Ashley's home education hacks
One of the main concerns among parents considering home education is the financial impact.
Ashley, who educates her daughter at home, sits down with BBC Bitesize to give us her top financial hacks, including:
- Exchange resources with families who have different skills and specialities. It's a great way to stay budget-friendly and use your network.
- Take the classroom outside by visiting museums, landmarks and libraries. Many are free or low cost.
- Use free online resources like BBC Bitesize!
Video: Financial hacks
Watch this video to find out all the tips and tricks Ashley has developed for managing her finances when home educating in the UK.
Ashley: Hi, I'm Ashley, and I'm home educating my daughter Asaiah. I think my biggest financial concern was how we would manage as a family with budgeting and income and, yeah, what that would really look like, to be honest.
One of the misconceptions around home education is how much it's going to cost. It can be as expensive or as inexpensive as your family needs. It just needs to fit and tailor around your budget.
One of my budget-friendly hacks is resource exchange. Use your network. I often like having children over to do messy play and crafts and all that kind of stuff. And then another family who has skills in a particular area will then help facilitate, like, let's say, maths or something, which is a great way to use your network.
You're sitting down to just speak with your family about what we can afford, and, yeah, just trying to be intentional about your finances in that way so that it's not overwhelming and you're not feeling stressed or stretched.
Having a budget really helps us as a family. My husband loves the spreadsheet. It really helps us have peace of mind—having different pots for different things, resources, books, trips—anything that we need to facilitate. It just makes it so much easier not having to be stressed about finances.
Another hack is being absolutely loud and vocal. Use your voice. You don't know how many opportunities are available to you just by being your own advocate. For example, we were able to go to a local airport just by reaching out and sending an email, and they organized absolutely everything. So just being loud about what you're doing and seeing if people want to join in on that journey with you.
Another hack that I have is taking the classroom outside. Don't be cooped up at home. Get outside. Visit landmarks, museums, and libraries. A lot of these places are free or come at a really low cost.
Another hack is buying secondhand. Buying new can be super expensive. Using charity shops, apps, and just looking around to find those cheap, nice little deals is a perfect way to keep your home ed journey going. The good thing about buying secondhand is children often outgrow the resources really quickly, and it also means that you can free up some of your budget to do other things rather than spending it on something brand new.
My final hack is using free online resources like BBC Bitesize. Yeah, that was a plug. I don't know about you, but sometimes you just don't want to think. And honestly, free online resources help me take the mental load off, knowing that it's a trusted site and I don't have to think. It's a breath of fresh air.
Asaiah: Yes, Small Town Superheroes!
Ashley: Home education looks different for absolutely everyone. You don't need a massive budget to make it work. Just pick and choose the hacks that work for you and your family and the values that you want, and enjoy the journey.
Where can I read more about financial hacks and home education?
For more helpful hints about managing your finances while home educating, check out these guides on how to apply for home education funding, five fun, free things to do outside the house when home educating and 10 common fears about home educating and how to tackle them.
For general advice about wellbeing and parenting, take a look at these articles from Bitesize Parents' Toolkit: five ways to manage your wellbeing as a parent, an ABC of financial words and what they mean and how to talk to your child about the cost of living crisis.
Where can I find more support for home education and parenting?
The BBC Bitesize home education collection is designed to support you and your child’s learning at home with free resources for early years and foundation stage (EYFS), primary and secondary-age students.
Bitesize Parenting is the go-to place for the whole parenting community to find stories, expert advice and fun activities.
If your child has special educational needs and / or disabilities, be sure to check out the Parenting SEND collection. Bitesize also has a collection of Sensory Stories, an immersive video series that transports you on unique sensory adventures, for children with additional or complex needs.
For more information about home education, these BBC News articles cover the rise in families deciding to educate their children at home and, from 2021, the impact of Covid on home education.
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