Online Educational Resources
HOME ED LIFE
This website offers a range of options for UK children roughly 11-16 years old, which equates to school years 7-11 (Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4, which is GCSE level).
It is split into two sections, first are resources that are completely free and second are resources where there is a mix of free and paid content. Each of those sections is then separated into Key Stage 3 and GCSE level.
Free Homeschooling Resources in UK [For 11-16 year Olds] (homeedlife.co.uk)
OAK NATIONAL ACADEMY
From the start of primary, all the way to key stage 4, they provide free access to thousands of teacher-made, fully-resourced lessons to adapt and use with your child.
BBC BITESIZE
BBC BITESIZE
BBC Bitesize offer educational resources, with topic and revision packs, revision guides and quizzes, plus much more.
BBC TEACH
BBC TEACH
BBC BITESIZE
BBC Teach offer educational resources, with lesson plans, live lessons, a topical calendar and interactive projects for both Primary and Secondary level.
twinkl
BBC TEACH
twinkl
At Twinkl, they’ve been providing educators across the world with high quality, trusted teaching and learning resources for over a decade now.
They’re all written and checked by a team of experienced educators, and there are hundreds of thousands of resources to download, with new ones added daily.
A Twinkl account unlocks a curriculum-wide library of over 900,000 resources, all available 24/7 and bursting with essential (and some not so essential!) teaching, planning and assessment materials.
They also have regular discount offers (approximately 4 times a year) for home educators, which are advertised via their Facebook group 'Twinkl Home Educators'.
EUHU
BBC TEACH
twinkl
This website is designed for teachers, so reflects the ethos of mainstream education, but it does offer inspiration for topics to look at, seasonal activities and ideas for looking after your child's mental health.
It has some nifty tools to help with lesson plans (should this be your chosen method of education delivery), and offers current articles and podcasts. It is completely free to sign up to, though there are links to paid subscriptions on the page.
The platform connecting teachers with their best resource-each other! | EuHu
ABC MOUSE
ABC mouse’s high-quality curriculum has thousands of learning activities to support your child’s education at home!
Backed by research and designed in collaboration with nationally recognized childhood education experts, ABC mouse’s supplemental curriculum includes books, games, learning videos, puzzles and more.
ABCmouse: Educational Games, Books, Puzzles & Songs for Kids & Toddlers
ixl
IXL is not just about helping your children master fractions or subject-verb agreement, it's also about helping them enjoy learning. That means encouraging them to have fun! Unlike traditional workbooks and exercises, IXL offers hours of intrigue for students—without distracting them from grasping key concepts.
Memberships offer unlimited access to maths and English practice. Dynamic and interactive questions that adjust to your child's knowledge. Powerful tools that promote learning, including IXL's Real-Time Diagnostic, personalised plans and Analytics.
ED PLACE
Relevant resources created by teachers in English, maths, science and 11+ aligned to the National Curriculum and exam boards.
Trackable and measurable with insights on progress.
They help identify gaps in learning and make recommendations. Using AI, they personalise your child’s learning journey, helping them progress faster and build confidence.
There is a basic level free account, or you can access unlimited premium activities and resources for £99 per year for an individual membership, or £165 for a family membership.
The Smartest Revision App - Improve Grades - Build Confidence (edplace.com)
BANK OF ENGLAND
They have put together a list of home learning activities to help students, teachers, families and adults to learn about the economy, their work and their history.
Look at topics like 'Money and Me', the gender pay gap, the history of money and how our economy works.
EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM
EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM
Educational Freedom is a non-profit organisation providing Home Education information and support. Their primary purpose is ensuring all Home Educators have access to FREE information and support.
They aim to provide everything you could ever need to know about Home Education.
They are a group of Home Educating parents who come from all walks of life and from all Home Educating backgrounds to make Home Education support available in one place, for everyone, regardless of where in the UK they are; to be inclusive of all styles of Home Ed; and to be supportive to those in need of help.
There is also an option to purchase an 'Educational Freedom Family Card', which is made from recycled plastic, a ‘credit-card’ sized card to fit neatly in a wallet, pocket or mobile phone. This card explains that you are a home educating family. The Family Card has a space to write your family name. This card is great when you are out and about and wish to show that you home educate. Many venues accept the card as ‘proof’ of home education.
alison
EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM
Home Education - Assessment and Methods
This is a free, certificated online course for those wishing to learn more about Home Education and whether it is the right choice for them and their child.
Explore the latest concepts of home education and its requirements, advantages and disadvantages.
They will show you the different methods of home educating that will help you adapt your teaching according to your child’s interests and aptitude.
Discover how to assess your child’s progress and prepare them for formal examinations so that they can pursue further studies.
