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While many home educators don't use distance learning provision some find it useful especially when their children are older and considering examinations. There are a number of suppliers in the UK of varying quality. The costs can vary significantly as will the quality of provision. In particular I would recommend that parents considered the following issues: Cost can vary widely, is there a discount for Home educated children? What is actually being provided, in particular with course materials and tutorial support? Are there limits to support? what happens if your child fails the exam -do they offer the course for free or a discount should your child fail the first time? Does this rout fit into the ethos of your family, how flexible is it, does it suit your child what teaching methods are being employed? If a child falls ill will they carry forward the course to another year? If your child has any special needs are they able to adapt their provision? What do other home educators say about the service? You should ask on the mailing lists if anyone has experience of them. The National Extension College is the UK's premier provider of home study courses. The NEC, a registered educational charity, has for many years provided support for parents who have chosen to educate their children at home. NEC offer a wide range of subjects leading to mainstream qualifications such as 22 GCSEs and 23 'A' Levels. Recently they have branched out to provide 5 new Getting Started courses and Tutoring on Line for adults. NEC courses are accredited by the Open and Distance Learning Quality Council. They are written by experts and their tutor support has a good reputation. NEC offer professional support for up to two years from the time of enrolment. Many home educators have made use of their service with successful results: ‘We found your staff most helpful and obliging. Their friendly, yet professional, manner was most reassuring, and helped us feel more confident about what would otherwise have been a daunting experience – home educating our son to achieve 9 GCSEs. We have also been impressed by the standard of tutors employed.’ Mr Chris Regan and Mrs Chris Regan, parents of Simon Regan, aged 16 'My children have used them for three or four exam courses with good results. We found the quality of their materials to be high.' Mike F-W I cannot recommend the following sites as I've never used their resources and cannot vouch for them. Many of them are US sites. However they have been mentioned by home educators in the past. Boston school cerritos.edu/JSWANSON/E100Home www.rio.maricopa.edu online.uophx.edu www.ecotohio.org www.champgroup.com/MSAL aduni.org/ www.worldwidelearn.com sosmath.com taste.merlot.org www.alike.com www.u4all.com distance-educator.com distancelearn.about.com ce.byu.edu/is opencampus.com