Further advice for balancing the course load:
1. Include revision as a regular part of the course
GCSE and A-Level students should be encouraged to see revision as a regular part of their studies and not as a cumbersome extra. Show them from early on that small quantities of regular revision, over time, will help them to build genuine recall of material. They’ll never have to rely on short-term cramming, and there’s a good chance that the things they learn will stick with them once school is over.
2. Throw in useful “bonus” classes
There are many things that adults often say they wish they’d been able to learn at school but couldn’t. Homeschooling provides you with a unique opportunity to include these topics as part of your schooling. In this way, not only do your kids pass their GCSEs and A-Levels, but they also learn practical life skills. Here are some ideas on “bonus” courses:
Personal finance – managing credit cards; types of bank accounts; investing money; saving money; how pensions work; creating daily budgets; how to start a business; how taxes work, and more
Physical health knowledge – creating a healthy, balanced diet; home cookery; safe and effective exercise; sex education; avoiding risk-taking behaviour
Mental health – coping with failure; dealing with stress; handling dilemmas and tough situations; how to keep yourself happy etc.
Digital literacy – coding; web design; engineering; robotics, and more
Home maintenance – changing fuses in plugs; basic home repairs; housekeeping; childcare; paying utility bills and rent etc.
3. Create a balanced and holistic experience
Finally, you should never forget that education is a collection of valuable experiences, not just facts and figures memorized in time for an exam, not just grades on a sheet of paper. When you homeschool, you have the perfect opportunity to set up learning experiences that your child will not only find useful in the short term for essential exams but also cherish and use in the long term.