Personal Statement
Educational OverviewWhy I Was Home EducatedGallery

Educational Overview & History

As a full-time home educated student, I invested my time between sitting International GCSEs with an equal investment in many other academic, creative, fitness-related, and entrepreneurial independent home education projects, outside the National Curriculum. An overview of some of my achievements, and my educational history, is detailed below.

International GCSE Grades & General Certifications

The International GCSEs that I have sat, along with my awarded grades, are:

  • GCSE (OCR) in Art and Design, sat in Spring 2023: Awarded Grade 9. I was graded 100% in my Exam module. The examiner's comment on my final exam piece was that it was of 'A-Level standard'. To view my final pieces, see the gallery.
  • International GCSE (Edexcel) in English Language, sat in Autumn 2023: Awarded Grade 8. My final markings were one mark below the Grade 9 boundary.
  • International GCSE (Edexcel) in Higher Tier Mathematics, Summer 2024: Awarded Grade 9.
  • International GCSE (CIE) in Computer Science, Summer 2024: Awarded Grade 9. I received the highest mark out of all applicants at FareGos Examination Centre.
  • International GCSE (Edexcel) in Biology, Summer 2024: Awarded Grade 9.

My GCSE exam centre: FareGos Home Education and Examination Centre, Titchfield, Hants.

Other certifications I have been awarded include:

  • Youth Digital (Apex Learning) — Digital Fashion Design
  • Financial Literacy Curriculum, by MoneyTime — (Endorsed by International Financial Literacy Award standards) https://www.moneytime.co.nz/
  • The National Indoor Climbing Achievement Scheme: NICAS 1 Award
  • British Amateur Gymnastics Association (BAGA): at the highly reputable Dynamo Gym (the gym used by local Olympian gymnasts), Hamble. Weekly gymnastics training and lessons, over several years. Achieved multiple awards, up to BAGA Silver Floor Award.

Areas of Interest, Achievements & Leisure

  • Traditional art and design, including having attended lessons, courses, GCSE Art & Design (Grade 9), and for leisure.
  • Global Roots Mural Mosaic Project — England Connects 2024: I painted and contributed a tile to England’s latest mural mosaic. You can view my blue-tones rhino tile (number 945) in the finished mural here: https://www.muralmosaic.com/england/. Alternatively, see my tile in the gallery.
  • Silver clay jewellery making: I attended an introductory workshop with artist Sam Alford of Poema Crafts.
  • Soapstone jewellery making: I attended a few lessons with artist Kate Burgin.
  • Pottery: for several years, I attended lessons for both wheel-throwing and hand-building, with professional potter and tutor, Maisie Jones, at the pottery wheel studio in Choice Plants, Romsey.
  • Art Clubs: I attend a fortnightly art club with other home educated students, run by professional artist and teacher, Kate Burgin.
  • Digital art and graphics design, using Procreate and Figma. I have also followed multiple online tutorials on using design software, and creating digital art.
  • Etsy: I launched an ongoing Etsy store, called DoodlesDesignArt, where I sell downloadable digital vector designs (made on Figma) and Print On Demand (POD) products.
  • Entrepreneurship: I have grown up in a family where I have been exposed daily to entrepreneurship, because my parents run a Digital Marketing consultancy. I am starting training, to make some extra income for myself, in Landing Page Creation, with a focus on UX Design. I also completed an online Udemy course, Introduction to Entrepreneurship, by the company Kidpreneurs.
  • Ukulele-playing at an intermediate level, self-taught by internet tutorials.
  • Acoustic guitar playing, using fingerstyle technique, self-taught by internet tutorials.
  • Cooking and baking, often focusing on vegetarian or pescatarian Asian Cuisine. I prepare meals from scratch, using whole raw ingredients, twice a week. Additionally, as part of a home-ed group, I attended a several-month weekly cookery course at Clare's Cuisine Ltd, Home Cookery School.
  • Aerial silks: I am currently attending weekly lessons (and have been for six years) where I am taught by the professional coaches at Aerial Southampton; I additionally practise at home on my own aerial rig.
  • Ultimate Frisbee playing, and amateur coaching, at our HET (Home Educated Teens) Sports and Youth Group, for five years.
  • Fitness: I have cultivated my interest in fitness over the years by jogging, weight-lifting, strength training, etc.
  • Learning about Rubik’s and other logic and pattern-based puzzles. My personal-best solving time for the traditional 3x3x3 speed cube is 40 seconds, and 10 seconds for the 2x2x2.
  • Learning about human psychology, evolutionary psychology, anthropology, and philosophy, by reading books, watching documentaries, and by having conversations with family.
  • Learning about animal psychology. Alongside exploring theories behind animal behaviour, I take interest in training my dog, and watching documentaries on animal cognition. I also like to make various animals the subjects in my artwork; my aim is to portray the soulfulness of each animal I depict.
  • Reading both fiction and non-fiction (for example on psychology, evolution, and athletes’ biographies)
  • Watching documentaries, movies, and YouTube videos on subjects such as psychology, maths, riddles, paradoxes, and evolution. (For example, through the V-Sauce YouTube channel, the TED-Ed YouTube channel, Brain Games on Netflix, The Hidden Lives of Pets on Netflix, and 2016 film Hidden Figures.)
  • Gaming, with emphasis on video games that involve creativity and design, such as The Sims 4, Animal Crossing New Horizons, and Minecraft.
  • Visiting theme parks and water parks regularly.

