What is the reality of home schooling a year 10?

[HRR107]

Exactly as the title says really, what is the reality?

My daughter is struggling with school tremendously. She is in the pathway to getting assessed for ASD/ADHD. She has Ebsa and it’s a battle each and every day to try and get her to attend school. She has physical symptoms, she has panic attacks, nausea, stomach aches, headaches, dizziness and is tearful each day. I’ve been working with the school constantly to change things to help her, but nothing is helping. I’m applying for an EHCP but not sure if she will get one.

Today I managed to get her up, dressed and out, but she refused in the school park. This is a common occurrence. The environment and having to mask all day is just too much for her. Her attendance is terrible and the school aren’t authorising her absences, so I will be fined very soon. It’s causing me so so much stress each day. I’ve just been offered a job that I really need but I won’t be able to hold it down because of my daughter’s needs, and now feel like I have to turn it down.

She has been asked to be home schooled for years and I financially can’t afford it and I don’t think I would be able to handle managing her school work. Does anybody have insight into day to day on how home schooling works for a year 10? How does it work when it comes to GCSE’s? Is it really difficult to manage and what are the costs?

Any advice appreciated. Thank you

Are you confident that you would be able to teach to GCSE level across a range of subjects or able to afford tutors?

Are there any home schooling groups in your area that you could seek out in order to ask for their advice before you begin?

Focus on English and maths and get tutors who can guide you re exam technique.

Well it has to be one or the other - either you are not working and teach her, or she follows an online schooling programme. Rule out teaching her yourself as that sounds like a non starter.

There are lots of structured online schooling programmes now. They vary widely in cost, level of structure and quality. If your daughter is bright and very motivated, a cheaper programme could get good results. If she isn't a brilliant student but is motivated, a more expensive/structured programme could be okay (you would be talking a few grand a year). If she isn't motivated, then again I would say it's not workable.

Access to exams is also something to consider as these would have to be paid for and these are £150-300ish per subject.

Overall, having got as far as year 10 it's a risky time to start as if it doesn't work out for you returning to school will be much harder than it would be pre Yr 10.

My first steps in your case would be to pursue the school attendance officer and work with them to get her to attend what she can.

You will have to pay for any GCSEs your DD sits - and this can be tolerably expensive.

As @PhilomenaFitzFilopardi says, focus on Maths and English.

Maybe not the answer you are looking for but I had EBSA myself as a teenager.

I went in when I could manage it, (usually a few days a week) and studied on my own on days I stayed home. This was before the days of fines. By going in when I could and making sure I attended the main subjects like maths to get the stuff I really couldn't teach myself I kept up with what needed to be done and had enough continuity to study on my own at home the other times. If memory serves - humanities and English I could just learn myself by reading the books. Science at GCSE is literally just memorizing facts, again easy enough from a book and would be even easier now with the internet. Maths was the only one I needed actually teaching but maybe you could get tutors to do that (I had a friend who was doing A level maths and helped me out a bit).

I got straight As as I was able to study at home in a more relaxed and calm environment. If I'd have been forced to go in all the time I wouldn't have learned anything, I found school too noisy to concentrate, impossible to focus in a room full of 30 of my pals!

I guess what I'm saying is (and I know it's not really answering your question) is other than no attendance / get fines / learn nothing vs full home school, perhaps a hybrid signed off by the school might be another option for your daughter?

Equally I was very motivated and did enjoy learning, just didn't enjoy doing it in a cold building which smelled of cabbage and was filled with bullies :-)

A levels and uni were much better for me though, I still prefer working from home rather than the office! Some things never change.

You won’t get fined if you gather medical evidence that she is awaiting an assessment and is not refusing school but suffering from panic attacks.

The school can threaten all they want to and even file with the court to fine you. In my case, they dropped the fines the day before the court date. In friends’ cases, the judge threw it out and told off the school.

You just need to get medical evidence to the school with proof of receipt and then send it to the courts as well, if it gets that far. In the interim, do not pay any fines and respond to each fine letter with a letter stating that the unauthorised absences were for medical reasons that the school should be marking as authorised.

For you,
Take the job so you can afford tutors or for her to do her GCSEs online.
Once you have her enrolled in an online school, you can disenroll her from her current school.

Something I missed on this was - for me - knowing I wasn't going to be forced to go to school was the game changer. As soon as that pressure was off I ended up choosing to go in more than I would have gone otherwise.

Again, this was me, might not work for your daughter.

