Choose the best home education curriculum provider for your child: Here’s how

You’ve decided to educate your child at home. And, whether it was because you live far from a school, your child is struggling academically, is being bullied, or needs a flexible schedule, home education can provide an alternative solution. Now, you just have to choose a curriculum provider. And, while there are many benefits of using a curriculum provider, you want to make sure you pick the one that best fits your needs. Below, we list some of the questions you would want to ask to ensure you choose the best curriculum provider for your child. 

Does the curriculum provider offer a structured curriculum?

While you can choose to educate your child at home without a structured curriculum, following a carefully organised study plan will make your job as an instructor that much easier. Home education curriculum providers such as Impaq provide all the lesson material and easy-to-understand facilitator guides you need to help your child complete Grade R to 12 at home.

Do they offer a recognised qualification?

This might be the most important question to ask. You don’t want to do all the work only to find out that the qualification is not recognised. Impaq’s lesson materials are aligned with the national curriculum (CAPS). This means that at the end of Grade 12 your child will receive a National Senior Certificate (NSC) – just like if she had been attending a public school. Impaq facilitates the process for the parent and registers Grade 10 to 12 learners with the examination board, SACAI.

Can my child integrate back into school, if required?

If you follow another curriculum that is not aligned with the national curriculum (CAPS), your child might find it difficult to integrate back into a public/private school. Impaq follows the CAPS curriculum, which is used in most public/private schools in South Africa. This makes it easy for learners to return to school should they need to do so.

Has the curriculum provider proven themselves in the market?

Educating your child at home is a big decision. You want to ensure that you choose a reputable curriculum provider. Impaq is owned by the PSG Group and has over 17 years’ experience in the home education market. More than 18 000 learners make use of Impaq’s products and services and have achieved academic success.

Do the curriculum provider’s values and beliefs align with my own?

Choosing to educate your child at home provides you with an opportunity to instil personal beliefs, values and ethics in your children. It is important then that the curriculum provider that you select, has the same values. Impaq has its learners’ best interest at heart. They deal with controversial topics, such as the proposed inclusion of sex education in the Life Skills curriculum, in an age-appropriate and sensitive manner. Impaq respects the role and rights of parents to decide what is best for their children.

Does the curriculum provider offer additional support?

It’s important to look at all the services that the curriculum provider has to offer. Impaq offers additional support through the following services:

• Assessments and examinations. Impaq provides the assessments and examinations you would need to assess your child’s progress.
• Education specialists. Impaq’s education specialists will guide you and your child on your learning journey and answer any academic queries.
• Online support. Impaq helps parents take care of administrative duties such as capturing marks, generating reports and monitoring their child’s progress through their online portal, my.Impaq. Their Guided Learning platform helps Grade 8 to 12 learners prepare for examinations with video content, quizzes and online tutoring in selected subjects.
• Supplementary products. Impaq provides supplementary products to help your child achieve academic success. Cami offers a collection of fun and interactive educational software programs. The programs can help your child excel in Maths, and improve her reading, literacy and perceptual skills. While the Quanta Book series helps Physical Sciences learners prepare for tests and examinations.
• Access to tutor support. Find a tutor near you to help your child on his learning journey. Impaq provides access to a national network of tutors.

Related: https://impaq.co.za/how-do-i-choose-a-tutor-for-my-child/

Choosing the right curriculum provider comes down to your specific needs. Luckily there is no right or wrong. Determine what you want or need most from a curriculum provider and then choose the one that fits those needs most closely.