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Home schooling (homeschooling) or home education is a form of education based at home. Parents teach their child at home, either full-time or part-time, with or without assistance from tutors.
Follow this comprehensive home schooling guide to get your home schooling journey started well.
Parents give many different reasons to home-school their children. The three (major) reasons selected by parents of more than two-thirds of students were:
Numerous studies have found that home-schooled students on average outperform their peers on standardised tests. Here are some statistics for reference:
* The correct usage of the “home school” term:
Home school is on its way to becoming a compound. For now, when home school functions as a noun, it is still two words, without a hyphen. When it functions as a verb, it usually takes a hyphen (－) e.g.: I home-school my children; my children are home-schooled. “Homeschooling” is the term commonly used in North America, whereas “home school” or “home education” is more commonly used in the United Kingdom, elsewhere in Europe, and in many Commonwealth countries.
Home schooling is legal in many countries. Some countries have highly regulated home schooling programmes, some have outlawed it completely. Therefore, here are a few important things to check from a start:
Choosing an appropriate curriculum for home schoolers is extremely important. Parents that chose home schooling are usually not satisfied with their local schools’ syllabus. As such, home school programmes that are based on international school curriculum have become increasingly popular.
The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and International AS/A Level (IAL) are suitable as home school curriculum due to their high quality syllabus, being recognised worldwide, and are accepted by top universities around the world.
Another advantage of choosing IGCSE and IAL as home schooling curriculum is, home schoolers are able to sit for exams at any time whenever they are ready for exam. There are many exam centres around the world that home schoolers can choose from to register for exams. Since people are traveling and relocating frequently, the flexibility of education plays an important role.
Generally, IGCSE and IAL exams are available twice a year: June series or November series. The exam timetable is being divided into different administrative zones. You may find the Edexcel exam timetable, and Cambridge exam timetable on the respective pages.
It has come to our attention that many private tuition centres in Malaysia are offering IGCSE programmes as “Home School” / “Homeschool” centres.
These private tuition centres are running the centres as a school. IGCSE is used as the main teaching curriculum, and there is a full-day “schooling schedule”, from Monday to Friday. Thus many parents misunderstood it as an alternative “school” to the Malaysian traditional school.
Since the fees are way much cheaper than the international schools which also offer the same IGCSE curriculum, parents are rushing to send their children to these private centres ? thinking that they are sending their children to a “formal school” offering IGCSE curriculum. They started this process from Year 1/Grade 1.
After some years, for some reasons, when these parents wanted to send their children to an international/private school or national government school for Secondary education, they could not admit their children into any formal secondary school. These formal secondary schools were asking them for a formal Primary school certificate, which is not available from these private tuition centres.
The below message is just one of the many messages that we received all these years from the desperate Malaysian parents who do not know what to do.
*****
Subject:
Please help!
Message:
Hi, my son is 12 years old and currently studying in a small learning
centre taking Cambridge curriculum / syllabus for his full day
learning. I am trying to apply a bigger private school for him where
they also offering Cambridge curriculum, but the problem here is they
now reluctant to accept my son as their reason is they prefer Malaysia
public school (which they don’t offer Cambridge curriculum at all). Can
you please help us to direct to them (since that bigger school also
using the syllabus of IGCSE), or give my son a test and get a primary
IGCSE certificate in order to have strong supporting document? Please
help. Much appreciate for your prompt reply.
*****
It is important to know that, when you start home schooling your children, either part time or full time, you as a parent is going to take up the responsibility to ensure your children is having the needed education.
If you are not able to educate your children full time, you could always get assistance from some private learning centres / tuition centres in your local area. But please bare in mind that these private learning/tuition centres are there to help, they are NOT a formal school.
Home education is a marathon. You can’t give up halfway before reaching the finish line. For example, wanting to send your children back to school when you feel you cannot or do not have time to continue the responsibility anymore. Chances are, your children would get rejected due to the absent of formal primary school certificates.
So you may wonder, when/what is the finish line?
The finish line is the final exams at the end of the secondary level education (either IGCSE or O Level), and at the end of high school level education (either A Level or IB).
It is NOT at the primary level. Most parents make this mistake, thinking they could home educate their children up to the primary level, then send them to a formal secondary school later.
This is called ‘half way marathon’. Primary level is not the finish line.
So, make up your mind that you will finish the marathon. You can also take the ‘half way marathon’. Please continue reading to find out how to do that.
You can always follow your local national curriculum. Otherwise, Edexcel iGCSE, Cambridge IGCSE or O Level , Edexcel International A Level, and Cambridge International A Level, are all good choices for home schooling.
