Home Education for older SEN child

[Readyforspringtime]

I'm looking for advice about qualifications or info about home educating your child with SEN once they get to secondary age?

My DD is academically behind her typically developing peers and secondary school isn't right for her. She has a range of difficulties. I want her to achieve to her potential but am unsure of options for qualifications. Are there any online flexible options?

Hi! My 16yo has a moderate learning disability and has never been to school. I also home educated her more average older sibling, who has now flown the nest.

At the moment she's still in the phase of actually acquiring the skills and knowledge she'll need for adult life, rather than getting the qualifications to demonstrate her learning. I haven't yet done much research into alternative qualifications because she isn't ready for them. Unlike a school, I don't have to be in a rush to chivvy her through qualifications at a set age. For one thing, I'm not about to push her out: she can live at home and continue her education until she's ready to move on to her next life stage, whether that happens when she's 18 or 20 or 24. For another, I'm not answerable to the government and don't have to produce measurable outcomes to prove the added value of the education I've given her on my watch.

Just as my daughter's attainment is different from that of other young people, the timescale on which she is progressing toward adulthood is also different. A friend of mine was a longterm foster carer specialising in young women with learning disabilities. She said that her young people tended to make very significant progress socially, emotionally, and academically well into their 20s.
This makes me optimistic and relaxed about my daughter's progress. To me she feels more like a 10 or 12 year old, so that is how I treat her now. I know she won't always be like this.

One qualification which I do have my eye on is Functional Skills. These are pass/fail and can be done at various levels, some of which may be appropriate for my daughter in due course. The topics are more concrete - more focused on everyday situations - than GCSE English and maths. Some centres offer them online. I think employers are likely to be familiar with them as a way of demonstrating basic literacy, numeracy, and IT skills.

Thank you. That sounds similar to our experience. Everything has taken longer than expected but she does get there in the end. I believe she could do GCSEs in future, but probably not until 18 plus as she's working years behind peers. I also worry that only being able to do 2 or 3 would pose a challenge in getting into college as an adult learner.

How do they do GCSE or functional skills assessments online or remotely? Is there an age limit? I'd like to have the materials and be clear about what's involved in the assessments, so that we can plan things out and work towards success. Do you know how I'd find this information?

I found this with all the details of Functional Skills, if anyone else might find them useful.

qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-functional-skills/maths-2019.coursematerials.html#%2FfilterQuery=category:Pearson-UK:Category%2FSpecification-and-sample-assessments

There are online options of you want that but also look at post 16 collages - they can provide a massive amount of options for qualifications and a much higher level of support for SEN than they get at school. They do not need any qualifications to start the courses there.