home schooling year 11 son

[barbsbarbs]

I have just made the scary decision to honeschool my son for five gcses from next week, He has failed badly at school, always in trouble and bunks off all the itme. Thsi way I know he will get some education. Any ideas? Also does anyone have any links etc to find out the gcse curriculum.

[Haskell]

You will need to find a centre that will accept him as an independent candidate, and then ask which board/syllabus they do.

[Wolfiefan]

Would the school have him sit GCSE there? If so he could continue with the same boards?
Do you have a local home schooling forum you could join?

[BertrandRussell]

Where will he sit his GCSEs?

[barbsbarbs]

i will find oiut.... thanks

[EB123]

Hi, I home education but my children are young. If you are on Facebook join the group home education UK, they will be able to help answer your questions.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

www.gov.uk/government/collections/gcse-subject-content

I'm going to be really harsh now though. All of the errors in your post, and the fact you don't seem to have even a basic idea about homeschooling suggest that this may not be the best path for your son. Do you really have the knowledge and ability to teach your son to GCSE level in 5 subjects?

[EB123]

home educate*

[BertrandRussell]

Are you sure this is the right thing to do? What does your ds think?

[barbsbarbs]

ItsAllGoingToBeFine i am educated to a master degree. typo when Im writing quickly is not a sign I cant spell etc. He will fail at school anyway because that is what has happened for the last seven years. I know it will be tough, Im under no illusion, but I have no choice

[BertrandRussell]

What does your ds think?

[Wolfiefan]

Can school offer any support? Our local school would sometimes tutor students in certain subjects at a local community centre.

[Somerville]

You could perhaps try an online school. (Interhigh is one.)

[theEagleIsLost]

Is there money for sites like www.interhigh.co.uk/fees/?

Once you hit secondary school I think specialist subject knowledge starts to be important.

Just in case you didn't know there is a home education board on www.mumsnet.com/Talk/home_e - good place to find people already doing this .

[theEagleIsLost]

Sorry messed link up www.mumsnet.com/Talk/home_ed

[TeenTimesTwo]

Which GCSEs?

He'll need Maths and English Language for a start.

Science has a practical element still I think, unless iGCSE doesn't?

[TeenTimesTwo]

The hard thing, is this is the year that all the GCSEs have changed so there will be no accessible past papers for the new curriculums. This could make it much harder than previously for you to prepare him and judge how he is getting on.
You are braver than I am! good luck.

[Phosphorus]

If your son is going to sit the exams in June 2018, you'll need to find an exam centre that will let him sit the five subjects you've chosen. It can be expensive.

The relevant exam boards have copies of the syllabus and past papers online.

Is he motivated? Why is he skipping class?

If he needs access arrangements in place, you are leaving it rather late for the 2018 exam season, but he could sit later.

[FlandersRocks]

You're planning on homeschooling your dc at GCSE level yet you're asking on a chat forum for links to 'the GCSE curriculum'?

That doesn't bode well. Do some proper research for goodness sake.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

ItsAllGoingToBeFine i am educated to a master degree. Fair enough (although that doesn't mean you can teach )

Have you discussed other options with the school? Reduced timetable, PRU etc. You will also need to address the issues that lead to this behaviour of his, or you'll be dealing with his behavioural issues and bunking off full time.

As others have suggested maybe head over to the homeschooling topic on MN, AIBU may not be the best place for this

[DaisyLoo89]

I think to do best by your son you should try to frame lessons that include all the basics (Science, Maths, English, Politics etc) rather than doing them in blocks. I think the current schooling system makes it very hard to apply knowledge.

[lifeinthecountry]

OP - mumsnet is not that great for HE advice. I'd try Facebook, there are some very good Home Ed groups, including ones dedicated to preparing children for GCSEs - they will help you find the best solution for you and your son. There are many different options. They can also offer a lot advice on finding exam centres.

www.facebook.com/groups/HELinksUK.IGCSE/

[HundredMilesAnHour]

Wouldn't it be more effective to work with him and his school to improve his behaviour (i.e. stop him getting into trouble and bunking off)?

You seem to have made this decision without doing any research at all. Despite the "failing" going on for 7 years. At least do some research first and then make an informed decision.

[SummerKelly]

Also Google HE exams wiki, which should give you the info you need.

[SootSprite]

Go on fb, search for your local home ed group.
Also, on yahoo, search for the home ed exams group.
I also recommend //www.edyourself.org

BBQ bite size is a good resource. You need to figure out where he is going to sit them and what exam board is used, that will help you find the relevant curriculum.

[ommmward]

1. get yourself off AIBU (the world and his wife will be convinced that school will offer a better education to your child than you can offer. I've just watched the (bright, sparky, diligent) daughter of a friend come out with 2 GCSE passes from a school that proudly boasts that 70% of its students got 5 the new equivalent of A-C grades this year. There are lots of schools out there that are failing more than one in five pupils. You are unlikely to do worse.
   
   When I say get yourself off AIBU, I'd even advise you to get this thread deleted - it's one of those guaranteed bun fight topics where dozens of people will pile in to tell you you are doing the wrong thing.
   
   
2. Get yourself over to the HE forum (linked upthread) and ask again there
   
   
3. look at the 14-16 programme at your local FE college. Lots of the HE teens in our area go and do GCSEs through that, or wait until they are 16 and then get a clutch of GCSEs at that point.
   
   
4. Life is not a race. If your son needs a year or two to recover and then get a clutch of GCSEs later, after he's got his mojo back, life will not have left him behind! Most people will tell you it's a disaster if he's taken a year or two longer over getting qualifications than other people do. It's a lie. If he needs it, take time to discover and pursue his own interests. They might not look school-y, but they'll be much more educational than enforced curriculum at this stage.
   
   
5. for the GCSEs, yes, you can work through the curricula yourselves (lots of home edders do iGCSEs - I think it's easier outside an institution to manage the requirements in terms of coursework/exam balance). And then enter as a private candidate. There is a yahoo group called something like UK home education exams. Or you can do tutors, or sign up to an Interhigh type school, or explore college.
   
   
6. Get yourself linked into your local home ed community. The facebook group for home education [MY NEAREST BIG CITY] has over 600 families in it. It is getting increasingly mainstream.
   
   
7. make sure this is what your son wants.
   
   Hope that helps :)