God I remember begging to be homeschooled but actually if my mum had allowed this it would have destroyed our relationship as she would have been a dreadful teacher.

She is a very motivated student. She absolutely loves learning, but the environment is drowning her. She takes it upon herself to study when she can’t bring herself to go in. I am weighing up what is best as even when she is in school, she’s not actually learning because she is too stressed out and masking all day to even get anything done.

Thank you for all your replies so far, it is certainly good for thought. I personally feel she would thrive more academically at home, it’s just whether I can sustain committing to it myself!

How academic is she?

You can attend an FE college from age 14 but usually you take a level 1 or level 2 course and only maths and English GCSEs.

If she is studying at home can you negotiate an 'educated off site' arrangement with the school?

If DD is absent due to illness, including mental ill health, the absences must be authorised. Email the school requesting the absences are authorised. Remind them the Regulations (School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024) make it clear where a pupil is absent because they are unable to attend due to sickness the absence must be regarded as authorised. DfE’s statutory attendance guidance also states absence due to illness, both physical and mental health related, must be coded as I. If the following applies to you, go on to say that as DC is not receiving an alternative education under s.19 of the Education Act 1996 and an EHCNA has not been requested for the school and LA could have done and still can do more to support DD. Finish by giving them a reasonable deadline to reply. I would copy in the school’s headteacher and the Director of children’s services at the LA too. If the absences are authorised, you will not be fined.

If the LA refuse to assess or issue an EHCP, appeal. The benefits of an EHCP are that it can include therapeutic provision and it is can last until 25, or 26 in some cases, if necessary.

If you are going down the EHCP route, I would not deregister and EHE now. It isn’t lawful, but LAs will sometimes refuse because they know a proportion of families will continue to EHE rather than appeal. They will take their chance. Crudely, while in the system, you are someone’s ‘problem’. Whereas if you EHE it is easier for professionals to sweep DD’s needs under the carpet.

Rather than deregister and EHE, I would request alternative provision. Under section 19 of the Education Act 1996, the LA has a duty to ensure DD still receives a suitable full-time education.

Thank you all so much for advice!

The school have quoted to me that because I was sent 2 warning letters last year in terms of attendance, she is classed as long term absent. They also claim they cannot accept my medical evidence from the GP, as it doesn’t state she cannot attend school. They are now requesting I show further evidence of her struggles to authorise it.

I am so stressed out and worried. I worry about the long term effect this is having on her and also how I will be able to battle against the school as they seem to be working against me, not with me. All they seem to be bothered about is whether she’s in school or not 😩

Just because DD is absent long term doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be authorised,

The school can accept the GP evidence even if it doesn’t directly state DD cannot attend.

It is worth reading the government’s Working Together to Improve Attendance guidance. In particular:
“374.Schools are not expected to routinely request that parents provide medical evidence to support illness absences, and should not have blanket rules requiring this. In the majority of cases a parent’s notification that their child is too ill to attend school can be accepted without question or concern. However, schools may request reasonable evidence where they have genuine and reasonable doubt about the authenticity of the illness, or when they are seeking to support pupils with prolonged or repeated patterns of illness. In such cases, medical evidence may play a role in supporting schools to better understand the pupil’s health needs (see paragraph 62), inform what reasonable adjustment may need to be made and/or to accurately record absence in the attendance register – i.e. making a decision that code I is the absence code that accurately describes the reason the pupil is not in school for the session in question.
375. Where medical evidence is deemed necessary, schools should not be rigid about the form of evidence requested, and should be mindful that requesting additional medical evidence from health professionals can unnecessarily place pressure on health professionals, their staff and their appointment system, particularly if the illness is one that does not routinely require treatment by a health professional. As a starting point, schools should have a conversation with the parent, and pupil if appropriate, which may in itself be sufficient to identify the code which will allow for the accurate recording of the absence. They may also speak to the family about what wider evidence is available, including (but not limited to) prescriptions, medication and evidence of appointments. In some cases where the child has an ongoing health condition which is being clinically managed, this evidence might also include letters from medical professionals. Where a parent cannot provide evidence in the form requested but can provide other evidence, schools should take this into account.”

The school can authorise the absences without evidence. If they have evidence they should be flexible about what it contains and who it is from. A lack of evidence does not automatically mean the absence should be recorded as unauthorised. Neither does a lack of evidence automatically remove the LA’s duty to provide s19 provison.

Roaringdragon is right about school's responsibilities, but reality doesn't always coincide with the theory and sometimes the fight is too much and home ed works out easier.

