Advice for young people in home education

If you are a young person in home education, you may be looking for information about study tips, support with emotional wellbeing and staying healthy, as well as thinking about what's next after leaving school and post-16 support.

Study tips

One thing schools are very good at is ‘routine’. You won’t have a bell to tell you it’s time to move to the next lesson so you’ll need to create your own timetable.

If you struggle without a set routine, these tips will help you to put some structure into your day.

Your timetable

Have a look at the different ways you can manage your time when studying at home.

Do two 45 minute sessions, have a break and then do another two 45 minute sessions before you have your lunch
Make sure to schedule break times and lunch times in before you start your day
Eat regularly and remember to drink plenty of water
Set alerts on your phone to keep track of the time
Stick to your schedule – avoid finishing early but also avoid over-running

Which subjects should I study?

It can be tricky knowing which subjects to study when learning at home. If you need some guidance try the following:

Try to ensure you study Maths and English every day - you will incorporate it into your other subjects but it’s still important to study both as specific subjects
Avoid doing the same subject at the same time every day - mix things up a bit
Why not get your least favourite subjects out of the way first? This way, you’ll have the good stuff to look forward to later
Try to get outside every day where possible - if you can incorporate this into your learning, even better!

Where should I study?

A quiet space with enough room is key to having a good environment to study in. The tips below will help to make sure your learning space is right for you.

Avoid setting up your workstation in your bedroom. If possible, keep your bedroom as the place you sleep, not the place you do your learning
Change your study location regularly - maybe work in the lounge, then the kitchen, or why not try the library, community centre or even the local café for a change of scenery
Make sure you switch off from your studies at the end of the day - rest is also very important

Support with my emotional wellbeing

It’s ok not to feel ok. Just like our physical fitness, we need to look after our mental health to feel good too. When you’re not feeling your best, it’s ok to talk about this and ask for help.

The NottAlone website has been developed to support young people in Nottinghamshire to look after their mental health and access support when they need it.

Staying healthy

Staying healthy is important for your physical and mental wellbeing.

Have you thought about joining a local club but don’t know where to start looking?

Many local young people centres have free publications and flyers listing sport and activity clubs. It may also be worth asking in your local library or leisure centre.

Head over to the SEND Local Offer website to see if there is anything local to you that might be of interest - a number of activities and clubs are on offer for young people with special educational needs and disabilities and for those without.

What next? Careers and post-16 support

Once you turn 16, you'll have different options available to you in post-16 education.

You can:

Stay in full-time education, for example at a college or a school
Start an apprenticeship or traineeship
Spend 20 hours or more a week working or volunteering, while in part-time education or training

You need to do one of the above until you're 18 years old. You can enrol on a post-16 provision from after the last Friday in June of the academic year you turn 16 (the equivalent to school year 11).

There’s advice available on the Futures for You website about the options available to you and the steps you need to take after you turn 16. Don’t worry that this talks about young people leaving school - it applies to young people who have been educated at home as well.

Thinking about an apprenticeship?

Visit the Become an Apprentice website for more information on the courses available.

Unsure about what career you want to follow?

Visit the National Carers Service website to understand more about different jobs available and find out what works for you.