How to Start Homeschooling
Practical guidance for families beginning home education.
Home Education Guide
How to Choose a Homeschool Curriculum
There is no single homeschool curriculum that will suit every child. The right approach depends on your child’s age, interests, future plans, learning preferences and how much structure you want to provide at home.
For some families, a clear programme with lessons, textbooks and assessments works best. Others prefer to combine structured study with projects, reading, practical activities and independent learning. This guide explains the main decisions to make when choosing a homeschool curriculum and how to build an approach that works for your family.
What is a homeschool curriculum?
A homeschool curriculum is the plan you use to organise what your child learns and how that learning is delivered. It can be a complete programme covering several subjects, a collection of individual subject courses, or a more flexible plan created by the family.
In practical terms, a curriculum brings together the subjects being studied, the materials used to teach them, opportunities to practise and apply learning, ways to review progress and, where relevant, preparation for formal qualifications.
A curriculum is more than a list of subjects. Its real purpose is to provide enough structure and progression for knowledge and skills to develop over time, without turning home education into a collection of unrelated activities.
What should a good homeschool curriculum include?
A useful curriculum does not need to be elaborate. It does need to be clear about what the learner is trying to achieve and realistic about how that learning will happen.
Progression at the right level
Learning should build in a sensible order and be challenging enough to encourage progress without continually putting the learner beyond what they can reasonably understand.
Practice, application and feedback
Exercises, writing, problem solving, discussion and practical work help students use what they have learned. There should also be a sensible way to review progress.
Suitable coverage and realistic resources
Subjects should reflect age, current needs and future plans, using materials, equipment and support that the family can realistically provide.
Do home-educated children need to follow the National Curriculum?
UK home education
The relationship between home education and the National Curriculum is an important question, but it is also a legal one and the position is not identical throughout the UK.
Families educating at home may use the National Curriculum as a useful reference point, particularly when they want their child to remain broadly aligned with school-age expectations. Others choose a different curriculum or organise learning around the child’s needs and intended qualifications.
For the current legal position and the responsibilities of parents, see our Home Education and Homeschool Laws guide.
Structured or flexible homeschooling?
A structured curriculum
A structured approach usually provides a planned sequence of lessons, subject materials, exercises or assignments and guidance about progression.
This can be particularly useful when parents want confidence that important material is being covered, or when students are working towards formal qualifications.
A flexible curriculum
A more flexible approach gives the family greater control over the order in which topics are studied, how long is spent on each subject, the resources used and when learning takes place.
It can work particularly well for families who want learning to respond closely to a child’s interests or circumstances.
You can combine the two
A learner might follow structured courses in English and Mathematics while studying other areas through books, museums, documentaries and projects. The useful question is not simply “structured or flexible?” but “where does our child benefit from structure and where would flexibility help?”
Choosing a curriculum by age and stage
Key Stage 3
For learners broadly working at Years 7, 8 and 9 level, the priority is usually to build secure knowledge and study skills across a reasonable range of subjects. This is also an opportunity to discover interests before GCSE choices become important.
GCSE and International GCSE
At GCSE level, curriculum choices become more closely linked to qualifications, specifications, examination arrangements and future study.
How to Choose GCSE Subjects
Explore GCSE & International GCSE courses
A level
At A level, subject choice becomes narrower and considerably more specialised. Students should consider university requirements, career plans, previous attainment and appropriate subject choices.
How to choose the right homeschool curriculum for your child
Start with your child
Think about their current level, subjects they enjoy, areas where they struggle, how independently they work and how much routine they find helpful. A curriculum should serve the learner rather than require the learner to fit an arbitrary system.
Think about where they are heading
For a younger learner, the aim may simply be broad educational progress. For an older student, GCSEs, A levels, college, university or career plans can significantly affect curriculum choices.
Decide how much teaching you want to provide
Some curricula assume that a parent will teach each lesson. Others provide written or online teaching materials that a learner can work through more independently. The important question is what is realistic for your family and appropriate for the age of the student.
Look carefully at how the course is taught
A curriculum description tells you what will be studied, but it is also important to understand how the learning is organised. Consider whether explanations are clear, whether there is enough practice, whether the level is suitable, how much independent study is expected and what support is available if the learner becomes stuck.
Consider assessment and feedback
Think about how you will know whether your child has understood the work. For younger students that may mean discussing work and reviewing exercises together. For students preparing for qualifications, independent marking and feedback can become much more important.