Art, Design & Entrepreneurship

  • GCSE (OCR) in Art and Design — Awarded Grade 9. I was marked 194/200 (97%). To view my final pieces, see the gallery.
  • International GCSE (Edexcel) in English Language — Awarded Grade 8.
  • Observational photography, for my Art and Design GCSE coursework and exam preparation.
  • Years of creating personal art projects (see gallery), often surrounding themes of endangered animals, mainly focusing on using graphite pencils, acrylics, gouache, watercolours, fabric, modelling paste, and clay (both air-dry clay and pottery clay).
  • Painting and contribution of a tile to the Global Roots Mural Mosaic Project — England Connects 2024. You can view my blue-tones rhino tile (number 945) in the finished mural here: https://www.muralmosaic.com/england/. Alternatively, see my tile in the gallery.
  • Creation of digital artwork, using Procreate, with an iPad Air and Apple Pencil (see gallery).
  • Designing of vector illustrations, using Figma (see gallery).
  • Running an online Etsy store called 'Doodles Design Art', selling digital downloadable vector illustrations to the global Etsy markets. I have made 25 sales to date. Whilst I recently consolidated the number of products I have listed on Etsy, I intend to run this store long-term, and expand onto print design and print-on-demand products, of which I have a small amount of experience with already.
  • Studying the Youth Digital (Apex Learning) Digital Fashion Design online course, using Inkscape design software.
  • Attendance of a fortnightly art club/workshop, with other home-educated students, run by professional artist and GCSE teacher, Kate Burgin.
  • Participation in Home-Ed Creatives course (for several months), run by professional artist and tutor, Veronica Williams.
  • Brought up with an immersive education in entrepreneurship, media and business, as a result of my parents' Digital Marketing and UX Design Consultancy.
  • Training in progress for Junior Contractor and Trainee (in UX Design-based Landing Page Creation) for NerveCentral Limited, a digital marketing consultancy, founded by my parents.
  • Theming and designing interiors and exteriors, as well as character design, in various creative video games, such as The Sims 4, Animal Crossing New Horizons, and Minecraft.
  • Designing interior spaces: I planned the style, colour and textural theming of my bedroom recently, by using Pinterest and Procreate. I was given a budget by my parents, I purchased all the items I needed, and painted and styled my bedroom myself. I also often watch Interior Design programmes and videos.

