Home Education Matters

January is a time for reflection and planning so we thought we'd do a podcast where we talk about our home education journeys in 2025, what we learnt, what we want to take more of into 2026, what we want a bit less of in the future and what habits we'd like to cultivate as part of our home ed world. Grab a pen and paper and do some reflection and planning with us!

In today's podcast, I am joined by Juliet English to discuss the two main routes into home education and the changing times within the home education community. Whether you actively chose home education, or felt that you were forced towards it by a difficult school experience, this podcast is a discussion on the differences and dynamics between both routes and how, ultimately, we become one united...

Our Christmas gift (surely better than socks and shower gel!) is a little compilation of our top home education tips. We range from resources to wellbeing and they're applicable to all ages and stages. These tips were first published on our TikTok channel ... I know, so modern! Come and check us out on TikTok and our other social media channels ... @homeeducationmatters on Instagram - Eleanor's Fa...

Yes, we're reviving our Christmas Quiz tradition! Settle down, snuggle up with the family and get ready for some nice easy questions, some fiendishly tricky questions and to have your general knowledge and home education expertise put to the test ...

Did someone say fun quiz recorded at 8am? No-one? :) Join us as we dive into our personal home education journeys. From fun anecdotes to heartfelt insights, discover how we each navigate the ups and downs of home educating. It's fun, it's candid, it's even sizably controversial ... Enjoy this podcast which gets behind the unique personalities behind the podcast!

STEM subjects are notoriously hard when home educating but they are also rightly popular with our innovated home ed children. So today I am joined by Caroline and Farah to discuss how we can empower our home educated children to study STEM subjects and move into university courses and beyond. With Farah Khan and Caroline Mukisa, expert guests spanning a wide range of education systems, including U...

Geography is a lovely Goldilocks subject for home educators to study ... not too hard, not too easy, not too maths-y and not too essay-y! And to guide us through Geography at GCSE level is Jake from Humanatees, letting us know what to expect on each paper, from the exam more broadly, the different specifications, the fieldwork and beyond. With Jake Richards - Jake has been the face behind Humanate...

For today's bonus mid week episode, Emily chats with fellow home educator Kate whose family has been exploring the benefits and challenges of taking responsibility for a group of street kittens as part of their home education journey! Support the kittens here: https://gofund.me/9a99e1208 and for raw food with a referral code: https://www.bellaandduke.com/lp/referrals/?ref_code=sapq4d4 Follow Kate...

Debunking Home Education Myths ... So many people would like to home educate but feel that it is not accessible for them for various reasons. In this series, we will debunk some of these myths and counter some of the common reasons people feel they can't home educate.  Starting with ... "I'm not clever enough to home educate" - Emily, Charlotte and I discuss this common idea and why it's rare...

Buckle up because I'm joined by Hannah from Instagram's hugely popular ThrivingWithHannah to discuss all the many excuses people give for why they can't home educate. We pick through when an excuse is a valid reason and when it's just "lazy parenting" 😜 And trust me, we express opinions! Come and have a listen and let us know what you think in the comments below ... Find Hannah here: thrivingwith...

Are you solid on your legal rights as a home educator? It's vital that we arm ourselves with all the information we can to protect our rights.  In this episode, I am joined by Wendy Charles Warner from Education Otherwise who guides us through both our rights and also the statistics behind court proceedings. She gives some great advice for every step of the way, from that first contact with t...

In today's podcast, I chat to Nicola, a prospective home educator and long time listener to the show. We talk about her fears and worries around home education and I do my best to advise, reassure and support her with these questions. This is a great episode for anyone who is sitting on the fence, a bit unsure, but instinctively wanting to take the plunged into home education!

Welcome to our deschooling episode! I'm joined by Helen Royston to talk about: why it's important to deschool what it looks like how long it lasts (spoiler: longer than you think!) how to do it what to avoid Did you go through a deschooling process? How did you find it? Let us know in the comments ... Links referenced in this episode: picturebookexplorers.co.uk instagram.com/HomeEducationMatters

In this episode, we talk to Emily who is a home educating mum of three with autism and adhd, whose children are all also neurodivergent. What emerges is a safeguarding issue - but no, not the usual rhetoric around home education and registers. Here school was the safeguarding issue for Emily's child and home education is the place of care and freedom. With Emily Fae - Emily is a home educating mum...

Today's podcast looks at a common parenting struggle through the eyes of home education. There are always times when we find ourselves in the eye of a storm, navigating overwhelm, tantrums, fury and meltdowns in our home (and that's just us!). Home education can magnify these moments as you spend so much more time together but it also offers great scope to work through these moments successfully t...

Home educating can be a lonely journey and this is often even more so when you are doing it as a single parent. And yes, there are positives (and we get to these, don't worry!) but Tamsin and I are also here to talk about the difficult times and particular challenges to home educating as the lone parent in the house. [Enjoying the podcast? Leave a comment and say hi or take the time to rate us or...

Today I am joined again by Michele Holmes from the Home School Directive and we talk about how to add dual enrollment credits onto your High School Diploma transcript to help with university entrance to the UK or worldwide universities. This is an amazing route for students who don't want to take A levels, the SAT exam or the AP (Advanced Placement) exams. Instead, your home ed child can study cou...

Have you been wondering how Ash and Ismael have been getting on since we last spoke to them? Me too! Today we catch up with Ash and hear about Ismael's return to school last Autumn and the journey they've been on since. And we'll be resuming our monthly check ins with Ash so stay tuned next month for our latest installment ...

And we're back! With a new plan, new hosts, old hosts and lots of great episodes coming up ...

And it's official. Today you'll meet your new Home Education Matters host and hear about her plans for the future of the podcast. Enjoy the episode and thank you all so much for listening for the past two years!

It's my final episode as your host (but not of the show!) and I recorded this interview with Karem way back in Spring but, as I was recording it, knew I wanted to sign out with this podcast, so have held it back all this time. It was a tour de force of patience! Karem and I discuss the importance of raising politically and philosophically engaged children and how home education is the perfect envi...

I am joined by Emmy from Arctic Terns as we discover the opportunities around the world for home educated children. From six weeks in Bansko for the whole family to a month of teen independence in the Netherlands, Emmy guides us through worldschooling hubs and what they can offer your home educating family.

Join Caroline and I as we discuss the benefits, pitfalls and procedure for applying to a non UK university. We roam around the globe discussing university culture, options for time abroad and applications procedure, as well as the all important topic of financing!

What a fascinating podcast we have today as I am joined by Lisa and Sam, visual stress assessors, to guide us through this much neglected condition.  We look at what it is, what the symptoms might be and how to support your child (or yourself!) if you think they might have visual stress.  Enjoy the show and do share it around with anyone who you think might be experiencing this condition...

In today's podcast I chat with some parents whose children have moved on from home education and away from home. Home education can be a particularly immersive way of parenting (for good and for bad!) and it can be a difficult adjustment to move from that intensity and connection to a quieter home when the children leave for college or work.  In this podcast we discover the joys, losses and s...