Make sure the plan is sustainable
The most elaborate curriculum is not necessarily the best one. A simpler programme that a family can follow consistently is usually more useful than an ambitious timetable that becomes impossible to maintain.
Choosing subjects for home education
There is no universal list of subjects that every home-educated child must study in exactly the same way.
In practice, many families ensure that English and Maths remain central because these skills support learning across the curriculum and are important for later qualifications.
Beyond that, subject choice can reflect age, interests and future plans. A younger learner might study a broad programme including English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, languages, creative or practical subjects and personal and social development.
As a student approaches GCSE level, the programme usually becomes more selective because individual subjects may lead towards particular qualifications. This is another reason to review the curriculum periodically rather than assume that the plan chosen at age 11 should remain unchanged at age 15.
British curriculum, syllabus and qualifications: what is the difference?
Curriculum
The overall programme of learning: what is studied, how subjects are organised and how learning progresses.
Syllabus or specification
The detailed content and assessment requirements for a particular qualification or course.
Qualification
The formal award a student is working towards, such as a GCSE, International GCSE or A level.
A family can therefore have a broad home education curriculum while using individual examination specifications to guide particular subjects as a student gets older.
How Oxford Home Schooling fits into a homeschool curriculum
Structured home study
Oxford Home Schooling provides structured home study courses rather than prescribing every aspect of a family’s home education.
Families can use OHS courses as the main framework for a student’s academic study or combine individual courses with other learning and activities.
Our courses are designed to provide a clear programme of study, professionally written learning materials, exercises and assignments, progression through each subject, and optional forms of tutor support and assessment depending on the course and support chosen.
Questions to ask before choosing a homeschool curriculum
- Is it appropriate for my child’s current level?
- Does it support where they want to go next?
- Does it provide enough structure for us?
- Can we realistically provide the teaching or supervision it requires?
- Are the materials clear and engaging?
- How will we review progress?
- If qualifications are involved, does the programme prepare for the correct specification?
- Can we adapt the curriculum if our child’s needs change?
Frequently asked questions
What is the best homeschool curriculum in the UK?
There is no single best curriculum for every family. The most suitable choice depends on the learner’s age, current level, interests, future plans and the amount of structure or parental teaching required.
When comparing curricula, look at the way learning is organised, progression, assessment and whether the approach is realistic for your family.
Do I need to buy a complete homeschool curriculum?
No. Some families use a complete programme, while others choose different resources or courses for different subjects. It is perfectly possible to combine structured courses with books, projects, educational visits, practical activities and independent learning.
How many subjects should a homeschooled child study?
There is no single number that is right for every learner, and younger students will normally study a broader range of subjects than students preparing for formal qualifications.
At GCSE level, however, five GCSEs is a useful benchmark for many students. Five good passes commonly provide the basis for progression to further education and a wide range of career routes. Some courses and professions, including areas such as nursing, may ask for a particular number of GCSEs or specified grades.
English and Mathematics are particularly important. They are very commonly required for further education, training and employment, so we would normally encourage students to include both unless there is a good reason not to.
The right number of additional subjects then depends on the student’s ability, interests, workload and plans after GCSE.
Can a homeschool curriculum prepare a student for GCSEs?
Yes, provided the curriculum is designed around the appropriate qualification and prepares the learner for its content and assessment. Families should check the examination specification carefully and consider practical arrangements for taking examinations as a private candidate.
How much does a homeschool curriculum cost?
Costs vary widely. Some families build much of their programme from books, online resources and free materials. Others purchase complete subject courses, tuition or assessment support. It is useful to consider the total cost of the approach rather than simply the price of individual resources.
How many hours a day should homeschooling take?
There is no single school-style timetable that every home-educated child needs to follow. The amount of formal study required varies according to the learner’s age, subjects, concentration and the way learning is organised. One-to-one and independent study can also work differently from classroom teaching.
It is usually more useful to focus on consistent progress and the quality of learning than on reproducing school hours exactly.
Looking for structured home study courses?
Choose the stage that fits your learner
Key Stage 3
Structured courses for students working broadly at Years 7, 8 and 9 level.
GCSE & International GCSE
Courses designed for students working towards recognised qualifications from home.
A level
Home study courses for students preparing for A-level qualifications and their next step.