home edding at secondary level

[IamFartacus]

How do you know what to provide? I know about autonomous learning, but the parent still needs to provide books, materials, learning opportunities, don't they? Do things automatically become more structured when working towards exams? And how have people managed with things like science (particularly chemistry) when access to a lab is essential for assessments? I hear a lot about home ed for younger children, but not so much for older ones, so haven't got the confidence to make the leap yet.

It really depends how you (and the child) want to go about things - if they have already been HE for a while, it's likely to just continue on from what they've been doing up till that point. It doesn't suddenly change because of an arbitrary primary/secondary school line. But they are likely to continue to develop in things that interest them, and pick up new interests. If they want to do exams, then you'd probably want to pick up the syllabus for the exams they plan to do, and get textbooks and past papers to see what they need to know. But they'd probably also continue to pick up library books and watch documentaries, and look things up online, and generally find their own learning opportunities.

There are websites and books which can suggest science experiments which you can do with household equipment, or sets you can buy, but you don't need to do this to be able to pass exams in sciences. If your child does IGCSE exams then these are marked only on the exam and there are no marked coursework assessments. HErs who want to do exams often pick those, because it can be hard to get coursework marked - its not something you can do yourself or just send to the exam centre, you'd have to make arrangements with a school or college which can be very tricky.

You can also get tutors for exams, home study courses, and even online schools, but many people HE at secondary level without doing any of those.

You don't need access to a lab if you do IGCSEs, because, as AMumInScotland says, they're exam only. We did Biology last year and are doing Physics this year. Next year Chemistry will complete the trio.

Most chemicals can be brought online, and spirit burners work as well as bunsen burners. We had to adapt a few of the Biology experiments, but there was very little we couldn't do at home. Anything really impossible, the internet is a wonderful resource and there are videos of just about any experiment freely available.

We're just doing IGCSEs in subjects the girls are interested in and want to study. It's going to look an interesting selection by the end(!), but I think that's a positive, actually. Schoolchildren all go through the same mill - they have set subjects they have to do/ can't do with other subjects. We're not restricted in this way and I think they will stand out from the crowd!

"How do you know what to provide? I know about autonomous learning, but the parent still needs to provide books, materials, learning opportunities, don't they?"

My daughter is only 11 and not working toward exams, so the above is the only part of your question I feel able to answer. In the case of autonomous education, sometimes the parent offers suggestions and waits to see what the response is.

For example, I download programmes from BBC iPlayer which I think may interest my daughter. She chooses from these and from other programmes that she has found in other ways. I order books from the library which people have recommended in subjects that I think she'd like, or which she has previously shown an interest in. She doesn't always read them - sometimes one look at the cover is enough to decide she doesn't want it. She chooses her own books off the shelf too. She's very keen on sport at the moment, so every time I see an opportunity to try a new sport (if it's convenient for me) I ask if she wants to have a go. I offer various museums, trips and lectures.

Of course what I offer is going to be somewhat biased towards things I like. But that's OK, that's in the natural course of things. Nobody gets exposed to everything anyway. Children whose parents are musicians and chess players will see those activities in their early years and others will not. Children of bilingual parents will have more exposure to languages than other children.

I do also try to provide my daughter with things she says she likes, even if I don't enjoy it myself. Friends and relatives are useful here! My daughter likes opera and is going with a friend next month, which is brilliant because I certainly don't want to sit through it!! She'll ask for what she wants.

There's a fair bit of serendipity too. She'll see something on TV, or there will be a poster up in the library for an activity, or a friend will ask if she wants to do a martial arts session or a science project.

Some parents do more in the way of offering things up than I do, and some do less, leaving the child to discover opportunities and request things that take her fancy. There is something to be said for letting the child take the initiative. Whether compulsory or not, learning doesn't always have to be served up on a plate.

We autonomously home educated all three of our children all through their teenage years.
We followed their interests all the way through.
Our son chose to go to FE college post 16, did a couple of GCSEs and then a couple of A levels. He's at Uni now reading Psychology.

Our dd1 didn't do GCSEs, she used a whole variety of life experiences and skills to get herself a job with a well known national organisation. She lives and works away from home now and is now working part time and attending a full time FE course.

all three have overcome quite marked SEN, but especially our youngest who still couldn't read aged 13, such was the severity of her dyslexia.
She's 18 now. At FE college and predicted to get straight distinctions on her course.
Never dreamed we would be looking at university choices, but that is what we are doing now.

The children directed their education into a more formal way, when they were each ready to do so. They have very much taken their own path, in their own time.

and on the way we have had ball together, nothing like the previous experiences with teenagers in school, that we had with their older brother.

We haven't spent very much money on resurces, ebay and freecycle became my favourite sites! We've also found resources at car boot sales and in charity shops.
Our local HE group also had fairly regular resource sales, where families sold off cheaply resources they were no longer using.

I'd suggest finding a HE group local to you to make contact with and go and talk to them.

If you are interested in autonomously home educating teens, it might be worth reading The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to quit school and get a real life and education An American book, but it was this one that inspired me to really understand the freedoms that HE can bring (although having just seen the price on Amazon, I'd ask for it at the library or try ebay!)

hth

We have autonomously HE'd our four girls. They are 17, 15, 11 and 9.

We have let them choose themselves what they wish to study although we did encourage them to complete english and maths correspondence courses.

dd1 chose not to sit exams (trying to find an external centre to sit Standard Grades up here is a nightmare and you can't do them through distance learning) but decided she wanted to work in childcare. She attended a childcare course at our local college for a year when she was 15.

She has now won an apprenticeship at a local nursery and absolutely loves it. She is being trained for a Manager's position.

dd2 also has decided not to opt for exams and wants to work with animals. She does work experience with our local vet which she loves and also helps at the stables which she rides at. She is also completing a corresondence course on animal care which should help her onto an HNC course in animal care.

I would say that it is best to take the lead from them. There are always options out there for them to learn what they need to, even if it means going down a more unconventional route.

forgot to mention our youngest dd started an OU starter course when she was 15 and achieved all of the outcomes. she used this to get herself into FE college.

Thank you for all your answers. They are very helpful, and it is good to hear about your positive experiences. My confidence is slowly increasing...