Universities typically require:

– recognised qualifications  
– evidence of learning  

This can be achieved through different pathways.

Home Educating students might:

– take GCSEs and A levels  
– follow alternative qualifications  
– build portfolios of work

It can be useful to think of education in stages.

The GCSE stage unlocks the post 16 stage (which for many students means going to college).
The post 16 stage unlocks either a job or a university course.

So if you work out what you need to get onto each stage, you can reverse engineer what your child needs. For example, if a child needs a a level 3 qualification in Music Performance to get onto their preferred university course, then what do they need to do to get onto the level 3 course in Music Performance? It might look like this:

– home education – get 5 GCSEs including English and Maths

– post 16 – go to a local college and get level 3 qualification in Music Performance

– get accepted onto preferred degree course

In actual fact there are so many different routes but if you start with where your child thinks they want to head and work backwards, that can make the process feel less overwhelming. Obviously, they might change their mind along the way, and that is fine too!