effective means of revision. Emma guides us through the do's and don'ts of using exam papers, the advantages of it as a revision system and how to ensure your child is fully prepped for that moment they sit down for their exam at the centre. 

Today we do a deep dive into EHCPs including:EHCP at schoolEHCP and specialist school provisionEOTASEHCP with a budgetAnd the advantages and disadvantages of each possible routePlus a huge amount more. Ann is an expert in the provision of EHCPs and we are really grateful for her time talking us through this vital but complex area of educational support.

Welcome to month four of our regular catch up with new home educator Ash. And today we find out how December has gone for her and her son, Ismael. It's been a time of nagging inner voices and so we discuss the inherent worry of parenting and the self-doubt that hits us all as home educators from time to time. And we also look ahead to the next year and discuss the tweaks and adjustments Ash hopes to make in her home education journey. 

Welcome to a special Christmas edition of Home Education Matters and we are going for a quiz on all things home education! Sit back, test your knowledge and see if you can keep up with the ever changing question numbers :)

It's the third episode in our Sharing our Successes season and we're meeting the fabulous Chloe, who is crafting her own home education journey to make sure it works just right for her. She's a fabulous example of liberation from 'this is how it's always been done' to 'this is how I'm going to do it!'. And all this while documenting it on her Instagram account: chlojosclassroom. Feeling like you need a bit of inspiration for how to run your life better? I reckon Chloe's the girl to give it you!

Is your home educated child struggling to engage with their learning? Maybe you've just started home educating and your child isn't engaging with their work or perhaps you've been home educating a while but have hit a bit of a wall.Today we talk to Jake from Humanatees to find his top tips for engaging a child who has disengaged from their learning. 

Join Jo Moorcroft, dog behaviourist, and I as we discuss the role of manners and etiquette in parenting. Our latest episode as part of our mini series where we see how the worlds of dog behaviourism and progressive parenting meet!Today we discuss what role manners has to play when home educating your child, whether there is a place for learned etiquette and how our family values might dictate our approach to manners as parents. 

Our monthly catch up with Ash and Ismael on their home educating journey and today we hear how month 3 is going. We discuss that fine line between 'lessons' and 'learning', how home education impacts on the wider family and the role that the parent's attitude plays in making it a success. Look out for next month's catch up which will be out on 1st January 2024. How time flies!

Today Claire and I deep dive into Physics provision for home educators, with a focus on secondary age learning. We discuss the different exam specs available to home educators, IGCSE vs GCSE, incorporating practicals into your home learning and how to revise for your exams most effectively.A big thank you to Claire for guiding us through Physics and she'll be in our FB group to answer any subject specific questions you might have: https://www.facebook.com/groups/homeeducationmatters

Join Sareeta Pattni and I as we launch into the very first episode of our new series which focuses on parenting issues when home educating. Today we talk about the importance of allowing feelings to be expressed, how to help your child feel able to discuss their emotions and how to also express your own emotions in a way that is both helpful and healthy for the family.Keep an eye out for episode two when we'll discuss the roles of speaker and recipient in emotional conversations and how to ensure they land just right with you and your child.

We celebrate coming to the end of our first year podcasting with a very special episode. Join Diane and I as we talk about her big news, plus there's a special announcement right at the end so stay tuned for that one.To help us celebrate, perhaps each of you could share your favourite episode of our podcast in a home ed FB group. We know that home ed is all about connection and sharing episodes across platforms is a wonderful way for us to connect with more of you.And thank you to everyone for joining us throughout this last year. It's been a lot of fun and we couldn't have done it without you all listening to us each and every week!

For this episode, I am joined by Lianne Abram, the creator of the Which Online School guide. Love them or hate them, online schooling is a lifeline for many home educators and today we explore what to look out for, how to find a good one and what sort of options are open to you. As well as a rather fun debate on the pros and cons of online schooling when home educating. Do leave a comment and tell us what side of the fence you fall on!And a big thank you to Lianne for putting up with all my questions and some of my rather combative views ;-)

We catch up with Ash in her second month as a home educator. Hear about her ups and downs, her experiences writing her report for the Local Authority and the perils of home education socialising!Do subscribe to our podcast to make sure you're notified of our next episode on Ash's journey or join our FB group to chat with Ash and all our other podcast guests.

Today I am joined by Matt and Miriam from GrowBadges, an amazing project designed to help your child (and you!) explore some of the more diverse skills we find in our modern world. From journalling to diversity, volunteering to gardening, GrowBadges are shining a light on some of the most important 'soft skills' that are often so important within the home education community.Do check it out and if you enjoy it, give us a review!

Join myself and Jo as we discuss another vital element of home education, the power of play. As part of our mini series looking at the ways dog psychology meets parenting, we talk about the educational value of play, the ways it can be incorporated into your home ed daily life and the wonderful ways it can create harmony and bonding within your family.It's never too late to incorporate play into your family life, so check it out and do give us a like, subscribe and review if you enjoy our episodes.

Today we talk to Rap Yoga creator Veronica Youdell to discover the amazing creative and well-being benefits of combining rap and yoga. It is an amazing way to foster self-confidence, creative skills and holistic movement for you and your home educated child.If you enjoy our podcast, do leave us a review :)