'You Can Sit With Us': The Devon couple bringing home educating families together

From social coffee meetups to an online directory, Caron and Adam Agatowski are on a mission to make home education feel less isolating.

For Caron and Adam, home education has brought their family closer together.

But when they first took their daughter out of school, they discovered that finding their place within the home education community was not always easy.

The couple are now using their own experiences to help other families navigate the same journey, creating two initiatives designed to make home education feel less intimidating.

Over the past year, they have launched HED Hub, ‘The UK’s fastest growing directory for home educating families’ and You Can Sit With Us, a community which brings like-minded families together twice a month in Paignton and Exeter.

The aim is simple: help families access reliable information, discover local activities and connect with others, without fear of judgement.

With around 3,500 children being home educated across Devon, the need for accessible information and supportive communities is increasingly important.

Around a year ago, Adam and Caron took their daughter out of school and decided to home educate her after finding that mainstream education was not working for her.

Since making this change, they have seen a positive difference.

It has allowed them to prioritise what is important for their daughter and has given them more freedom to spend time together.

They said: “As a small family, our relationship has deepened.”

“It works for us.”

The couple also challenged the common stereotype that home educated children struggle to socialise, explaining that this has not been their experience.

They said: “Our daughter has got the best group of friends.”

“She Interacts with lots of people of different ages, so socialising is something we don't have to worry about.”

While home education was working well for their family, Caron and Adam found that there was still something missing.

When researching home education and trying to finding their place, the couple discovered that joining an established community could sometimes feel daunting, particularly when so much communication takes place through social media.

Adam said: “As newcomers, we found that it wasn't always easy to find our place or know where to look for support and opportunities.”

“There's a lot of judgement in the world these days and if you're a parent it's a very daunting prospect.”

“There are lots of fantastic communities out there, but we'd love to see more opportunities for families to connect, collaborate and feel included.”

They also noticed that useful information could be difficult to find online, particularly on social media where personal opinions can sometimes overshadow practical advice.

Having spoken to other families experiencing similar difficulties, Caron and Adam noticed a clear gap and began considering what they could do.

Adam said: “What can we do to bridge the gap?”

Having previously owned a successful detailing business in Torquay, the couple were no strangers to entrepreneurship.

HED Hub was launched in September 2026, a website that Adam and Caron say is essentially the “yellow pages for home ed” and can be accessed with a monthly membership of £3.

The directory provides a host of functions, including a smart, intuitive search tool, allowing for people to make specific searches related to their needs.

Adam provided an example of a search.

He said: “I’ve got a child that’s 8 years old and has some additional needs. She loves being outdoors, what's on regularly on a Tuesday which she may like?”

The website will generate personalised suggestions, with the aim of making life easier for those who may feel daunted by home educating for the first time.

He explained that it gives families the freedom of choice on how they want to find their information and where they want to go, rather than being funnelled into having to do it a certain way.

He said: “It gives people who don’t want to use social media another option.”

“Algorithms are so difficult, things are missed.”

The site also provides an events calendar with up-to-date listings so that home educating families can find out what’s available to them.

For example, upcoming events, local activities, workshops and listings of trusted resources, local services and businesses that are ‘home ed aware’.

Exclusive membership perks and discounts also come with the membership through partnerships that the couple have built personally with local businesses.

When speaking about the membership, Adam and Caron said: “We aren't just focused on maximizing profits, we want to really provide the local community with something important.”

As part of the business, they also plan to take out a percentage of earnings each month to put back into their community from early 2027.

For instance, funding 10 spaces for children in forest school, or 20 hours of tutoring.

For Caron and Adam, the ambitions for HED Hub are high.

They hope that one day the database will expand nationwide, becoming available in every county with local teams managing the website in each area, creating jobs within the community.

The other side of their initiative is You Can Sit With Us, a group that connects home educating families together.

They host free coffee socials twice a month - one in Paignton and one in Exeter.

Here, families who home educate or those considering it can come together for a chat over a hot drink.

While both the children and adults enjoy these meetups, Caron and Adam particularly emphasise the positive impact it has on parents.

They said: “It can be easy to put kids in a room and ask them to play, but for lots of adults social anxiety is a real thing and is something we have all experienced in our lives - having someone hosting and holding the space for people when they can go or please, watch from afar and are welcomed at the door is really important.”

“We try to make everyone feel welcome.”

The Paignton coffee social is particularly popular, with as many as 10-12 families attending and getting to know each other.

Caron and Adam have found that “Connecting people and bringing people together, on whatever part of their journey they are on” has been very rewarding.

They have also found it useful from a business-perspective, helping them to learn more about what is needed in the home education community.

A particularly proud moment for the couple was the organisation of a ‘Berry Nice Picnic’ at Berry Pomeroy castle that sold out all 40 (free) tickets.

The exciting event brought families together to enjoy everything the English Heritage site has to offer, including tours and re-enactments of important parts of the castle’s history.

Berry Pomeroy Castle, in fact, provides free resources for home educating families and allows them to go to the castle for free if they book two weeks in advance.

An important principle of both HED Hub and You Can Sit With Us is helping out and driving customers to local business during school hours when they may struggle.

Caron and Adam hope to spread the word and build a relationship with bigger companies like Paignton Zoo, Occombe Farm and Crealy to explain how they can help drive customers during school hours.

They also want to support the small businesses who don’t have a big marketing budget, as they are just as important.

For Adam and Caron they have a clear vision for these two organisations, hoping that it will one day become a full-time job.

They also have ambitions of hosting an expo in Exeter, bringing local businesses and home education families together - something rarely done in the UK.

But for the couple it is all about the community that they are building.

They added: “It's nice to be champions for this community, connecting people together and it is just nice talking to people.”

More information can be found on the HED Hub website and the You Can Sit Here Facebook page.