UK Home education resources

I've pulled together a list of my favourite UK home educating resources. This is not exhaustive although possibly exhausting. 

Please feel free to add your recommendations in the comments.

This only includes UK sites. There are many, many useful sites across the Pond and like many other home educators here, I go on the forums and occasionally, pluck up courage to pay lots of postage! However, there is plenty of help here including some people who conveniently import from the US.

I haven't included blogs although that might be a topic for a future post.


As a Christian home educator, many but not all of the sites are Christian. Whist these are sites that I have used, I do not claim any responsibility for the contents of any of these sites.

Home education groups

• The Deut6v7 yahoo group is one of the most helpful resources. This is a specifically Christian, UK home educating group. 

• The Home education exam group has a plethora of posts. This is the group for questions about boards and exam centres.

• A less busy group is the secondary age English group.

• Most areas have Google or Yahoo groups for local home educators. Most of these will have people of very mixed philosophies but can be a useful resource about local events.

• Group specifically for home educators entering children for the Primary maths challenge.

Home education organisations and sites

• Education Otherwise-Education is compulsary: school is not.

• Education Advisory Service

• Home education UK

• Paula Rothermel has researched UK Home Education. Her work is a decade old but is some of the precious little research on the subject.

• Fiona Nicholson campaigns for UK home educators. Her site includes the latest on government thinking.

Suppliers

• Conquest Books are a family based business who sell home education materials and other books. They sell Apologia, Five in a Row and Artistic Pursuits amongs others. Their delivery tends to be fast.

• Ichthus Resources sells a wide range of home education materials including Singapore maths and science. 

• Galore Park sells curriculum mainly designed for private schools. They are home education friendly and are used by many UK home educators. We particularly like their maths books.

• The technology shop is based at a London Primary school but sells a rather eclectic range of items from pulleys and propellers to googly eyes and small kits.

• The Book People have discount books. We have done particularly well with books around art.

• Schofield and Sims sell workbooks and posters. We use them for mental maths. Our almost four year old world map came from them. The posters are printed on heavy paper and need to be attached to walls with velcro pads.

• School Surplus sell a selection of discount educational resources. Of course, the limitation is what is in stock but they have plenty of exercise books and it is worth looking at the art supplies.

• Cambridge Latin Course supplies the Latin course that we use but also has extensive cultural background material and as well as vocabulary and grammar quizzes on the website.

Trips

This section is generic not related to any particular part of the UK.

• Kids in Museums advocates for younger visitors to museums. They have a manifesto and a list of those organisations that have signed up to this. This organisation is also worth approaching should you, perish the thought, discover a museum that is not child friendly.

• English Heritage manage historical sites over the UK and also run fabulous re-enactments. They do offer free entry to home educators subject to some conditions. 

• National Trust manages historic homes and gardens. They offer reduced membership to home educating families although unless you never want to visit during school holidays, bank holidays or weekends, it is probably better to consider family membership.

• The Woodland Trust has maps of woodland open to the public. Don't miss their Nature Detective site which has many free activities for children. Most of these activities don't require a trip further than the garden or the local park.

• The Field Studies Council run events in outside locations. 

Educational Sites

• Home Educators don't need to follow the National Curriculum but it can be useful to have an eye on this.

• Woodlands Junior is a primary school with an extensive and useful website covering various aspects of the National Curriculum and more besides.

• The BBC Schools site has some resources. I prefer the primary part of the site. My younger children enjoy the language area.

• School physics has explanations aimed at different age groups and in different degrees of depth. 

• Royal Institution's RI Channel has science videos including of its famous Christmas lectures.

• The Mathematical Association has some questions similar to those in its maths challenges.

Added value

• John Betjeman Poetry competition is for 10-13 year olds. The next competition starts in March.

• Booktime distributes a book bag with a couple of books to reception age children each year. Home educators can apply using this form.

• World maths, literacy and  science day are hosted each year by Mathletics. This year, these are held from 5th to 7th March. Unless anything has changed, these are free although obviously, Mathletics does get publicity from this.

• Grow your own potatoes is designed for primary schools but home educators, with children in the relevant age group, are able to register and enter the competition for heaviest potatoes. 

• RSPB Big Schools' Birdwatch is on at present but it seems that it might not be too late to register.

Over to you, what are your favourite resources?