Elective Home Educated Scheme

At South Devon College we run a very successful and popular Elective Home Education programme, which is designed to meet the needs of the home educating community in South Devon.

We offer a supportive and aspirational provision which allows us to help every student realise their goals and ambitions. Our courses are designed to offer progression routes to further education, apprenticeships and employment. Delivered over three days per week, supporting the learning and development of students aged 14-16 (years 10 and 11) who are home educated, achieve maths, English and science qualifications as well as a technical qualification in an area of their choice, please see the list below for our current academic and technical options (please note, these are subject to change each year).

If you are interested in this programme for your child, we would encourage you to attend one of our College open events where you can meet staff and see some of the facilities on offer.

If your child is registered with your Local Authority as home educated and will be in school year 10 or 11 in September, you can apply for a place on our course. Applications open in September 2025 and close on Thursday 2nd March 2026. Applications received after this time will not be considered. The closing day will be subject to change if we reach capacity for available places.

All home educated students accessing the provision have full access to the College facilities including the Library, catering outlets, Safeguarding & Wellbeing support, access to the maths and English Hub, and a personal tutor. Parent evenings are held across the academic year where tutors are available to discuss your child’s progress in their chosen courses.

How to Apply

Applications for academic year 26/27 are now closed

Once you have applied you will be invited in to one of our Interview Evenings where you will meet the team and have the opportunity to have a tour of the College and find out more about the range of courses that we offer. All applications are assessed for suitability by our admissions panel prior to offers being made.

Following an offer of a place, your child will be invited to a range of induction events to help them settle into the College environment.

Support

South Devon College are able to offer a wide range of support to ensure that students are able enjoy their studies and to meet their full potential with us. If you feel your child may require any additional support, please let us know this during our Interview Evenings.

Travel

As a student of South Devon College you are entitled to apply for a discounted bus pass through the College. You can purchase termly or annually through our online store, please see link below.

Find Out More

Courses currently on offer:

Academic

GCSE Maths
GCSE English
Level 1 Social Sciences
BTEC Level 1 Introductory Applied Science
Entry Level 3 and Level 1 Functional Skills Maths
Entry Level 3 and Level 1 Functional Skills English

Technical

Animal Care
Automotive
Art
Catering
Childcare
Construction (multi-trade)
Digital Media
Hair and Beauty
Health and Social Care
Marine
Sport

FAQs

Is the course exclusively for home educated students?

Yes, this course is exclusively for home educated students.

I am not registered with my Local Authority as home educating, can I still apply?

To be eligible to apply your young person would need to be:

Off roll with their current education provider
Registered with your Local Authority as elective home educated for a minimum of 12 months
Being actively home educated
All applications must be submitted by 02/03/2026 to be considered for September entry.

Can I join the course part way through an academic year if I decide to take my child out of school for any reason?

No, we only accept new students onto our course who have been through our admissions process to commence at the start of the academic year in September.

Is there a deadline for applications?

Yes. Applications for the following academic year open at the end of September and close on Thursday 2nd March 2026. Applications submitted beyond this date will not be considered.

I don’t live in South Devon, can I still apply?

Yes you can. We do not have a ‘catchment area’, however, we would encourage you to consider practicalities for your child around travelling to and from college, a typical day starts at 9.15am and ends at 3.30pm.

Where is the course based?

The course runs at our Paignton Campus, Long Road, TQ4 7EJ.

Is there a cost for this course?

The course is free to all students, we will however ask you to purchase personal protective clothing for your child for their technical qualification practical activities. You will also be expected to fund your child’s transport, food while they are at college and could be asked to contribute towards any planned trips.

At school my child received free school meals, do you supply free school meals?

Unfortunately, the College does not receive funding to be able to offer free school meals for the home educated provision. Your child will still be ‘Home Educated’ and therefore all costs are expected to be met by the parent/carer. Lunch or money for lunch will need to be provided each day.

At school my child had free transport, do you offer free transport?

Unfortunately, the College does not receive funding to be able to offer free transport for the home educated provision. Your child will still be ‘Home Educated’ and therefore all costs are expected to be met by the parent/carer. You are able to apply for discounted bus passes through the college website.

Is there an entry assessment?

No. We assess each applicant by speaking with them about their prior experiences and confidence levels in English, maths and science. This also helps us to decide which level of English, maths and science qualifications are most appropriate to enrol on to.

What are typical class sizes like?

Group sizes vary across the timetable as students take different options, however the maximum group size is 25, for the majority of classes it is fewer than this.

Which days would my child be at College?

The timetable varies year on year so the days cannot be confirmed until closer to September, however the course is 3 days per week. Typically, lessons commence at 9.15am and finish at 3.30pm.

Can my child only participate in part of the course, e.g. just the technical element or just the GCSEs?

No. The course is run over three days and requires your child to enrol for the whole programme. It is designed to meet the home educated criteria of being ‘age-appropriate and matched to ability and interests’.

Which exam boards do you use for maths and English?

GCSE Maths is Edexcel
GCSE English is WJEC

These are all subject to change each academic year.

Is this a one year or a two year course?

If a student starts with us in Year 10, they will remain on course for two years. If they commence in Year 11, they will remain on this course for 1 year and then move on to post-16 education.

My child has an EHCP, are they able to access this course?

When a child is home educated, the support funding a school/college would receive to put support in place to meet an individuals need is not available. As there is no support funding, any child with an EHCP will need to be assessed individually as to whether or not the College are able to meet the support needs in the EHCP without government funding. Unfortunately, if we assess that we are not able to meet the support needs without the funding, we will not be able to offer a place.

My child is 15, but I would prefer them to go into Year 10 rather than Year 11 – is this possible?

No. Each child can only enrol on the course based on their actual age as at 31st August.

What happens after year 11?

We provide independent Advice and Guidance (IAG) in year 11 to all of our home educated students. You will be offered an appointment with our Helpzone team and CSW Group to discuss next steps and support will be offered with applications to post 16 courses, apprenticeships or employment either at South Devon College or beyond.

To find out more about South Devon College’s Elective Home Education provision please call 01803 540455 or email [email protected]