Home Education Matters

Today Claire and I deep dive into Physics provision for home educators, with a focus on secondary age learning. We discuss the different exam specs available to home educators, IGCSE vs GCSE, incorporating practicals into your home learning and how to revise for your exams most effectively. A big thank you to Claire for guiding us through Physics and she'll be in our FB group to answer any subject...

Join Sareeta Pattni and I as we launch into the very first episode of our new series which focuses on parenting issues when home educating.  Today we talk about the importance of allowing feelings to be expressed, how to help your child feel able to discuss their emotions and how to also express your own emotions in a way that is both helpful and healthy for the family. Keep an eye out for ep...

We celebrate coming to the end of our first year podcasting with a very special episode. Join Diane and I as we talk about her big news, plus there's a special announcement right at the end so stay tuned for that one. To help us celebrate, perhaps each of you could share your favourite episode of our podcast in a home ed FB group. We know that home ed is all about connection and sharing episodes a...

For this episode, I am joined by Lianne Abram, the creator of the Which Online School guide. Love them or hate them, online schooling is a lifeline for many home educators and today we explore what to look out for, how to find a good one and what sort of options are open to you. As well as a rather fun debate on the pros and cons of online schooling when home educating. Do leave a comment and tell...

We catch up with Ash in her second month as a home educator. Hear about her ups and downs, her experiences writing her report for the Local Authority and the perils of home education socialising! Do subscribe to our podcast to make sure you're notified of our next episode on Ash's journey or join our FB group to chat with Ash and all our other podcast guests.

Today I am joined by Matt and Miriam from GrowBadges, an amazing project designed to help your child (and you!) explore some of the more diverse skills we find in our modern world. From journalling to diversity, volunteering to gardening, GrowBadges are shining a light on some of the most important 'soft skills' that are often so important within the home education community. Do check it out and i...

Join myself and Jo as we discuss another vital element of home education, the power of play. As part of our mini series looking at the ways dog psychology meets parenting, we talk about the educational value of play, the ways it can be incorporated into your home ed daily life and the wonderful ways it can create harmony and bonding within your family. It's never too late to incorporate play into...

Today we talk to Rap Yoga creator Veronica Youdell to discover the amazing creative and well-being benefits of combining rap and yoga. It is an amazing way to foster self-confidence, creative skills and holistic movement for you and your home educated child. If you enjoy our podcast, do leave us a review :)

Join Iram and I as we make our way through the English Language IGCSE exam. We discuss the differences between the three main IGCSE options (Edexcel A, Edexcel B and Cambridge English) and then zone in on the Cambridge qualification. Iram guides us through each paper, what to expect, what the examiner is looking for and her top tips to getting the highest grades for each section of each paper. It'...

Join Ash and I as we catch up on her first month as a home educator. We discuss the highs and the lows, the challenges of socialising and the gradual relaxing into a slower tempo.  We will be releasing an episode every month this year charting Ash's journey, so make sure you subscribe or follow the podcast to receive notifications. 

Today is the first in our series of short podcasts using the world of dog behaviourism to inform our discussion on parenting. Yes, it's mad but it works! We're joined by Jo Moorcroft, dog behaviourist, to chat about the role of relationship when parenting. Why does the relationship matter and what can you do to strengthen it as a home educating parent? Hop onto youTube or our FB page and tell us w...

Today I am joined by children's author and educational psychologist Jodie Foster to discuss how to foster and then harness your child's love of writing.  It's full of great advice for helping your child to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard!). Whether they're naturally interested in writing or resistant to writing, Jodie has some great tips to get you started in creating a happy, writin...

Today I am joined by the fabulous Lainie Liberti, bestselling author of Seen, Heard and Understood, a book which encourages us all to transform our family life.  We discuss the idea of partnership parenting and the benefits of meeting your child exactly where they're at and in a way that wholly respects their sovereignty. Lainie answers some of the most common responses and criticisms of this...

Join me for our first episode following the journey of Ash and her son as they embark on home education. Today we discuss deregistering, nervy moments, colour coded planning and even sneak in a quick 'quiz the teacher' round!

The second in our Sharing our Successes mini series is with the amazing Lauren, who was home educated up to 16 in the UK and then went on to do English and Astrophysics at university.  The next time you see a post in a FB group asking for 'success stories' from home ed, this might be one to share. And much like our first Successes podcast with Liam, it's clear that home education is the found...

I am joined by the wonderful Emma White, home educating parent and founder of Mark My Papers, and we're discussing how to support your child if they choose to apply to a top tier university. We talk about the preparation in advance and the importance of planning your application years in advance, as well as the way to build a firm academic foundation in your home education journey.  This is a...

For today's podcast I am joined by experts Jen Shaw, David Oates and Harriet Pattison to discuss how best to support your child to learn to read. We cover the main school approaches to learning to read and its limitations, alongside the other reading options open to home educators (and all parents). From the great Reading War (in the red corner we have phonics, in the blue corner we have whole wor...

Join Diane as she chats with Keeley, AKA The Farming Mother. It's a really inspirational podcast all about home educating through those tough times, and how nature and animals can bring you and your child something truly remarkable. 

Autism is hugely misunderstood and today we discuss the many benefits as well as the challenges of autism and home educating autistic children. Diane and I are joined by Tara Vassallo, lecturer in Education, specialising in Autism. We discuss spotting early signs of autism, supporting your autistic child, what role wider society plays, labels, integration, resilience and much more.  If you'd...

We are excited to have Luke Dadford with us this week talking about Large Language Models, specifically the newly popular ChatGPT software. We discuss the good, the bad, the slightly terrifying and how you can use it to enhance your home education journey. 

Join Diane and Chris as they discuss the wonderful imaginative world of Dungeons and Dragons. From maths to creative thinking, strategy to team work, it's an amazing way to incorporate play into your learning journey.  Chris is in our FB group so feel free to pop over and ask him any Dungeon related questions! And follow / subscribe to the podcast to get a notification when we do our follow u...

A little bonus mid week podcast just to let you all know some minor changes and also a big shout out to everyone around the world who tunes into the podcast. Wherever you are, I see you and appreciate you! Also, I announce a couple of changes and a few things to look forward to in the upcoming episodes.

Latin and Greek ... boring dead languages ... Think again!   This podcast was a revelation to me on so many levels. I defy you not to be inspired to get your child (and yourself!) off and learning some ancient Greek and Latin. If only to have the chance to chit chat with your neighbours in a cool, niche language! Ana is in our FB group if you want any advice or tips on incorporating some Lati...

Today I discuss the role of artificial intelligence in learning with Michael Olagunju, the head of Exam Solutions and Air Maths. Join us as we talk about the benefits and pitfall of AI use, how he's embedding ChatGPT style features into his platforms and what this tells us about the future of our schools, our education approach and how it might aid us in our home education journey.  If you th...

Sharing our successes within home education! Periodically, we feature interviews with home educated children and today we have a fabulous podcast with 14 year old Liam. As a home educated teen for the last six years, he is uniquely able to share with us just how being home schooled allows him to be able to follow his passions and interests. We discuss his escape from bullying within school to bein...