Got questions about homeschooling or home education? Ask two experts from the world’s most experienced online school

[MaddyMumsnet]

Whether you’re thinking about homeschooling for the first time, exploring home education as a long-term option, or simply curious about how it all works, it can be tricky to know where to begin. From choosing the right curriculum to supporting your child’s social development, there’s a lot to consider – and every family’s situation is different.

That’s why we’re working with Wolsey Hall Oxford, the world’s most experienced online school, to give you the chance to put your questions to two of their senior leaders: Christine Armstrong and Ruth Young.

Just pop your questions in the thread below, and Christine and Ruth will be online next month to share their advice and insights. Everyone who posts a question by 28/08/25 will be in with a chance to win a £200 voucher (T&Cs apply).

About Christine
Christine is a mum and experienced educator, with over 20 years’ teaching and leadership experience in UK and international schools. As a member of the senior leadership team at Wolsey Hall Oxford, she’s passionate about the power of flexible online learning to meet diverse student needs and expand access to high-quality curricula. Christine also has over a decade’s worth of experience as a SENDCo and supporting families navigating different educational pathways, meaning she understands the importance of inclusive, student-centred learning that supports the whole child.

About Ruth
Ruth is a mum and an experienced educator, with over 20 years’ teaching and leadership experience in UK and international schools. As a member of the senior leadership team at Wolsey Hall Oxford, she’s passionate about the way homeschooling can be shaped around each individual child – personalising their learning and nurturing their unique potential. Ruth is also a trained schools inspector, with expertise in curriculum development, student support, and the diverse challenges that parents face.

Yes, absolutely. Wolsey Hall Oxford supports students in more than 130 countries around the world, all following the Cambridge curriculum – which is an internationally recognised, British-style education. Because our courses are flexible and not tied to live lessons, children can study from anywhere, even if their family moves frequently. This makes it a great option for families abroad who want the reassurance of a high-quality British education without needing to attend a physical UK school.

We have many students for whom English is not their first language, and we offer a clear pathway to help them succeed. We provide both English First Language and English as a Second Language (E2L) courses at different levels, so students can pick the course that meets their needs. Our Admissions team can help you assess which course is right fit for your son based on his current English level. We offer flexibility as to the level at which students study for all their courses so that they can work at the most appropriate level for them.

As our courses are flexible and have no live lessons, they fit well around busy schedules such as professional sport. We already work with young athletes, musicians and performers who combine their training and travel with our structured learning. This gives them continuity in education while pursuing their passions.

That’s a very important question. Motivation can be a challenge for some children, especially if they’re moving away from a school environment they didn’t enjoy. Many families find that once the stress of a crowded classroom is removed, their child becomes more willing to engage. Our parents tell us that structure, encouragement and support have enhanced their child's motivation. In addition, the positive relationships that they build with their Tutors and Student Progress Manager have a huge impact on engagement with their academic studies.

That being said, homeschooling doesn't suit every child or every family - sometimes a child may need additional specialised support that is more than the family can provide, and for some children, they genuinely thrive in a school environment with external structure. We recognise that it is a big decision for families and our Admissions team are always happy to discuss your unique circumstances to help you decide whether our flexible learning would be the right fit for your child.

For us, it can be whatever a family needs it to be - a short-term solution or indeed a full learning journey from Primary through to A Levels. Homeschooling doesn’t have to be a permanent decision, and children can move back into school at the right time with the skills and confidence they’ve developed along the way. Speaking from our perspective, we provide a strong, structured curriculum that aligns with school standards, so students are well prepared if families choose to transition back into mainstream education as well as being a longer-term solution for others.

I can see why you might feel homeschooling looks like a new “trend,” but in reality home education has been around for as long as families have – long before formal schools became the norm. Families have always taught children at home in different ways, sometimes with tutors, sometimes through self-study. Homeschooling, where parents put in place more of a school-like structure at home, has also been around for a long time.

What is relatively new is the rise of online schools. These have made home education far more structured and accessible, especially for families who want the reassurance of a clear curriculum, progress checks, and qualified teachers behind them. At Wolsey Hall Oxford, we’ve been supporting families since 1894, and the growth of online learning has simply allowed us to do that in ways that fit modern life.

So while home education itself is nothing new, online schools have opened up homeschooling to more families who might never have considered it otherwise – not as a passing trend, but as a real, viable alternative that helps many children.

You’re right: the terms do get used interchangeably, but there are some helpful distinctions. Home education is the umbrella term: any education that happens outside a traditional school. Some families keep it very flexible and child-led, while others prefer more structure.

Homeschooling is usually a more school-like approach at home, with lessons, routines and resources that parents put in place (sometimes with tutors).

Online schools are a newer development that make this much easier to manage. They give families access to a clear curriculum, high-quality resources, and qualified teachers, without parents having to design everything themselves.
At Wolsey Hall, we bring together the freedom of home education with the reassurance of structured online schooling. Many families find this gives them the best of both worlds: it feels like homeschooling, but with a structure that can be flexed around their child’s needs and their family’s circumstances.

Thank you for sharing your perspective – it’s clear you’ve seen some difficult situations, and sadly, as with any type of education, there can be cases where children don’t get the support they need. We also appreciate your honesty in recognising that homeschooling wouldn’t suit your own children – we fully acknowledge it isn’t the right fit for every family, but for some, it can be truly transformational.