In This Free Course, You Will Learn How To
- Explain why many parents choose home education over traditional school education
- Describe the different legalities that encompass home education
- Outline the advantages and disadvantages of home education
- Differentiate between the different home education methods and styles
- Discuss the benefits of Charlotte Mason and Montessori method over the classical home educating methods
- Distinguish the different home educating methods adapted by parents/teachers
- State the different approaches a parent/tutor can take to assess the child's progress in education
Learn Teaching and Assessing Methods in this free homeschooling course (alison.com)
toe by toe
Toe by Toe is a structured phonics-based reading workbook to help anyone who finds reading difficult. It only needs 20 minutes of coaching a day and you'll see immediate improvements in your child's reading confidence.
The workbook is easy to use and has already helped over a million struggling readers to unlock their potential. Toe by Toe is for anyone who finds reading difficult, including weak readers and those with dyslexia or ADHD.
As well as being able to purchase the workbook Toe By Toe offer a FREE reading age test and a phonics test to allow you to assess your child's reading ability and progress, via this link:
hertfordshire reading age test
The Hertfordshire Reading Age Test can be used to give an idea of the current reading age of your child and can also be re-done to assess progress.
There are 31 sentences. Ask the child to read aloud each sentence in their own time. Avoid correcting any inaccuracies; allow the child to correct themselves.
When the child is unable to correct the inaccuracy, reassure the child they are doing well and that they can move to the next sentence when they are ready. Note this as the 1st inaccuracy.
On the 4th inaccuracy (it does not have to be over 4 consecutive sentences), the child can stop reading any further. You will be able to determine the child’s reading age from the chart attached.
e.g. if a child makes their 4th inaccuracy at sentence 20:
for a boy his reading age is 10 years and 4 months and for a girl 10 years and 3 months.
A child who regularly reads can have an expected reading age of their actual age plus 6 months. With daily guided reading a child can reach this and beyond.
The+Hertfordshire+Reading+Age+Test.pdf
Age chart:
centre of excellence
With over 1,000 inspiring online courses to choose from, ranging from personal development, holistic health and wellness to history, business, and language courses, transforming your life and learning something new has never been easier.
Our aim is to make learning affordable and accessible for all, allowing you to study on any device, at any time, anywhere.
They also 21 courses currently available for children.
Products Archive - Centre of Excellence
Courses For Kids - Centre of Excellence
Currently, courses are reduced to £29 if you use the discount code found through this link:
children's university
Children’s University is an award scheme for children that encourages, tracks and celebrates their participation in learning beyond the classroom. Stamps are awarded for taking part in clubs, online activities, and other activities done alone, or with the family, at home and in the local area. Children can keep a log of everything they do, and each hour of participation takes them one step closer to their next certificate.
Children’s University has been running in schools for over 15 years! For the first time ever, we can now offer access to our award-winning programme to all children through a new subscription model. Whether your child attends a school that’s not part of our existing programme, or if you home-educate, this is for you.
For just £3.50 / month, your child can:
- create their own online Learning Log, keeping a visual record of all they do
- collect digital print-at-home certificates
- watch their skills and interests build
- search through more than 6,000 quality assured activities
- add records to their Learning Log for any other activity they do themselves
If you are on a low income and would struggle with subscription costs, there is an email address you can contact in the FAQ section on the website.
the open university
the open university
If you are registered with a Children's University, you can use these free online courses provided by The Open University to earn Children's University stamps.
Courses include subjects on: languages; art, music and literature; animals and plants; history; maths, physics and engineering; health and the human body; and life, work and study skills.
Children's University - Free online courses | OpenLearn - Open University
Online Educational Resources - CONTINUED
TED ED
TED-Ed celebrates the ideas of teachers and students around the world. Discover hundreds of animated lessons, create customized lessons, and share your big ideas.
the £2 tuition hub
The £2 Tuition Hub was set up to enable access to online tuition in a broad range of subjects, from early years up to GCSE level, at an affordable price.
Topics include maths, English language, sociology, biology, physics, art, French, religious studies, geography, psychology, music and so much more.
national geographic
National Geographic is where education meets exploration.
We are transforming the learning experience for young people and the educators who reach them with the tools, resources, and support they need to feed their curiosity and become the explorers of tomorrow.
Through immersive experiences, interactive lesson plans, maps, and other free resources – there are endless ways to learn with National Geographic
dk learning
dk learning
2024 marks 50 years of DK publishing award-winning books.
DK Learning aligns our visually stunning and expert-led DK content to curriculums to provide free resources to educators around the globe.
Make every lesson your best yet with our supplemental learning tools produced by experts and experienced educators, from lesson plans and curriculum mapping to discussion guides and real-world classroom use.