You may have seen us share a recent story about the benefits of distance learning as a mature student. In this post we explore how online learning can benefit a younger student as an alternative to traditional school settings.

There are a number of reasons why distance learning or homeschooling is a successful and positive option for young students. From mental health, lifelong illnesses and many unique needs, online learning can help students fulfil their potential with a learning style that suits them as an individual.

When asked what motivated 15 year old Amelia to choose homeschooling over a traditional school setting, Amelia explained “I have autism and the lack of support in mainstream education made attendance difficult, my brother is also disabled and spends a lot of time in hospital – home education just made sense for our family as it meant I could take my school work and do it anywhere including at grandparents and in the hospital waiting room and not miss any education. 

When Covid struck he was in the shielded group and so we were not allowed to go out for over 18 months. I was really lucky to be used to home education and have everything in place whereas my friends really struggled to adjust. As I got older we used NEC for my GCSEs because it was easier to have everything prepared and just work through it and know that we are covering everything within the syllabus.”

As Amelia mentioned, even with the disruption of Covid, her homeschool routine worked in her favour. 

“When I was younger we learnt a lot through play and what I was interested in most people would have called it “unschooling” but I found it really good to be able to concentrate on my interests. I plan on using these interests in my future career. My routine now is that I make a list of what I need to cover over the next week and then fit it in around activities that I enjoy and want to do – so long as everything is done it doesn’t matter when I do it. This also means that as a family we can go on holiday and on days out when it is cheaper and not as busy. I also choose to work through school holidays and take them at different times depending on what I have on and what I want to do. This has also meant that I have taken some of my GCSEs early. It also means that I can meet friends and meet people that I would not have done if I was in school. “

Much like many other students, managing homeschooling alongside other responsibilities can be difficult. We asked Amelia how she finds this aspect of studying to which Amelia positively replied  “I want to be a doctor, home education (NB not home schooling that implies that I follow school time tables or curriculum whereas I am responsible for choosing my hours, holidays and curriculum) means that I can be flexible and accept work experience, volunteer, complete additional courses and have opportunities that would not be available to me if I was at school. So long as the work is all completed I can be very flexible and this means I can pursue things that interest me.”

Despite some challenges around the social aspects of online study, Amelia has stayed connected in other ways and maintains a positive distance learning experience with one of the biggest advantages being flexibility. “One of the biggest advantages is flexibility and I think I would struggle with some of the expectations that are placed on my friends attending school.”

It’s clear that Amelia has not let anything hold her back from gaining the best education and is well on her way to achieving great success in the medical field. “I have taken some GCSEs early and I am on a mentorship program to help me get into medicine.” 

If you can relate to Amelia and are wondering if homeschooling is a good fit for you, consider this response when Amelia was asked who she thought would benefit from online learning.

“People who have struggled in mainstream education but are able to cope with the work but struggled with the social aspect. A lot of my friends who have attended school have experienced bullying and anxiety and some of these people might cope better at home. My brother is home educated because his health means that he is not able to attend school – for him avoiding coughs and colds has meant that he has survived against the odds and my mum has tailored his work for his level. My sister is also home educated but not very academic so she is studying the core GCSEs but is able to concentrate on vocational courses in order to help with her future career which I think is better for her than being forced to do 10 GCSEs that she is likely to find difficult to complete and then never use this way she has been able to take accredited courses that will help her in her future career.”

If you’d like to learn more about studying a distance learning course with NEC, get in touch today by calling 0800 389 2839 or send us an email.

You can explore our full range of courses here.