Home Education Scotland

https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/writing-and-authors/young-scots-writer-o-the-year-award

June deadline.

Young Scots Writer o the Year Award We’re on the lookout for talented young folk aged 11–18 writing and creating in Scots.

Season's Greetings to all of our followers. We hope you have a wonderful day.

Please read the minutes of our 2023 AGM to find out what has been happening in HES over the past year.

Home Education Scotland AGM 2023 – Home Education Scotland 12Dec 2023 by Home Education Scotland No Comments Below are the minutes of Home Education Scotland’s Annual General Meeting for this year, which was held online via Zoom on December 11, 2023, at 9.30am. Present: Lucy Dolan, trustee; Jenny Hall; Mark Nixon, convenor; Charlotte Smith, trustee; Emma ...

Home Education Scotland’s 2023 AGM will take place on December 11th at 9.30am. After a challenging couple of years, the trustees believe that it is time to look seriously at changing the way that we work and how we wish to move forward, and a number of important proposals will be put forward at the meeting for the consideration of the membership. Please email or message us with your email address so that we can put you on the invite list.

We are also looking for anyone willing to come on board and help us with our work. Under our constitution, board members must be current active home educators, although anyone can volunteer with us. We would be particularly keen to hear from anyone willing to act as a treasurer, with social media experience, or with experience of engaging with Local Authorities or other organisations to protect home educators’ rights. However, anyone who has the time and believes they have the skills to help us in any other way is welcome to put themselves forward. Please let us know if you wish to be considered.

The Scottish Civic Trust’s My Place Photography Competition is a Scotland-wide built environment photography competition for young people ages 4-18. It encourages young people to explore the buildings, architecture and archaeology in the places they live, and experiment with using photography as a means of investigation and creative expression.

Teachers, home educators and youth group leaders can register as members to submit photo entries on our My Place website, where they can also get competition guidance and learning resources.

Click on story for links to register and enter.

My Place Photography My Place Photography The Scottish Civic Trust’s My Place Photography Competition is a Scotland-wide built environment photography competition for young people ages 4-18. It encourages young people to explore the buildings, architecture and archaeology in the places they live, and experiment with u...

With most schools back now, we wish all home educating young people and their families a happy and interesting autumn exploring their communities and the wider world at their own pace and on their own terms.

A wee bit about words!

We use particular terminology in Scotland, in line with the national guidance and legislation. This is different to other parts of the UK and can catch people out!

We always use *home education* rather than home schooling - home schooling is a particular educational approach, and many of our families do not use a 'schooling' approach, instead favouring autonomous or child-led learning. Families are free to choose their own approach.

If a child is attending a state school, most of the time they will require what's called *consent to withdraw* in order to come off the *school roll*. This is not consent to home educate, per se - as that is an equal lawful choice that can be made by most families.

We don't have 'registration' at school in Scotland; a child is enrolled on their first day of school and is then on the school roll - so we do not use the term to 'deregister'.

When requesting consent to withdraw a child, a family also submits an *outline of provision*, a description of what the child intends to study and the resources that will be used. This is not called an 'educational plan' and need not follow a set curriculum, although families can use a curriculum if they wish to.

For more detail, see the national guidance, linked below.

www.gov.scot

These may be of interest to younger home educated children - we have heard some libraries have them to borrow (or they can be bought from the website). It is worth checking at your local library first. Info about the scheme:

National roll-out of micro:bits to Scotland’s primary schools National roll-out of micro:bits to Scotland’s primary schools23 May 2022Scotland's Education Secretary celebrates world-leading investment in Computing Science at primary age with school visit Today, Methilhill Primary School in Fife, Scotland, welcomed Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, ...

The headline is misleading, but this US article is an interesting read about the merits of autonomous learning (or 'unschooling') - an approach some in HEing families Scotland choose to follow. Some families are home educating for the very reason they are able to follow this way of learning.

