This booklet is for families considering or already doing home education, especially those with SEND children. It explains what home education is and how it can work outside a traditional school setting. The document describes two weekly programmes run by Autism Explorers Norwich: Family Explorers (Friday mornings) and Discovery Days (Friday afternoons). Both offer hands-on, child-led learning…
This booklet is for families considering or already practising home education, particularly those with children who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It is produced by Autism Explorers Norwich, a local organisation that runs weekly hands-on learning sessions for home-educated children.
The document introduces two Friday programmes. Family Explorers runs from 10AM to 12PM and offers a relaxed morning of sensory play, creative projects and themed learning for children and their parents or carers. Discovery Days runs from 1:30PM to 3:30PM and provides more structured sessions with experiments, cooking, creative projects and themed challenges.
A section on home education on a budget suggests using everyday activities such as cooking, gardening, shopping and walking as learning opportunities. It recommends libraries, free museums, community events, nature trails and second-hand materials as low-cost resources.
The booklet explains how home education can support children with SEND by allowing learning through play, baking, nature exploration and daily routines instead of desk-based worksheets. It describes how families can build learning around a child's communication style, sensory needs and regulation.
Information about working with the local authority covers the role of the Elective Home Education (EHE) team and how to respond to enquiries. It advises keeping a learning journal with photographs, reading records and trip notes. The final section outlines parents' legal rights in England, including the freedom not to follow the National Curriculum or use school-style lessons.