Have a look at low cost home education resources such as £2 tuition hub and Laugh Learn Play. These offer GCSE courses at a fraction of the cost of online schools. If your DD is bright and motivated, and you can afford the exam costs, she can pass her GCSEs next year.

HEFA on Facebook provides excellent guidance and support on your responsibilities as a home educating parent.

The reason I would continue in the system rather than just EHE is that an EHCP can fund far more than the vast majority of parents can afford to fund themselves. I’m not talking about academics. I’m talking about the therapeutic provision DD desperately needs. While EHCP provision can be more comprehensive than s19 provision, similar applies for s19 provision (which many think of as just tuition but that absolutely isn’t the case. It can be therapeutic in nature). Parents don’t have to accept unlawful behaviour.

You also don't have to take GCSEs at 15/16. If she's struggling with her mental health at the moment one option is to take the pressure off, let her study what she wants, work on her wellbeing and take her GCSEs at college later.

I struggled with my son for years to keep him in school. In hindsight I should have just home schooled him with help of tutors and online help etc and paid for the exams as and when he was ready. This nonsense about sitting loads of gcses on one year is madness. Focus on what suits your child. I wish I had, it would have made for a much happier family life.

don't take her off role yet. you will get little help with EHCP etc
take the pressure off by saying I'm not going to say to you are you going. ask her to say to you if she feels she can like a sick note from work.
subscribe to ixl or something reasonably priced to see if DD will work from home.
I home educated 1 DD from y8 after hospital school and in Y11 she took GCSEs at a college.
just take a step back before making any decisions take the pressure off DD and do nothing. see how DD feels like a mental health break.
there are long running threads like the EHCP support thread or the EBSA thread which you may be able to get more specific instructions and advice.

Education doesn't have to be in school. But if you withdraw to home educate you are more or less on your own financially etc.💐

With what I know now, I would fight for alternative provision and follow the recommendations already given on how to do so.

I'd also look what the local provision is for getting GCSEs at a college as a back-up plan.

My DS1 ended up having a part-time timetable with us paying for some online schooling to cover some of the gap. Years on, we still call it the best of a bad situation.

What evidence do they think you can get? DD has rights and the school must comply with data protection laws.

Can you get a letter from your GP (you would probably have to pay) saying that she can't attend, or for medical reasons she needs to be on a much reduced timetable?

I have already paid for a GP letter saying why she is struggling to attend. They have basically rejected this as saying it’s not good enough evidence that she can’t attend school. I have been challenging the attendance codes and the attendance woman has listed one of her attendances as authorised and the rest unauthorised. I have emailed them on each absence explaining why she is mentally unable to attend.

She now has 2 weeks off school so is happy. I have taken the job I was offered but only able to work 3 days a week because of this situation. If I can improve it, I will be able to up my days to 5 days a week. I am worried that this will affect me being able to work when she heads back to school. I will look up everything that has been mentioned on this thread. Thank you all, it’s been very helpful!

The LA have an obligation to provide alternative education if a child misses something like 20 days. It sounds like she needs an alternate setting or official EOTAS. Perhaps speak to IPSEA.

We home schooled our grandaughter for a year. This year she got a 14-16 early college place, she's doing her gcse's . She loves it there , completly different to school.

Email the school again with the legislation and guidance I mentioned in my pp. Go higher than the school’s attendance officer. If that doesn’t work, you could complain or you could look at a pre-action letter. They are also leaving themselves open to a disability discrimination claim.

Section 19 provision should begin once it becomes clear 15 days will be missed. The days don’t have to be consecutive or have already been missed. And provision should begin by the sixth day.

I work in tutoring, so bear that in mind, and I am sorry it has got to this point for you both. On your direct question about GCSEs: a home-educated child sits them as a private candidate at an exam centre, which can be a school or college that accepts external candidates or a dedicated private centre, and the centre enters her with the exam board. The JCQ entry deadline for next summer’s series is 21 February 2027 and the GCSE exams run from 10 May to 18 June 2027; the pattern is the same each year, so for a Year 10 you would be lining up a centre in the autumn of Year 11 for the summer 2028 exams. Centres set their own fees per subject and their own earlier cut-offs, so ring two or three for a fee sheet before deciding anything; that call also tells you how much support they give private candidates. Many home-educating families take fewer subjects than school would and lean towards specifications assessed entirely by exam, because non-exam assessment is hard to arrange outside school. Happy to answer anything else here.