Edexcel’s iGCSE syllabus and International A Level syllabus are more suitable for the current international audience. You will find interesting content addressing the global arena, stable and well-developed syllabus, and with highest standard as universities’ entry requirements.
Children who learn global facts at an early age would be more likely to be open minded and able to mix with and respect other cultures.
Once you have chosen your curriculum/exam board, you need to plan your teaching programmes from start to finish.
It might sound intimidating for a start, however, if you plan well, it would be very fun and rewarding.
Here are some suggestions you could use:
Generally, primary Year/Grade 1 would start from age 6/7, depending on which country you are residing. In our example, we will stick to age 7 as the standard Year/Grade 1 age for most of the countries worldwide.
You may choose to educate your child for 6 year primary programme, which is a norm practice and minimum requirement internationally.
Your child would finish primary programme at age 12. However, your child would NOT obtain any primary school leaving certificate, nor any formal primary exams certificates at this stage.
If you think these certificates are important, please plan to register your child into a formal primary school at Year/Grade 5. In this way, your child would be able to proceed to Year/Grade 6 and sit for the formal primary exams.
You must register your child at Year/Grade 5. As there is no schools in the world would take new students in Year/Grade 6.
These certificates might be helpful if you suddenly can’t cope with the teaching, nor have anymore time to complete the secondary programmes by yourself. If you want to register your child with any formal secondary schools, you certainly need those certificates.
This is for the ‘half way marathon’. Please put this in mind from the start.
Once you have accomplished primary programme, it is time for you to start Lower Secondary programme. At this point of time, it would be Year/Grade 7 for schooled children
Lower Secondary programme can be quite flexible if your child has very strong basic and could cope faster.
The general Lower Secondary programme lasts for 3 years, e.g.: Year/Grade 7, 8 and 9.
If you think your child could do 2 years only, then proceed to the Upper Secondary programme, you are more than welcome to do so.
But please know that, we do not encourage speedy zooming through this stage just to get your child graduate faster. What is the point at the end of the day? Is entering university at very young age a vital and meaningful goal to achieve? Guess not.
If your child follow the normal 3-year Lower Secondary programme, he/she would be 15 years old at the end of the programme.
If you make a short cut, just do a 2 year programme, then your child would be 14 years old at the end of the Lower Secondary programme.
Again, your child would NOT obtain any formal Lower Secondary certificates, nor this is required for the final exam in IGCSE / O Level.
This is where the stamina to keep going on for home education gets low, and problems would arise if you want to send your child to any formal second school. Since your child does not have any formal primary certificates (assuming you did not get one for them from the suggestion above), no schools would accept him/her.
This is a 2-year programme, generally. This is where the IGCSE / O Level programme starts. For the schooled students, it would be Year/Grade 10 and 11.
Again, you might accomplish the whole IGCSE / O Level programme in just 1 year － that is entirely up to the capability of your child (not how parents want it, sorry 🙂 )
Once your child is ready to sit for the final exam, search for the nearest exam centres in your local area. Your local British Council is the best option for private candidates. If you cannot find any British Council near you, you can always try to approach any registered school which accepts private candidates to sit for the exams.
It is always good to know all the exams registration key dates, so you don’t missed out the registration closing dates. Bookmark this exams registration key dates page, and know all the dates by hard.
If your child follow the normal route, he/she would be 17 years old when he/she sits for the final exams. Otherwise, cutting short a year, would make him/her sitting for the exams at age 16 － that is the benefit of being home educated.
Finally, this is where your child obtain the official IGCSE / O Level certificates as a home-educated child. This marks the end of your journey in home education for your child, congratulation!
As you can see now, home education is a marathon actually. You need to have the strength and stamina to keep going for 10/11 years (starting from Year 1-Year 11) until your child obtain the one and only official exam certificate in your child’s life. This certificate will be used for further studies, either A Level or any other equivalent level.
Normally top tier universities would require A Level certificates (or its equivalent such as International Baccalaureate (IB), sixth form etc.) as entry requirements. At this stage, your child would be able to continue A Level self-study; since he/she has completed the final stage of secondary school home education.
Read further on Edexcel International A Level and Cambridge International A Level guides respectively.
Getting ready for exams can be stressful. Follow our guides on how to handle your stress when exam is approaching. (We guarantee you will feel lighter after reading the post 🙂 .)
Our valuable A* resources had produced thousands of A* scorers around the world. Check them out below.
Our internationally loved exam model answers had helped thousands of students in scoring A/A*. Schools and teachers worldwide have used these resources to aid in their teachings. Learn what an A* answer like, copy the style and score A* in your exam.
Our word-renowned IGCSE and AS/A Level courses had produced more than 1100 A/A* scorers worldwide. They are suitable for schooled or home-schooled candidates, and as full course or revision course.
