What do I say on UC journal about home educated dc and child element

[HomeEducate]

I know that I can get the child element till after dd 19th birthday but they want details of non advanced full time course but she is home educated (has always been) but what do I tell them ? It’s not clear

Navigating the requirements of Universal Credit (UC) when home educating a child over 16 can be challenging, especially when traditional educational frameworks don't apply. Here's how you can address UC's request for details about your daughter's non-advanced full-time education:
1. Clarify the Nature of Home Education:
Home education is recognized as a valid form of full-time, non-advanced education for benefit purposes. When communicating with UC, describe your daughter's education using terms like "continuing, full-time, supervised, non-advanced study."

2. Provide Detailed Educational Information:
Since UC requires specifics about the educational provision, outline the structure of your daughter's home education:

• Subjects Studied: Mention the subjects she is focusing on, such as languages, essay writing, and life skills.
• Educational Materials: Specify the resources used, like textbooks, online courses, or other materials.
• Study Schedule: Detail the weekly hours dedicated to supervised study to demonstrate that it meets the criteria for full-time education.

3. Address the Lack of Formal Qualifications:
While your daughter isn't pursuing formal qualifications due to her disabilities, emphasize the educational goals and progress within her tailored curriculum. This approach showcases a structured educational plan, even without traditional exams.
4. Utilize Local Authority (LA) Documentation:
If your LA conducts annual inspections and provides reports confirming the suitability of your home education, these documents can serve as evidence of full-time education. Including these reports in your UC submission can substantiate your claims.
5. Explore Exam Access Arrangements:
Given your daughter's physical disabilities and inability to attend exam centers, consider the possibility of arranging exams at home with appropriate invigilation. Some local authorities have a duty to provide suitable full-time education for pupils unable to attend school due to medical reasons.
6. Seek Additional Support:
Consulting with organizations like Education Otherwise or Educational Freedom can provide guidance tailored to your situation. These organizations offer resources and support for home educators navigating benefit systems.
7. Document All Communications:
Maintain records of all correspondence with UC and any supporting documents you provide. This practice ensures transparency and can be beneficial if any issues arise.
By presenting a comprehensive overview of your daughter's educational arrangements and leveraging available resources, you can effectively communicate her status as a qualifying young person in full-time education to UC.

If the OP wanted to use AI she could have done it herself 🤔How weird to use ChatGPT to answer a mumsnet thread on a topic you know nothing about??

In this case, yes, OP should be entitled to CB and the child element of UC (although that isn’t always the case) but knowing what forms to complete for the former isn’t relevant to what OP responds with on the UC journal.

The link/website has UC information too.

Because things have been very difficult and we’ve been dealing with a lot and trying to juggle multiple things. I know it’s not ideal but I’m trying to sort it out now.

I wasn’t commenting on the content on the link per se. I was commenting on the post saying “what you need to do for child benefit and which forms to request.” when child benefit and the child element of UC are not the same thing.

Okay 😆hopefully it's all clear now!

All the home educated DC I know are still taking GCSEs. We hy is your child not having the opportunity to do any exams? How will they get a job or go to Uni?

You can just highlight and read the OP's posts if you don't want to read the whole thread.

It's quite possible to get her to an exam centre and she doesn't exams in a separate room to others with just the invigilator.

Your poor DD. Physical disability and neurodiversity are really not good reasons for not having a full education, including taking exams! I am speaking from experience. She shouldn’t be deprived of these things as they’re the gateways to so many experiences in life, even though she faces many more challenges than other children. I found it really hard when I was in her situation but I’m so glad my parents supported me to take as many exams as possible.

It's quite possible to get her to an exam centre

How on earth do you know it is ‘quite possible’ for OP’s DD to attend an exam centre? Not all DC can.

She has a full education and as far as I’m aware can take exams at any point in her life . It’s not just at 16 and illegal outside of that age! She may manage to do some soon or maybe at another point in the future it’s not now or never !

I've known 1 DC go to exam centre from hospital in a leg cast and arm cast and went in a wheelchair. They are very flexible and always try to accommodate DC.

Who is very flexible? There might not be a 'flexible' and affordable exam centre anywhere near where the OP lives.

@caringcarer And? Just because some DC can doesn’t mean all can. I have 2 DC with EOTAS/EOTIS, both will sit exams at home. I know others who have DC who can’t attend an exam centre too.

@HomeEducate did my earlyer post help ?

Frankly, I was only trying to help.

1. I responded to offer assistance, nothing more.
2. The original poster (OP) may not have the time or the background to fully understand or navigate the program themselves, which is why I stepped in with a suggestion.
3. I’d also like to point out that my response is no worse than any other in this thread — in fact, at least I made a direct attempt to answer the OP’s question, rather than sidetrack it.
4. And for anyone questioning why people contribute: by that logic, most threads would be empty. The reality is that many participants comment on topics where they aren’t full experts, yet still offer insights. That doesn’t mean their input is invalid. The notion that only absolute specialists should contribute is flawed.

If you disagree, fair enough — but I stand by my intent and my effort to help.

But they won't be denied sitting exams. OP hasn't sorted out anything for her DC to sit exams even though she said DC is bright and would pass.

@caringcarer you have ignored my point, which was you do not know “It's quite possible to get her to an exam centre”. You can’t possibly know that. While some DC can manage that, some can’t.

I just think that not giving dc an opportunity to sit any exams before now, or even looking into it, is doing her a disservice if she’s as bright as you say, OP.

Gotta say I was thinking the same @verysmellyjelly- I get that life is complicated and busy but as OP says she “always has” been home educated, that’s a lot of years to look into exam arrangements and options without waiting for it to come up on a funding form at age 16 and then scramble. If she’s been teaching the gcse curriculum, it’s logical to look into it and never been easier to find info out online.

Yikes, what a lot of terrible, inaccurate advice you are getting! You do need to go onto a forum specifically for home educating parents, where people know what they are talking about.

Honestly OP mumsnet is bloody atrocious about HE are you in touch with anyone locally who HEs or using the Facebook groups? Please don't take advice from here!

I can't speak to the UC portion but the separate HE form for continuing CB doesn't require kids to be taking any exams you need to confirm they are "studying" for sufficient hours. The "non advanced" part of the question is just to exclude a university student.

Best of luck

Bloody hell, some of these responses 🙄🤦🏻‍♀️

OP, I home educate my two DC now. They are 15 (twins) and both autistic, among other things. Neither will be taking exams - DS was in special school and never would have come close. DD’s difficulties became more apparent as she started to approach secondary school - she has a typically spiky profile of an autistic child and can’t manage any exams. We’re considering Functional Skills possibly in the coming years, but not just yet.

You don’t have to follow the national curriculum nor take exams at 16. Both of those things were arbitrarily decided yet somehow people take it as gospel. If your child has SEn their educational journey may look different or it may just be slower, and that’s ok.

For universal credit, just inform them she is continuing the full-time non-advanced study that she was doing prior to turning 16, and that it has been approved by your LA as a suitable full-time education. You could tell them she is working towards GCSEs in English/Maths/Functional Skills - she doesn’t have to be taking them right now. But you don’t actually have to mention exams. Use the wording “continuing full-time, non-advanced education approved by the LA” and you should be fine.

For anyone else reading this, home educators get precisely fuck all financial support. We have to pay for any tuition plus any exam costs. An EHCP is utterly pointless if you’re a home educator (we have one in place).

It’s ok if your child’s education looks a bit different. People seem to get bizarrely concerned if you don’t replicate school at home, failing to understand that a school-type learning pattern doesn’t suit many children, especially those with SEN.