First check what the requirements are for you child's age, the British Curriculum is now on line for you to view. Also  available is the Department for Education and Employment website and QCA, they work in conjunction with the British Government and have a simple layout plan of what is required. Also on the DfEE site  you will find a Home Schooling officer to contact who can offer assist  in what you need to know. After requiring these things find out as much as you can about any help available for Home Scholars (sometimes the offer catalogues, websites for downloads and recommend books.). Discuss with them any options available to you and asked them for the  News Letter or File that the British Government has recently publish for Home Scholars. It may seem overwhelming at first but insha Allah you will get the hang of it, especially as time goes by. If you find that something is not working for you and your child don't be afraid to change it and find something else that works for both of you.  It's a dynamic process and you are rarely ever cornered into sticking with your initial plan. Solicitate support from your husband and other family members but don't open yourself to criticism by friends, relatives or neighbors who are not keen on the idea of homeschooling. REMINDER: You are doing what's best for your child's upbringing. You need all the support you can get and sometimes you may think about forming a group with other sisters in the same situation, but don't jump for this idea until you have things sorted and organize with your own child and sticking to that routine. However you may join for one day in a week where you go on field trips or just have a tea party. It all depends of the frame of mind you have and how organize you are so that everything gets done in it's appropriate time eg. house work (it's a matter of sanity!) and for homeschooling preparations. I find my Reception Class prep and schooling time is minimal. The higher levels takes a bit of time and preparation, but try and focus on what you will reap at the end Insha Allah

Second decide on how you are going to implement the Curriculum to suit the Islamic Values and principals, you and your child. Join a Home Schooling sisters group if there is one in your area. This is a chance to exchange ideas and have a break to recuperate and have fresh ideas. The advantage of this is to know that you are not alone and give you the chance to have fieldtrips and for your kids to interact with other Muslim children. Whom you know the level of behavior and discipline and this limits the option of bad influences on your child. You should remember that what works for one family, or even one child, may not work for another. Be sure to ask for specific advice and if you can borrow a book for a couple days, it will give you a good chance to really look at it and see if it is something that you can use. It's nice to see a book before you buy it.

Third determine which subjects you can teach and which areas you will need help in. Maybe you need help in teaching your child Arabic check the Internet for Arabic programs, there are some sites with free download. Or you may know of a sister you can help. Try and arrange a schedule with her or see if she can help, you may offer to pay her for her time at a reasonable prize, don't be afraid to ask.

Fourth Find other Home Schooling Sisters or Sisters who are teachers and ask them for  advice on how to go about things or just for support. We are growing now and understand the importance of this area. Also if you are both  well established in this field maybe you can form a group, or ask her if she could offer you some training and teaching tips.

Fifth Purchase the resources you will need to teach with. You can do this from on line book stores like lettsteds, ginn, or use on line materials which you can download on your computer or things which you can print. You can do curriculum swap with sisters or ask them to copy some of the materials  they use. This will help you save money. Insha Allah

Sixth Start Teaching and follow your heart and let it be your guide. Make a lot of du'a for this journey to be a successful one. And put your trust in Allah and yourself that what you are doing is the right thing: which is taking care of your responsibilities which Allah has placed on you as the Mother educator of your child.

Golden Rules

1) Don't be afraid to change what you are doing if it's not working.

2) Stop before your child wants to.

3) Tune into your child's needs remember you not just teaching a subject but a child you has emotions and feelings.

4) Don't push your own a gender let your child lead you "sometimes" and don't think your child is going too slow it's most likely that he/she is above the recommend level.

5) Have a lot of patience and give a lot of praise, encouragement and little reprimand and follow a reprimand with a good comment. REMINDER: your child isn't bad or lazy or dumb or silly or an idiot but their actions a times represents these statements but not the child.

6) Be very careful to explain what you are teaching the child in a manner that he/she understands, their brains are much different from ours.

7) Always try to make your lessons enjoyable and fun you Don't need to use books all the time to teach your child there are a lot of options available to you. REMINDER  A  happy child learns quickly.

8) Enjoy yourself it's a wonderful experience for your child and you Masha Allah

9)Homeschooling can either be done individually (one on one) or cooperatively where moms take turns teaching the group of students. Each mom needs to decide if this is something she and her child are ready for. It takes dedication and commitment to make it work. Do you have the time or can make sacrifices or adjustments to free up enough time? Also make sure your husband is supportive of this idea.

10)Some advantages of cooperatively homeschooling is that you pool effort, time and experience. The moms learn from each other in teaching ideas and techniques. It also gives your child other children to learn with. Some disadvantages are that you have to cooperate and organize with others and that alone does take time and effort. You may also choose to cooperatively teach certain subjects and then teach other subjects at home on your own. Projects, science and arts are fun to do as a group and they can be quite a bit of work to do on your own but if each mom brings something to share, you can save lots of time. Isha Allah. and even if you don't do this you could still exchange curriculum ideas.

Contacts for help and Assistance

Diane Barrington in the DfES's home education unit on 020 7925 5812.

dfee@prolog.uk.com

Information.PEU@dfes.gsi.gov.uk

dhuggins@cfbt-hq.org.uk