Home Education Matters

The second in our Sharing our Successes mini series is with the amazing Lauren, who was home educated up to 16 in the UK and then went on to do English and Astrophysics at university.    The next time you see a post in a FB group asking for 'success stories' from home ed, this might be one to share. And much like our first Successes podcast with Liam, it's clear that home education is the foundation for Lauren's inspirational story. Do check it out and share it around, and give our new youTube channel a like / subscribe while you're at it!    https://www.youtube.com/@HomeEducationMattersUK/videos

I am joined by the wonderful Emma White, home educating parent and founder of Mark My Papers, and we're discussing how to support your child if they choose to apply to a top tier university. We talk about the preparation in advance and the importance of planning your application years in advance, as well as the way to build a firm academic foundation in your home education journey.    This is a must listen podcast for any home educating parent aiming to help their child apply to a Russell group / Oxbridge / top level university.

For today's podcast I am joined by experts Jen Shaw, David Oates and Harriet Pattison to discuss how best to support your child to learn to read. We cover the main school approaches to learning to read and its limitations, alongside the other reading options open to home educators (and all parents).   From the great Reading War (in the red corner we have phonics, in the blue corner we have whole word learning, in between we have a lot of very befuddled parents!) all the way through to tips on getting started right now supporting your child, this is a fabulous podcast for anyone wanting to help their child feel empowered to pick up a book.    If you enjoyed it, do rate our show on your preferred streaming platform and join all our guests on our dedicated FB group just for guests and listeners to the podcast. 

Join Diane as she chats with Keeley, AKA The Farming Mother. It's a really inspirational podcast all about home educating through those tough times, and how nature and animals can bring you and your child something truly remarkable.     

Tara Vassallo, a lecturer in Education specializing in Autism, joins the discussion to demystify autism and highlight its benefits and challenges. They dive into recognizing early signs of autism in children and the crucial role of society in fostering inclusiveness. The conversation also covers the emotional transitions autistic children face, the significance of compassion in education, and the complexities of labeling within home education. Tara emphasizes the importance of nurturing individual strengths and creating supportive environments for growth.

We are excited to have Luke Dadford with us this week talking about Large Language Models, specifically the newly popular ChatGPT software. We discuss the good, the bad, the slightly terrifying and how you can use it to enhance your home education journey.    Did you know we're now on youTube? We are! Check us out here: https://www.youtube.com/@HomeEducationMattersUK

Join Diane and Chris as they discuss the wonderful imaginative world of Dungeons and Dragons. From maths to creative thinking, strategy to team work, it's an amazing way to incorporate play into your learning journey.    Chris is in our FB group so feel free to pop over and ask him any Dungeon related questions! And follow / subscribe to the podcast to get a notification when we do our follow up podcast with him guiding us through getting started with the game.

A little bonus mid week podcast just to let you all know some minor changes and also a big shout out to everyone around the world who tunes into the podcast. Wherever you are, I see you and appreciate you! Also, I announce a couple of changes and a few things to look forward to in the upcoming episodes.

Latin and Greek ... boring dead languages ... Think again!   This podcast was a revelation to me on so many levels. I defy you not to be inspired to get your child (and yourself!) off and learning some ancient Greek and Latin. If only to have the chance to chit chat with your neighbours in a cool, niche language!   Ana is in our FB group if you want any advice or tips on incorporating some Latin or Greek into your home schooling journey. https://www.facebook.com/groups/homeeducationmatters

Today I discuss the role of artificial intelligence in learning with Michael Olagunju, the head of Exam Solutions and Air Maths. Join us as we talk about the benefits and pitfall of AI use, how he's embedding ChatGPT style features into his platforms and what this tells us about the future of our schools, our education approach and how it might aid us in our home education journey.    If you think any of your friends or family might find this podcast interesting, do share the link with them and spread the word on how home education provision is at the forefront of radical change in the education world.