What Are GCSE Options for Home Educated Children?
Quick Answer
There is a huge range of GCSE options for home educated children in the UK
Home education GCSES are a realistic and achieveable goal but not the only option. Home Educated children often take IGCSEs or Functional Skills. Home educated children can take GCSEs as private candidates through exam centres. Families can choose which subjects to enter and how to prepare.
Introduction
Many parents consider GCSEs or IGCSEs as part of their home education journey. This is not the only option however. Functional Skills are also another option available.
While the process is different from school, there are a range of options available for home educated students.
This guide explains how GCSEs work and what families typically consider.
If you are looking for information about what GCSE, IGCSE and Functional Skills we teach at LLP, you can find full details including exam boards, papers and length of study here – GCSE information page.
What is the difference between GCSEs, IGCSEs and Functional Skills?
GCSEs are what children usually take in school. IGCSEs were set up as an alternative to GCSEs for international families (those studying the British curriculum abroad). They carry the exact same weight as a GCSE qualification. The reason that IGCSEs are often chosen by Home Educating families, is that they do not have any coursework, which makes the sitting of the exam much more straightforward.
Functional Skills are considered to be the equivalent of a GCSE qualification and work for some children because there is less content to learn and the content tends to be more “real life” and less theoretical. They can be a great option for children that need a qualification but struggle with GCSE content.
Learn Laugh Play offer a range of GCSE, IGCSE and Functional Skills lessons which you can view on our Classes page. Our GCSE classes are chosen because they are options without coursework. Full details of each course can be found by clicking into the class itself.
GCSE options home educated children can explore
There is a common misconception that every child has to sit 8 GCSEs or more. This is not true. This decision will be based on a range of factors including, your child’s academic ability, your child’s interest in studying, your budget, and what they want to study at college. Whilst you don’t want to limit your child’s options, not all college courses demand 8 GCSEs.
It is a very good idea to look at the college website and the courses that your child is considering and see what it says. It is also a good idea to speak to the college and explain that your child is home educated. Many colleges will accept home educated students with far fewer GCSEs than they state on their website. This is of course dependent on the college and the course, but it is really worth doing some early research.
Most colleges will insist on Maths and English as a GCSE or IGCSE or Functional Skills qualification but if your child does not have them, then usually they can study Maths and English in their first year of college alongside their chosen course, and take the exams at college.
A popular route for home educating families is to do Maths, English (language) and 3 or more other GCSEs before college. Depending on your child’s ability and how old they are when they start home educating, you can think about staggering the subjects so that they only do one or two GCSEs each year. This can be a route that is a lot less stressful for many children and helps parents to stagger the finances too.
Taking GCSEs as a Private Candidate
Home educated children usually take GCSEs as private candidates.
This means:
– registering with an exam centre
– paying exam fees
– preparing independently or with support
Fees vary depending on the exam centre but roughly you can expect to pay somewhere between £150 and £300 for each GCSE. Learn Laugh Play partner with an exam centre called Tutors and Exams.
When you book an exam centre (or private school that take external candidates) it is very important that you make sure that the exam your child will be sitting is the same exam board and the same curriculum as the one that they are learning. If they do not match then some or all of your child’s preparation would be wasted and they would be totally unprepared for the paper in front of them. You can find the exact codes for the subjects that we offer on this GCSE information page.
Choosing Subjects
Families can choose which subjects to take.
Common choices include:
– English
– Maths
– Science (not essential)
Additional subjects can be chosen based on interests and future plans. It is a very good idea to look at the college courses your child might be interested in and speak to the college about what your child might be expected to have in order to be accepted onto a course.
Preparation may include:
– self-study
– online courses
– classes
Learn Laugh Play offers structured classes that can support subject learning alongside home education.
Choosing subjects that your child has a genuine interest in will make a GCSE feel much less daunting for your child. You can explore GCSE options further on our our Classes page by filtering on the left to Key Stage 4, GCSE and Functional Skills.
Conclusion
GCSEs are a flexible option within home education. IGCSEs are the same as GCSEs but offer a no coursework option. Functional Skills can be more appropriate for students that don’t enjoy study or struggle with a particular subject.
Families can choose subjects and preparation methods that suit their child and their goals.
