A big change is underway in the way families in Abu Dhabi consider education. So quietly, yet decisively, an increasing number of parents around the capital are moving out of conventional schooling their children altogether, instead opting to take direct ownership of the schooling of their children through home schooling and registering their children with the British Council as private candidates & proceed to take the examinations of IGCSE, AS and A Level directly. The reasons are very personal and incredibly diverse. Other families place value on a learning pace that is completely based on the personal development of the child. Others have children whose special talents or special learning requirements are not well catered for in the ordinary classroom setting. Others are the traveling families that require an educational model that keeps pace with them. Others have merely concluded that a well-designed home school education, enhanced with specialist tuition, can provide the results that no school in their area is currently able to provide. The point of arrival is the same regardless of the reason; a British Council examination hall, a formally recognized qualification and a university application that stands on its own merit. Over two decades Amourion Training Institute has facilitated home-schooling families in Abu Dhabi through this journey. Dr. Anil Khare answers the questions they bring to us most frequently.
My child has been home schooled from the beginning and has never followed a formal curriculum. How do we identify which IGCSE subjects to register for and how do we know they are ready?
Dr. Anil Khare: This is the most important strategic question that a home-schooling family can ask and the order in which one puts the questions matters a lot. The combination of three things that need to be considered simultaneously when selecting the subject to study during IGCSE are: the untainted academic strengths and intellectual interests of the child, the combination of the subjects that best serve his planned choices of A Level subjects and ultimately his future university direction. Home-educated students often have disproportionate subject coverage - exceptionally deep coverage of areas that they have studied with enthusiasm and with genuine gaps in coverage of areas that have not been studied with passion and genuine coverage gaps. We carry out a comprehensive diagnostic analysis of every subject under consideration, map the current knowledge of the student against the full Cambridge or Edexcel specification and give families an honest, evidence-based analysis of preparedness, realistic preparation schedules and the most strategically sound choice of subject combination to the long-term aspirations of their child.
As a home-schooling parent, what can I do to be involved in the tuition program of my child and how do you keep us informed of progress?
Dr. Anil Khare: Much to be done here and in our own case, in home-schooling, parental involvement is highly significant. With our experience, the most effective parental involvement is the promotion of active and regular communication between parent and child. Our written progress reports at the end of each session are separated by topic area, question type and examination technique development. We have regular parent briefing sessions which go beyond grades to explain exactly what the student best understands deeply, where there are specific weaknesses that can be addressed directly. In the case of home-schooling families where the parent often serves as both the main teacher and as the initial source of educational support, such a degree of openness is not discretionary but rather the basis of a truly cooperative model of preparation. You are not giving your child to us. You are partnering with us.
My child is home-schooled and he wants to take A Level Mathematics and Economics in order to apply to the university for a degree in Finance. What is your planning in preparation in both the subjects towards a specific university objective?
Dr. Anil Khare: It is preparation targeted at universities that home-schooling via the private candidate route becomes truly strategic and of all the preparation models we offer this is one of the most rewarding. Knowing the destination changes everything about how we prepare. To obtain a degree in Finance at a prestigious university in the UK, A level mathematics with an A or A* is a basic requirement, while economics at advanced level shows the necessary analytical & quantitative preparation. We prepare both subjects with the university application timeline explicitly in mind developing the mathematical fluency and test accuracy that A* Mathematics requires, developing the analytical and evaluative writing skills that top Economics grades demand and ensuring that both subjects are in optimal performance at the same time as the examination period that coincides with the UCAS application cycle. The registration to the British Council, preparation of subjects, and application strategy to the university are not addressed as distinct issues but rather as an integrated process.
Home Schooling Done Properly is among the most effective educational options a family can make.
The British Council private candidate route offered to home-educated students in Abu Dhabi has access to internationally recognized qualifications on their own timetable, at their own speed and on their own terms. Amourion Training Institute offers the subject expertise of the specialist, an organized preparation system and sincere communication with the parents which makes those qualifications not only really attainable but also really competitive.
Contact Amourion Training Institute — Abu Dhabi
Phone: +971 55 956 4344 | +971 4 355 4850
Email: training@amourion.com
Website: www.amourion.com
Abu Dhabi: Hamdan Street Also at: Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai | Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Office 2401, Fortune Tower, Dubai | Dubai Silicon Oasis, Office 410, SIT Tower, Dubai