A family who have home-schooled their seven children have shared their recipe for success after their 12 year old son achieved the one of the highest grades in his maths GCSEs. Ariya Simmonds has a passion for chemistry and maths, and dreams about a career in coding after achieving 8 in his exam, which is the equivalent of A star.
His parents Francesca Updale, 35, and Benjamin Simmonds, 43, of Top Valley, said they took the decision to home-school their seven children after they became "disappointed" by the traditional education route. They decided to take the plunge and opt for home-schooling and they have never looked back.
Their oldest daughter Akia took her GCSE maths exam three years early and received a 7 in the new grading system. Their successful style of learning was once again confirmed by Ariya, who aced his maths exam.
READ MORE: Live GCSE updates as Nottinghamshire pupils receive their grades
Speaking of the success, Mrs Updale added: "We always said that our children's education comes first. So that is when we took the decision to home-school our children.
"We are lucky because my husband is self-employed, so we had that luxury. He was the one who sacrificed the most.
"Maybe some other families cannot do that, especially in the households where both parents have full-time jobs. I feel like we would have done the same thing either way because their education is what matters the most."
The parents, also home educators, said they follow the national curriculum, although the learning hours may differ. They have to pay for all the books and materials, as well as subscriptions to various online websites.
"There is quite a lot of tutors on YouTube as well, obviously for free, which is very helpful. We decided to follow the curriculum in case the children will go n back to traditional education", Mrs Updale added.
"The learning hours are usually the same, Monday to Friday. But that might change for example if it is warm on a Wednesday and we decide we want to have a barbecue outside instead.
"The children also have two more hours of learning on Saturday, and four on a Sunday. So they actually do more than what they would do in school."
Mrs Updale, who is now pregnant with her eight child, said the children "are far ahead" because their home itself is a "learning environment". Their four year old daughter can already read, and Ariya is halfway through memorising the periodic table.
The mum added: "It is definitely a sacrifice. My partner had to scale right back on his self employment.
"He actually got kicked out of school at 12 years old and has no formal education. So for both of us, education is paramount.
"I had to do my GCSEs at school, but then I had to pull out of college because I was pregnant with Kia, my oldest child. So because of everything we have been through, we want to make sure we fulfil our children's potential."
Alongside their academic studies, the children attend extracurricular activities to extend their social circle. Ariya attends boxing and rugby classes.
"We are aware that they do not get social interaction at school, so the way they interact with other children is through sporting activities", added Mr Simmonds. "Not being in school helps them more because certain views can have a negative impact on their learning.
"Some children may say maths is boring, or they do not enjoy a specific subject. This way, we deliver the education and our perception on education."
Ariya Simmonds added: "The papers were pretty easy this year, so I knew I'd get an 8 or 9. Maths has always been a passion of mine, so I knew I would ace the GCSE."
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