Our KS3 Courses

As a home educator, you have great freedom. You are not tied to a timetable; you are free to choose what you teach and how you teach it. But you do have a responsibility to provide an adequate and appropriate education suitable to the age, ability and aptitude of each child.

For most families, it is important that children master the basics of English, Maths and Science. In our Key Stage 3 packs, we therefore follow the National Curriculum so that you can:

  • Feel assured that your child is covering the same learning as in school, except at their own pace.
  • Ensure that you are paving the way for a smooth transition between Key Stage 3 (11-14) and Key Stage 4 (14-16) when your child may wish to work towards formal qualifications. 
  • Feel confident that, should for any reason your child start or return to school or college, s/he will be up to date.
  • Feel secure that you are able to demonstrate to your Local Education Authority that you are providing a suitable and adequate alternative to school.
  • Enable your child to proceed to (I)GCSE courses that will provide them with access to further education or employment opportunities.

Whilst some argue that it should not be necessary to 'prove' that you are providing an adequate education, many find it saves a lot of time, stress and trouble to show that you are simply covering a structured, National Curriculum-based course.

We have aimed to keep our courses affordable and suitable for parents without specialist knowledge or facilities. Our packs are down-to-earth guides for those seeking to cover a school type curriculum at home. They are specifically geared to the language levels and interests of children - not courses written for adults made available to children.

Because all our courses are marked 'in house', we are able to build a picture of what each child is achieving. When, for instance, your child reaches the end of Key Stage 3, we are therefore, like an old-fashioned class teacher, able to offer advice about choice of IGCSE subjects and levels.

Each Key Stage 3 pack includes the learning a child would be expected to cover in a year at school. Our  11-12 courses aim to teach National Curriculum level 5 skills; 12-13 level 6 skills and 13-14 level 7 skills. The final SATs equivalent test  allows you to assess your progress at the end of each course. Courses can be started at any point during the year and completed at your own speed any time during a two year period.

Parents with more than one child being home educated may also like to know that, if they wish to photocopy assignments, a "marking only" option can be arranged for subsequent children, thus keeping costs to a minimum - email the school for more details via [email protected].

IGCSE Courses

For students aged 14+, or for younger students who have successfully completed our KS3 courses, we are pleased to offer IGCSEs.

IGCSEs are an equivalent qualification to GCSEs, and are recognised internationally. The main benefit of doing IGCSEs, for home-schooled students, is that there is the option of doing exam-only courses, with no coursework elements (with the exception of Agriculture). 

At school, students normally spend two years studying between 5 and 10 subjects. However, this is a matter of choice and depends entirely on aptitude and how much time you wish to commit to study. On average, a course will consist of 150 - 200 hours of study. You therefore need to consider how much time you realistically can spend studying. At school, a student will be in school for around 30 hours a week, 36-40 weeks of the year. In addition, there may be 10-12 hours a week spent on homework. Working at home, it may be more practical to consider attempting three GCSEs a year. This would involve you in some 12 hours of study a week. If you take on more subjects, you need to allow more time!

We have chosen to be a Cambridge International centre for over 25 years, because CIE offers subjects that appeal to those seeking a "green" element in education. CIE offers Environmental Management, which covers so many of the topics of concern to young people in the twenty-first  century, from the protection of the Rainforests to the defence of endangered species. These are topics reflected in other courses like Biology and Geography. IGCSE History similarly provides a syllabus which helps young adults understand the modern world in which they find themselves. We are also able to offer IGCSE Agriculture for those who are prepared to attend our centre for the assessment of practical skills. This is a useful qualification for any young people seeking a career in farming or gardening or who are seeking to enrol on courses for associated careers like game-keeping or environmental management.

Our courses are specifically geared to the coverage of Cambridge IGCSE specifications. However, they also provide good coverage for most equivalent IGCSE and GCSE courses. Students do need to be aware of the need to check the requirements of other boards should they opt for an alternative examination board.