In our experience, most parents who choose to homeschool do so thoughtfully and with their child’s best interests at heart – often because they want to create an environment where their child can feel safe, confident, and able to flourish. We couldn’t be prouder that thousands of families have found their journey with us to be positive and, in many cases, life changing.

Homeschooling is a term that covers many different approaches, which is why outcomes can vary. That’s also why we always encourage parents to think carefully about their chosen path and, if using a provider, to ask about things like safeguarding, quality assurance, and opportunities for social interaction. Done well, homeschooling can provide both academic success and the chance for children to thrive personally.

Thank you for your answer to my question. My child has PDA type behaviour so I am interested in how you deal with a child who refuses to learn a particular subject. All the homeschooling parents I know have children with very different personalities to mine.

You’re right to raise this – online schools do sit in a bit of a grey area when it comes to formal regulation. Unlike bricks-and-mortar schools, they aren’t legally required to be Ofsted-inspected or overseen by the Department for Education. That doesn’t mean there’s no way to judge quality, but it does mean families need to look at other indicators.

The strongest reassurance comes from external accreditations. For example, some online schools are accredited by organisations such as Cambridge International, Pearson Edexcel, which means their courses are quality-checked against international standards. Membership of recognised educational associations can also give confidence that a school is meeting good practice guidelines.

Alongside this, independent reviews and outcomes are really valuable to look at. Trustpilot and other review sites give a picture of real families’ experiences, and student success stories are another clear marker. At Wolsey Hall Oxford, for instance, we’ve been supporting families since 1894 and are a Cambridge International online school and Pearson Virtual Centre, which provides a strong layer of accountability

Homeschooling offers endless opportunities to keep learning varied and exciting, from hands-on projects to outdoor exploration, and families often enjoy the creativity this brings. Socialisation does look different in homeschooling, but it can be just as rich because children mix with people of all ages and backgrounds in real-world settings. At Wolsey Hall Oxford, we provide online spaces and clubs where students connect globally, and families also build their own local networks, meaning children enjoy both community and variety in their friendships.

Very easy! That’s one of the big advantages of homeschooling with Wolsey Hall Oxford: every assignment your child submits is marked by a specialist tutor, with detailed feedback to show progress and next steps. Alongside this, your child has a dedicated Student Progress Manager who keeps an eye across all subjects and makes sure they’re on track.

Parents also have access to our online learning platform, where you can see assignments, feedback and course progress at any time. Many families tell us they actually feel more connected to their child’s education than when they were in mainstream school, because the learning journey is so transparent.

A good question that many parents are interested in. When homeschooled students take external examinations, they will typically enter as a private candidate through an exam centre of their choice. This may be a specific exam centre, or indeed through a school. The exam board will simply know the name of the centre where a student is registered to take their exams - and it is this that will appear on the student's exam certificate. There is no mention of how the student studied for their exams - be that online or homeschooled - on their statement of entry or final certificates.

This is not my understanding of the difference.

Home education is where parents take responsibility for their children's education.

Home schooling is where a child is not able to attend school (either through illness or other circumstances) but are on roll at a school and have work set for them to do at home to be assessed by school staff.

This is how the terms are defined by local authorities to distinguish between distinct groups.

Are you able to offer EOTAS or similar packages for home schooled students or are you only offering courses to home educated students?

I've not come across a local authority differentiating/defining the terms in that way, do you have a link?

https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2020/10/all-you-need-to-know-about-home-schooling-and-elective-home-education-ehe/

TBF I wasn't clear that not all LAs differentiate but where a distinction is made, it is along these lines as resources aimed at those who Elective Home Ed may not meet the requirements for EOTAS/homeschooling.

I think you're confusing that very specific time when schools were shut during covid.

I haven't seen homeschooling used in a wider way to indicate a child is still on school roll.

That link gives covid as an example of home schooling to demonstrate the difference, but the distinction is made widely among my circle - perhaps the distinction isn't so widely understood, but my MP certainly understood and used the terms as such.

What terminology would you use to differentiate between the two?

I've definitely seen people told off in home ed facebook groups for using the 'wrong' term but it seems to be strictly an internet thing and not a distinction made by most people in real life, including the local authority and government documents.

My local authority for example only uses the term 'homeschooling' in reference to elective home education, and services that cover children who are educated by the local authority outside school include eotas, alternative provision, tutoring, virtual school, hospital school.

If your child is currently enrolled in a state school in England, you’ll need to notify the school in writing that you intend to home educate. The school then informs the Local Authority (LEA). If your child is at an independent school, you still notify the school directly, but the school is not required to inform the LEA – so you may wish to contact the LEA yourself, depending on your circumstances. The LEA may get in touch with you to ask for information about your child’s education, but there isn’t an automatic “inspection” in the way there is for schools. Their role is to ensure your child is receiving a suitable education, not to monitor your home life. We would always advise parents to talk to their LEA directly for guidance on how it operates in their area, as practices can vary.

At Wolsey Hall Oxford, safeguarding is taken just as seriously as in any school. We have a dedicated safeguarding team, including a Designated Safeguarding Lead, and all of our teachers are enhanced DBS checked. We also follow safer recruitment processes, and every member of staff is trained in safeguarding and child protection appropriate to their role. In this way, we ensure robust structures are in place to support the welfare of every child in our care.

@MaddyMumsnet who won the voucher please ???