The National Curriculum

Note: This page contains information about the law in England. The information does not apply to Scotland, where the law is different from England. Home educators in Wales should double check any differences between English and Welsh guidelines.

Children in state schools have to follow the National Curriculum but this is not the case for children who are home educated. However a number of families choose to take some aspects of the curriculum as a basis for home education and some families do "school at home".

In cases where home education is a stop-gap measure or the child is between schools or waiting for a place at a particular school it may be recommended that the National Curriculum is followed.

For more information about different home educators' learning styles please see our FAQ pages and our Educational Philosophies page.

There are many free resources and teaching materials offered to support the National Curriculum.

The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Authority has a useful reference page with links to the curriculum at different stages of the child's school life.

Other websites which home educators have found useful include the Times Educational Supplement and Woodlands Junior Educational Resources.

As children get older, the examination boards which set GCSEs and IGCSEs have a wealth of information about the syllabus covered in the exam. Please see our exams page for further information.

Subjects

• Art and design

• Citizenship

• Design and technology

• English

• Geography

• History

• ICT

• Mathematics

• MFL

• Music

• Physical education

• Science

• Personal, social and health education

• Religious education

National Curriculum

• Key stages 1 & 2

  • About the primary curriculum

  • Subjects

• Key Stages 3 & 4

  • About the secondary curriculum

  • Subjects

3.13 "Parents are required to provide an efficient, full-time education suitable to the age, ability and aptitude of the child. There is currently no legal definition of "full-time". Children normally attend school for between 22 and 25 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year, but this measurement of "contact time" is not relevant to elective home education where there is often almost continuous one-to-one contact and education may take place outside normal "school hours". The type of educational activity can be varied and flexible. Home educating parents are not required to:

teach the National Curriculum
provide a broad and balanced education
have a timetable
have premises equipped to any particular standard
set hours during which education will take place
have any specific qualifications
make detailed plans in advance
observe school hours, days or terms
give formal lessons
mark work done by their child
formally assess progress or set development objectives
reproduce school type peer group socialisation
match school-based, age-specific standards.

However, local authorities should offer advice and support to parents on these matters if requested."

Government Guidelines as pdf

The practice of most home educating families tends to fall somewhere between two "ends" - structured and autonomous. However you choose to home-educate at first, you may find that your methods will change as you become more experienced and confident.

Structured: Some parents may wish to teach in a formal manner, using a fixed timetable which keeps school hours and terms, and a curriculum based on traditional school subjects, perhaps the national curriculum.

Also, if a return to school is likely in the future, many families prefer to plan their education in a similar way to school, and with reference to the national curriculum. Sometimes a structured approach is the child's choice.

Autonomous: Other families take advantage of the fact that home-educated children do not have to follow the national curriculum or a timetable, allowing them to have far greater flexibility. They may choose an autonomous approach, allowing the child to determine the areas of study and to decide how, when and what to learn, using individual interests and a natural curiosity as a starting point. Children whose enthusiasm for learning has been seriously affected by school problems often benefit from this relaxed and child-centred approach.

Membership of Education Otherwise gives you the opportunity to meet other home-educating members, as well as offering a range of information and ideas to enable you to make an informed choice based on the individual circumstances of your family. In the Members Forum you will find a broad spectrum of home educators from all areas of the country and with a variety of different perspectives and experience. Read more about the benefits of joining Education Otherwise here.