We have the most complete past exam papers library on earth (no kidding!). Choose your exam board and download everything with one click.
Get the latest exam syllabus and plan your study accordingly.
Find out the exam registration and results released key dates for IGCSE and AS/A Level.
Check your administrative zone, the exam dates and time. For both IGCSE and AS/A Level.
Find and locate the nearest exam centre for your location.
Need more guidance? Feel free to read the homeschooling FAQs to understand more on what you can do. Alternatively, simply drop us a message at the comment box below, one of our friendly team members will attend to you within 24 hours.
We hope this article could save some lives, as we are heart broken to hear stories like the above Malaysian parents.
All the best in your marathon － just remember that we are always with you in your marathon! 💪
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Lanja Omer
United Arab Emirates
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184 responses
My son attending Year 8 in one private school.
Due to personal matters I would like to home school him at home. Any suggestion how to get online study for continuing him on IGCSE till O Level exam.
Hi Caryn,
IGCSE and O-level are equivalent qualification. You choose either one of them. Once you have finished IGCSE or O-level, you proceed to A-level.
Please refer to this page to see a comparison of the qualifications:
O-level: https://www.skolatis.com/what-is-o-level/
IGCSE: https://www.skolatis.com/what-is-igcse/
A-level: https://www.skolatis.com/what-is-cambridge-international-as-a-level/
If you wish to embark on homeschooling, pease read the article above carefully and follow the step-by-step guide. You decide the subjects, together with your children, based on what your children want to study in the future.
Practising lots of past papers is the key to success. He should start doing his revision based on the latest syllabus: (https://www.skolatis.com/cambridge-igcse-surebjects-syllabuses) and practice with the latest past exam papers (https://www.skolatis.com/cambridge-igcse-past-exam-papers/). Start with the latest paper as they have the newest syllabus format and continue with the older one date back from 5 to 10 years. Then, revise on the most common mistake you always seem to make.
You can also check our A* online revision courses. These had helped numerous students to score A*: IGCSE online courses here: https://www.skolatis.com/cambridge-igcse-revision-courses/ . We also have Exam Model Answers (https://www.skolatis.com/igcse-exam-resources/) and Mark Your Paper (https://www.skolatis.com/mark-your-papers/ )
Hi,
My son is 12 this year. He is home-schooled since age 7.
We have been using Sonlight (an American program) all this while.
May I know what are the steps to take to transition him to IGCSE next year?
By the way he is also slightly dyslexic..
Hi Andrea,
To learn more about IGCSE kindly read this article: https://www.skolatis.com/what-is-igcse/ .
If you wish to embark on IGCSE, you will have to check the British Council at your local area or you can also find a list of registered Cambridge schools in your local area here: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/i-want-to/find-a-cambridge-school/ and check with school if they accept private candidates.
Furthermore, to give you further idea of the subjects, you may browse the subjects syllabus here: https://www.skolatis.com/cambridge-igcse-subjects-syllabuses/ and the past exam papers here: https://www.skolatis.com/cambridge-igcse-past-exam-papers/
Last but not least, here are some guidelines for home education for your reference: https://www.skolatis.com/what-is-homeschooling/
How does Delhi University, India or other Indian universities convert A-level grades into a percentage for undergraduate admissions?
Hi Hassan,
It is best to ask them directly what are their grade and admission requirements.
My Son completed grade 8 IGCSE. We want to pursue him with home schooling for grade 9&10. Does he need to take lower secondary or upper secondary? Also how to train him for practicals? Please advise.
Hi Anna,
There are no Checkpoint tests available for private candidates at lower secondary level. If you have decided to homeschool your son, you must continue the homeschooling until IGCSE level. Then register him with your local British Council and sit for the IGCSE exams whenever he is ready. He can sit for the IGCSE exams at any age, and it?s not bound by the school?s standard age limitation. This is one of the benefits of homeschooling.
We do not have resources for Year 9 but for Upper Secondary level, the IGCSE level, we suggest to practise lots of past papers. Start doing revision based on the latest syllabus: (https://www.skolatis.com/cambridge-igcse-surebjects-syllabuses) and practice with the latest past exam papers (https://www.skolatis.com/cambridge-igcse-past-exam-papers/). Start with the latest paper as they have the newest syllabus format and continue with the older one date back from 5 to 10 years. Then, revise on the most common mistake your son always seem to make.
You can check our A* online revision courses. These had helped numerous students to score A*: IGCSE online courses here: https://www.skolatis.com/cambridge-igcse-revision-courses/ . You can also check out other resources we have:
https://www.skolatis.com/igcse-exam-resources/
https://www.skolatis.com/mark-your-papers/
Hello there,
My question is – my younger brother is in 8th grade, he gave the half yearly exams but missed out 5 months of school due to medical problems and now the school are not giving his 8th grade marksheet. So, how can I enroll him to 9th grade homeschooling, do they require previous grades marksheet?
