IGCSE Exams Results Success

Aug 14

AmandaExams, Success Stories , , No Comments

Stephanie has just received her IGCSE exam results and we are celebrating!
She got 4 x A in the subjects that she took in June. These were all with the CIE board.

  • English Language (A)
  • Geography (A)
  • Environmental Management (A)
  • Biology (A)

These are added to the 3 she passed in November 2009.

  • Chemistry (C)
  • Physics (C)
  • Maths (B)

This gives her everything she needs to meet the conditions of the offer from the College to study her chosen subjects at A-Level.

We have had some interesting conversations with different people as to the comparison between GCSEs and IGCSEs. When Stephanie first went for an interview at the College, she was told that GCSEs and IGCSEs are exactly the same and count in exactly the same way for points scoring.

Other sources of information would indicate that the IGCSE is counted as a grade higher.

Either way, it does not really matter. She has got what she needs and we are all absolutely delighted.

Well done Stephanie!

Amanda Goldston

Goldston Family Successes

Mar 02

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We have been home educating since 2007 and in that time, Stephanie and Jacqueline have done a lot of things, which we would class as “Success Stories” and we are immensely proud of them.

You can see all our activities on our main blog  – www.goldstonstonacademyfortheinsane.com

Some of them include:

  • IGCSE exams passed with Grade A – English Language, Biology, Geography and Environmental Management (Stephanie)
  • LAMDA Speech and Drama Exams (Stephanie Grade 6, Jacqueline Grade 5) with a variety of grades, including several Merit and Distinction Grades
  • IGCSE Exams  Passed- Maths, Chemistry and Physics (Stephanie)
  • Baden Powell Challenge – The highest award a Girl Guide can achieve (Jacqueline)
  • Played Guitar and Drums in a rock band concert for raising money for Children in Need
  • Jacqueline has had a poem about GirlGuiding published by Forward Press in their 25th anniversary edition for the Midlands
  • Jacqueline had a poem selected for Forward Press Book of Animal Antics 2010
  • Jacqueline has had an article published on BBC Press Pack
  • Stephanie and Jacqueline set up their own websites. You can see Jacqueline’s photography site at www.pawingphotographs.com
  • Team Building exercises including Crate stacking and High Tower at Blackwell Court
  • Dancing as part of the Military Tattoo at the NEC (Stephanie)
  • Taking part in several Stagecoach performances and other Drama productions

Stephanie is going to College in September and has plans to go onto University after that. Jacqueline is planning to go to a Drama school. When I made enquiries I was told that the centre has had home educated children before and that “it had worked out very well.”

Home educated children can do whatever they wish in their lives. Home Education is certainly not a barrier, in fact, home educated children seem to be welcomed into Colleges and Universities, if that is the route that children choose.

Please share your success stories.

With abundant blessings.

Amanda Goldston

Welcome to Home Education Success Stories

Mar 02

AmandaUncategorized , , , No Comments

As a Home Educating parent in the UK. I have got heartily sick of all the attacks on Home Education.

These have included, but are not limited to,  blanket accusations (and twisted data) by the DCSF that home educated children are hidden away at home and subject to abuse, neglect, domestic servitude and forced marriage; declarations by the TES (Times Educational Supplement) that more than 45% of home educated children are not receiving a suitable education: assertions that a “high proportion” of s0-called NEETS (16-19 year olds who are Not in Education, Employment or Training and other nonsensical drivel made up by the DCSF and happily regurgitated by mainstream media.

So I decided to gather together a collection of SUCCESS stories about young people who have been, or currently are, home educated.

This was sparked by a remark by my 13 year old, Jacqueline, who said “Why don’t they look at people who have been home educated who have made something of their lives, instead of just attacking all the time?”

She went went on to cite a few quite high profile people who have been home educated or home schooled, including singer and actress Miley Cyrus, actress Vanessa Hodgson and singer Taylor Swift.

She has a very valid point.

I have met hundreds of people, both online and offline, who have shared the success stories of home educated children, both their own and other people’s.

I think it would be a great idea to share those successes with the world at large.

Success is defined simply as a child or children accomplishign something that he/she/they set out to do.

Some examples might be:

  • Academic achievement in the form of exams or recognised courses, such as GCSEs, IGCSEs, A-Levels, Open University, ECD etc
  • College and / or University courses – with or without formal exams
  • Happily working in  their chosen career or business
  • Other recognised awards such as Arts Award or LAMDA
  • Awards for Duke of Edinburgh, Baden Powell Challenge (Guides), Scouting awards, Awards in young people’s organisations
  • Achievements in Music, Singing, Drama,  writing, Arts, Sciences, Sport
  • Any other success story

If you have a success story that you would like to share, I would love to publish it here on this blog. Please include as much or as little detail as you feel is appropriate.

The only criteria is that the story must be true.

All stories and photos remain the copyright of the person who submitted them.