Myth Debunked: "Home Educated Kids Can’t Get Decent Qualifications."

"What if my kids end up with no qualifications!?"

"What if we're putting them at a disadvantage compared to kids in school!?"

"What if we fail them!?"

Sound familiar?

It’s a big concern, and something we should talk about properly. Just saying, “Don’t worry, home ed kids can still take exams,” feels too vague. It can feel like leaping into the unknown - and that's especially nerve-wracking when it's your child's future.

That was exactly how my husband felt at first and I know a lot of people - dads in particular - are the same. It can create real tension when one parent feels less convinced.

School offers a familiar path to qualifications. It doesn’t guarantee anything, but at least it feels secure for many. Take away that familiar path and it quickly becomes very daunting.

But the World Is Changing Fast

That 'familiarity' part is changing. Technological advances are making traditional qualifications less central. Questions around the value of degrees to employers has really been in the spotlight recently - more on this here and here - in favour of more human, transferable, real-world skills, many of which aren't easily replaceable by AI.

• Creativity
• Critical thinking
• Curiosity
• Emotional intelligence
• Collaboration
• Flexibility
• Adaptability
• Problem-solving.

We know we want to set our kids up well for a bright future, however that looks, but it's hard to know how.

It Doesn't Have to Be Either/Or

Some families fully trust child-led curiosity and passions to take their kids where they'll eventually want to go. Others want the extra reassurance of building up basic skills from early on. And many use a combination of the two.

Home education allows for this. It allows you to make time for play, interests and creativity and build important skills and knowledge that still feel really relevant. Things like reading, writing and maths which will allow you to keep qualifications within reach. You don't have to choose between the two.

Home ed students take exams in a variety of ways - with tutors, online courses, at colleges, sometimes even teaching themselves. There’s no age cut-off, and many universities and employers now welcome wider forms of evidence beyond test scores.

When kids are young, exams feel a long way off. You don’t need to start preparing for them super early - and before 7 all they really need to do is play. Play, curiosity and time outdoors are the foundation. As they grow, with your support and engagement, readiness for qualifications tends to emerge naturally. It’s rarely a sudden shock.

What I love about home ed is that you can make space for both curiosity and structure:

• Follow what excites your child.
• Dive deeply into learning.
• And when they’re ready, approach the next stages (exams, apprenticeships or whatever it looks like over the next few years) in a way that suits them - not the system.

So, no - home ed doesn’t mean shutting doors. It doesn't remove exams, university or stability from the table. It just gives your child more flexibility in how to get there.