Hi Ankur,
We suggest that you get a school leaving certificate from the school. However, if you will homeschool your brother, you do not need to enroll him anywhere. Please read the above article carefully.
Hi my fourteen year old child is studying in ninth class I wanted to shift him to home schooling in 10. Is it possible? And if yes will he get normal certificated in 12th as he will get in LOCAL schools?We r living in india
Hi Harshit,
1. Please read this article carefully and follow the step-by-step guide: https://www.skolatis.com/what-is-homeschooling/
2. You decide the subjects, together with your children, based on what your children want to study in the future.
3. You may get the reference books from Amazon UK site. Just browse through the site and find out more on the costings.
4. Here are some exam resources that might help you:
Model Answers: https://www.skolatis.com/igcse-exam-resources/
Online Revision Course: https://www.skolatis.com/cambridge-igcse-revision-courses/
Lastly concerning certificate, if you decide that you will homeschool your son and sit for IGCSE, he will get IGCSE certificates.
Hope these help.
Hi, can a 10 year old write the igcse exam if he is ready for it? He has been home schooled. Thanks
Hi Vidz,
The minimum age to sit for IGCSE is 14. However, you can check with your local British Council if they do allow candidate at age 10.
Hi,
I have 3 kids, (12,10 & 8 – As of 2018).
Question is my 12 & 8 is Dyslexia and are currently in the centre for training for 3 months starting today.
We actually came back from overseas last Jan,2017 and I enrolled them in a Chinese Medium school and they can’t cope with the subjects.
Can I change their schools now or just do a homeschool for all my kids?
Hi Vijay,
1. If you wish to embark on the home schooling journey, please read this article carefully and follow the step-by-step guide: https://www.skolatis.com/what-is-homeschooling/
2. You decide the subjects, together with your children, based on what your children want to study in the future.
3. You may get the reference books from Amazon UK site. Just browse through the site and find out more on the costings.
4. Here are some exam resources that might help you:
Model Answers: https://www.skolatis.com/igcse-exam-resources/
Online Revision Course: https://www.skolatis.com/cambridge-igcse-revision-courses/
Hope these help.
I am from Bangalore, India in a dilemma between Regular or Homeschool I hope all parent in all stage has that. So do you have any community in my place with whom i can have a connection and get more clarity. Also If we decide Home School through IGCSE is the age a criteria for kids to learn the level. I have see kids passing IGCSE is very young age and getting graduation from college at the age of 10 to 13?
Hello Mathi,
The minimum age for taking the IGCSE is 14.
Please read this article carefully and follow the step-by-step guide: https://www.skolatis.com/what-is-homeschooling/
You decide the subjects, together with your children, based on what your children want to study in the future.
You may get the reference books from Amazon UK site. Just browse through the site and find out more on the costings.
Here are some exam resources that might help you:
Model Answers: https://www.skolatis.com/igcse-exam-resources/
Online Revision Course: https://www.skolatis.com/cambridge-igcse-revision-courses/
If you decide to have your kids be in a regular school, you must follow the rules & regulations of the school. However, if you are a private candidate, you can always sit for IGCSE exams anytime whenever you are ready. You do not need any prior qualification.
Concerning graduating from college at a very young age such as 10 or 13, this is purely personal preferences. You must consider these important factors:
What is the purpose of graduating from college at age 10 or 13?
Is this merely a competition, or is this a healthy growing stage for the kids?
What is the goal your kids would like to achieve by graduating college at such a young age?
Always follow your kids heart, they know the answer. 🙂
Goodday. I wish to fast track my boy’s education. He is about to enter Year1 next year, but I already planning to exit him from formal edu by the end of his Year 3. I am planning to put him in homeschooling with the target of IGSE after 5 years thereafter. Workable?
Also, can I turn my home (a corner unit of a condo) into homeschool? Can I engage tuition center help in teaching?
TQ
Hi Victor,
Here are some suggestions to your questions:
1. First, please read this article carefully and follow the step-by-step guide: https://www.skolatis.com/what-is-homeschooling/
2. You decide the subjects, together with your children, based on what your children want to study in the future.
3. You may get the reference books from Amazon UK site. Just browse through the site and find out more on the costings.
4. Here are some exam resources that might help you:
Model Answers: https://www.skolatis.com/igcse-exam-resources/
Online Revision Course: https://www.skolatis.com/cambridge-igcse-revision-courses/
Hope these help.