Sport & Physical Education

Current — Lessons or Coached Sessions in:

  • Field sports games, with a primary focus on Ultimate Frisbee matches, and also Handball and Touch Rugby.
  • Aerial Silks (aerial acrobatics, suspended on specialist fabric ‘ropes’, hanging from a ceiling rig), for which I attend weekly lessons with the professional trainers at Aerial Southampton, additionally practising at home on my own aerial rig.
  • Weight-lifting at the gym and at home (with my father, who specialised in Sports Management in New Zealand, and who used to run a personal fitness consultancy).
  • Inline Skating

Previously or Less Frequently — Sport Clubs, Lessons, or One-off Session:

  • Weekly lessons for several years of BAGA Gymnastics training, and multiple awards (up to Silver Floor Award) at the highly reputable Dynamo Gym in Hamble.
  • Rock climbing (both belay, and more prominently bouldering) at Golden Gecko Climbing Ltd, where I achieved The National Indoor Climbing Achievement Scheme — NICAS 1 Award.
  • Orienteering & Camping (in Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award training)
  • Parkour lessons
  • Badminton
  • Off-road cycling
  • Ice Skating
  • Trampolining
  • Kayaking
  • Swimming
  • Jogging
  • Skateboarding
  • Archery
  • Paddleboarding
  • Bodyboarding
  • Volleyball
  • Assault courses
  • Laser-tag

Social Groups & Sport Clubs, Organised by my Family and I

My family and I launched, organised, promoted, and fully managed the following home education groups:

  • Home Educated Teens (HET) Hangout, Hants & Wessex — Facebook Group for social events for home educated teenagers (2018 — Present)
  • HET Sports and Youth Group: Weekly field sports sessions for home educated teenagers, focusing on Ultimate Frisbee, followed by a Youth Group social event (2020 — Present)
  • Wednesday Teen Social Group: Weekly sports and physical activity social group, that took place in a different sports centre or venue, each week (2020–2022)

Earlier Years (Primary) Educational Overview

  • Attended the Expression Education Independent Micro-school (Director: Zoe Burgess) weekly for one year.
  • Attended the weekly Tuesday Academics Group: Home Education Romsey Learning Co-Operative. Studies included science and experiments, psychology, history, citizenship, cultural studies, environmental management, geography, drama, entrepreneurship, and cookery small group studies.
  • Attended the weekly Romsey Home Education Sports, Art-and-Crafts and Social Group.
  • The Guide Association / Girlguiding: Attended weekly meetings as a member of Rainbows, Brownies and then Guides. I also volunteered, as a Guide, to assist my local Brownies.
  • Weekly lessons, for several years, of BAGA Gymnastics training at the highly reputable Dynamo Gym, Hamble. Achieved multiple awards, up to BAGA Silver Floor Award.
  • Music lessons for flute and piano (beginner)
  • Italian online lessons for beginners
  • Cooking and baking, both at home and at Clare's Cuisine Ltd, Home Cookery School, where I attended the several-month weekly cookery course as part of a home-ed group.
  • Arts and Crafts
  • Coding on MIT’s Scratch
  • Kidpreneurs Academy course (Udemy.com)
  • A wide range of sports and exercise (see above)

Educational Outings, Workshops, and Field Trips — Both in Home-ed Groups and Independently:

  • Science Zone UK
  • Eden Project (Cornwall)
  • National History Museum
  • Fossil hunting and excavating at Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre
  • Butser Ancient Farm
  • Winchester Science Centre
  • The Discovery Centre, Bracknell
  • Tudor House, Southampton
  • Bursledon Windmill, Southampton
  • Harry Potter Studios, London
  • Marwell Zoo
  • The New Forest Wildlife Centre
  • Planetarium, Southampton University
  • Oceanography Open Days, Southampton University
  • The Living Rainforest, Reading
  • Titanic Exhibition, Southampton
  • Bournemouth Aquarium
  • Local libraries