"The McQueens are unschoolers. The children — a 14-year-old, a 13-year-old and 9-year-old twins — learn at home, but with far more flexibility than traditional home-schooling families. Their parents spurn curriculums, textbooks, tests and grades. Instead they do their best to follow the children’s natural curiosity, their impulse to drop what bores them and investigate whatever captivates them, engaging in “self-directed education” at their own pace."

Opinion | ‘When You Get Into Unschooling, It’s Almost Like a Religion’ (Published 2020) The movement might help us deal with the problems posed by remote learning.

Home educators in Scotland can access this excellent long-standing resource run by a very experienced home educator and colleague of our organisation.

SHEF also host an excellent peer support group on Facebook, which our charity supports and participates in - details of that group are contained in the website below.

- Scottish Home Education Forum Home education (not home schooling!) information, support and advocacy for families, training and consultancy for professionals, based on 20+ years of experience and research into home education in Scotland. Campaigning on behalf of our 4000 members for equitable treatment and adherence by services....

Happy Mayday to all Scottish home educators.

What spring activities have you been enjoying?

In our house we have been doing some nature studies - tracking the order in which different fruit blossoms appear and noting how slowly they are coming out in the cold temperatures.

(Pic is damson)

The Scottish Government guidance is a good place to start - or to check up on legal aspects - for anyone considering home educating their child/ren.

Home education guidance Guidance for parents and local authorities on home education.

The trustees of Home Education Scotland would like to wish all members, and indeed the whole of Scotland's home educating community, the very best for this festive period and the new year. The last couple of years have been a challenge for many of us, but have also seen a large growth in the number of children and parents choosing home education. Let's hope that 2022 is a fabulous year for us all, and that as a community we can continue to grow and spread the word about home education!

Not forgetting, of course, that this will be a big year in policy for us, as we will see the publication of the new guidance early in the year, followed by a consultation to which we will all be able to contribute.

Scottish Home Ed Forum: Home Truths summary report print

paypal.com Voluntary donations welcome towards the printing of the Scottish Home Ed Forum's summary 'Home Truths' report for distribution by local groups.

Home Education Scotland Membership Form

Remember it's free to join HES we are a membership organisation so the board will be directed by the members. (A few people have been finding the date of birth field awkward if you click on the year you'll get a drop down of years to scroll through)

http://ow.ly/xgXZ50yvDAj

docs.google.com Welcome to the Home Education Scotland Membership Form. Should you wish to join Home Education Scotland as a Member, please complete the questions below and you will be added to our Membership List. Membership is free and there are three types of Membership available:- Individual membership - For Ho...

Home Education Scotland Membership Form

Remember it's free to join HES we are a membership organisation so the board will be directed by the members. (A few people have been finding the date of birth field awkward if you click on the year you'll get a drop down of years to scroll through)

http://ow.ly/xgXZ50yvDAj

docs.google.com Welcome to the Home Education Scotland Membership Form. Should you wish to join Home Education Scotland as a Member, please complete the questions below and you will be added to our Membership List. Membership is free and there are three types of Membership available:- Individual membership - For th...

A bit of light reading

Home education guidance - gov.scot

If you’re just at the start of your HE journey then this is what you need to know.

gov.scot Guidance for parents and local authorities on home education.

Time is Precious

People often ask how you can fit HE into such a small time and spend the rest of your time out enjoying yourselves. This is how http://ow.ly/Hw6o50yuS1R

monkeymum.blog How much time in school, is actually spent learning? I’ve been in the education system, one way or another, for 30 of my 35 years: first as a school pupil, then as a University student, and t…

10 things EVERYONE should know about home educating.

Home Education Scotland's cover photo

Timeline Photos

www.gov.scot

https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/advice-and-guidance/2008/01/home-education-guidance/documents/0055026-pdf/0055026-pdf/govscot%3Adocument/0055026.pdf?forceDownload=true

gov.scot

Home Education Scotland offers information and support to all families in Scotland who have chosen, or are contemplating, home education. Home Education Scotland also works to ensure that professionals working with children and families have access to information, training and research regarding home education.

Home Education Scotland aims to make
Scotland the best place to be home educated.