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Welcome to Scotsnet - discuss all aspects of life in Scotland, including relocating, schools and local areas.

Home educating at S4 level

7 replies

CazzaW2024 · 12/11/2024 09:22

Hi all! We are relocating back to Canada after 3 years here (I was born here) but my eldest is in S4 about to sit prelims and then Nat 5s in May. We sold our house faster that expected and have found ourselves stuck for a rental (they are few and far between) and don't want to pay Air BnB prices. We would like to wait until Nat 5 exams are done in May 2025 to avoid upheaval to her studies but feeling a bit hopeless about the housing situation. Currently staying with family but the drive to the school is 1.5 hrs each way which is horrendous but I don't want to change schools for such a short time. One option would be to home educate and have her register to sit the exams in May. Does anyone have any experience of doing anything like this? TIA!

OP posts:
WhyIhatebaylissandharding · 12/11/2024 12:46

The biggest problem you will have is the assessment part of the Nat 5s - schools are not a big fan of being an exam centre only, you would need to discuss with the school if they would even consider this. There are a few alternatives to mainstream schools acting as exam centres but they offer a limited syllabus. Would an alternative be ditching the Nat 5s and switch remotely to the Canadian curriculum - would she even need Nat 5s?

NukaCola · 12/11/2024 12:47

Previous poster said what I was going to say - if you are going to transfer into a Canadian system and do more exams there at a higher level, why even bother with Nat 5s?

MistressIggi · 12/11/2024 22:52

What does your dd want? I think it's unfair to take her out in an exam year she has been working towards. I'm surprised you're considering it rather than paying for rent.
A lot of her subjects would have an element other than the exam - eg a folio for English, an assignment for History. That makes home education harder as it's not just the exams the school would need to put her in for.

WearyAuldWumman · 12/11/2024 23:08

MistressIggi · 12/11/2024 22:52

What does your dd want? I think it's unfair to take her out in an exam year she has been working towards. I'm surprised you're considering it rather than paying for rent.
A lot of her subjects would have an element other than the exam - eg a folio for English, an assignment for History. That makes home education harder as it's not just the exams the school would need to put her in for.

Agreed. For Nat 5, the OP's daughter really needs to attend school. At a push, it would be possible to tackle the English coursework at home, but it would still need to be printed off on the SQA template and submitted by the examination centre and the centre has to be confident that it's the pupil's own work so would need to see the plans, first drafts etc.

I really don't see how it would be possible to complete the coursework element of practical subjects at home. (Not my subject, but I'm aware that the coursework element in Chemistry is significant, for example.) I'm assuming that the daughter doesn't take Art, Drama, a M.F.L., Music or P.E. at Nat 5.

In addition to all of the above, the examination centre needs to submit estimates (unless things have changed drastically since I retired from middle management). I know that the SQA have made it nearly impossible to submit appeals these days, but - unless I'm completely out of the loop - the candidate is safer sitting a prelim which can be submitted in the case of illness or an accident on the day of the SQA exam.

It doesn't happen very often, but I recall one candidate having her leg set on the day of her exam and another having the tendons in his hand reattached (courtesy of a fish gutting mishap). They both got their passes awarded. if there had been no prelim or other proof of achievement under controlled conditions, they'd have received No Award.

CazzaW2024 · 13/11/2024 09:30

MistressIggi · 12/11/2024 22:52

What does your dd want? I think it's unfair to take her out in an exam year she has been working towards. I'm surprised you're considering it rather than paying for rent.
A lot of her subjects would have an element other than the exam - eg a folio for English, an assignment for History. That makes home education harder as it's not just the exams the school would need to put her in for.

She would prefer to sit the exams and have the qualifications prior to leaving. I am more than happy to pay rent but the current situation with the short term let market where I am means there are no affordable rental properties available instead there are Air BnB properties that are charging upwards of £2500 per month for a small flat that wouldn't actaully accommodate us all. Plus we have a dog and that makes both options tougher. When I read about being a private candidate on the government website it sounded more straightforward than I am hearing now:(

OP posts:
CazzaW2024 · 13/11/2024 09:32

WhyIhatebaylissandharding · 12/11/2024 12:46

The biggest problem you will have is the assessment part of the Nat 5s - schools are not a big fan of being an exam centre only, you would need to discuss with the school if they would even consider this. There are a few alternatives to mainstream schools acting as exam centres but they offer a limited syllabus. Would an alternative be ditching the Nat 5s and switch remotely to the Canadian curriculum - would she even need Nat 5s?

She might not need them but has put a lot of work in towards her prelims and would like to come out of this year with the qualifications to show for it. Might not be as easy as I thought.

OP posts:
MistressIggi · 13/11/2024 09:39

What about a school where you are living?

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