Home Education in England: A Parent's Guide

Home education - sometimes called home schooling or elective home education (EHE) - is a legal right for every parent in England. You don't need the school's permission, the local authority's approval, or any teaching qualifications. Yet the process, practicalities, and implications are widely misunderstood. This guide covers what you actually need to know.

Is Home Education Legal in England?

Yes, completely. The Education Act 1996 (Section 7) states that parents must ensure their child receives "efficient full-time education suitable to their age, ability and aptitude" - but it does not require this education to happen in a school. The legal duty is on parents to provide education, and school attendance is one way (but not the only way) to fulfil that duty.

This means:

• You do not need permission from anyone to home educate
• You do not need to be a qualified teacher
• You do not need to follow the national curriculum
• You do not need to follow school hours or school terms
• You do not need to enter your child for exams (though you can)

The freedom is broader than most parents realise. However, with that freedom comes full responsibility for your child's education - there's no state funding, no automatic exam access, and no guaranteed support.

How to Deregister Your Child from School

If your child is currently attending a school, deregistering is straightforward:

1. Write to the head teacher: send a letter stating that you intend to educate your child at home and requesting that they be removed from the school roll. There is no specific form to fill in and no approval process
2. The school must comply: the school is legally required to remove your child from the roll and notify the local authority. They cannot refuse or delay this
3. You don't need to give notice: technically your child can stop attending immediately, though it's courteous to give the school a few days to process the paperwork
4. The school may try to dissuade you: head teachers sometimes ask you to reconsider, request a meeting, or suggest that the child stays on roll. You're under no obligation to agree to any of this. The decision is yours

Important Exception: Special Schools

If your child attends a special school (one specifically for children with special educational needs), you need the local authority's consent before deregistering. This is the one scenario where you can't simply write a letter and leave. However, the LA can only refuse consent if removing the child would not be in their best interests - it's not a blanket veto.

Children with EHCPs

If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), you can still home educate. The EHCP remains in place and the local authority retains responsibility for ensuring provision. However, you may need to demonstrate that you can meet the educational provision specified in the plan, or request that the plan is amended.

What Do You Actually Have to Teach?

This is where home education in England differs dramatically from many other countries. There is no prescribed curriculum for home-educated children. You do not have to follow the national curriculum, teach specific subjects, use particular textbooks, or cover content in any particular order.

The legal requirement is simply that the education must be:

• Efficient: it achieves what it sets out to achieve
• Full-time: there's no legal definition of "full-time" for home education, but it should be broadly comparable to school hours in terms of learning time (not necessarily structured lessons)
• Suitable: appropriate for the child's age, ability, and aptitude, including any special educational needs

In practice, home educating families take wildly different approaches:

• Structured / school-at-home: following a curriculum (national curriculum, a commercial programme like Oak National Academy, or an overseas curriculum), with scheduled lessons, textbooks, and assessments
• Eclectic: mixing structured work in core subjects (maths, English) with interest-led learning in everything else
• Unschooling / autonomous education: child-led learning where the child pursues their own interests, with the parent facilitating resources and opportunities rather than directing study
• Online school: enrolling in a virtual school that provides live or recorded lessons, such as InterHigh, Wolsey Hall, or King's InterHigh

All of these approaches are legal, provided the education is suitable for the child. The flexibility is both the greatest advantage and the greatest challenge of home education.

Socialisation: The Question Everyone Asks

"But what about socialisation?" is the question every home educating parent hears, repeatedly. It's a valid concern, but the reality is more nuanced than the question suggests.

Home-educated children are not isolated. Most home educating families actively build social networks through:

• Home education groups: local and regional groups that meet regularly for activities, trips, and social time. Most areas have active groups - search Facebook or contact your local authority for details
• Clubs and activities: sports clubs, music groups, drama, Scouts/Guides, and other activities provide regular social contact with peers
• Community involvement: home-educated children often have more contact with a wider range of ages and people than school-attending peers, through volunteer work, part-time jobs (for older children), and community groups
• Shared learning: some families form small learning cooperatives, where parents take turns teaching subjects they're expert in to a small group of children

That said, socialisation does require deliberate effort from home educating parents. In a school, social interaction happens automatically. At home, you have to create the opportunities. For some families - especially those in rural areas or those whose child has been withdrawn from school due to bullying or anxiety - building a social life takes time.

Local Authority Oversight

The relationship between home educating families and local authorities is one of the most contentious aspects of home education in England. Here's what the law actually says:

• The LA has a duty to identify children not receiving a suitable education - this means they may make enquiries about your home education provision
• You are not legally required to register with the LA - although if your child was previously in school, the LA will be notified automatically when you deregister
• You are not legally required to allow home visits - the LA can ask, but you can refuse. Many families prefer to provide written evidence of education instead
• You are not legally required to follow any LA guidelines or templates - LA guidance is just that: guidance, not law

If the LA has reason to believe your child is not receiving a suitable education, they can issue a School Attendance Order requiring you to register the child at a named school. However, they must first give you the opportunity to demonstrate that you are providing suitable education. This is a last resort, and in practice it's rare.

Proposed Registration Scheme

The government has proposed a mandatory register of home-educated children, as part of the Children Not in School register provisions in the Schools Bill / Children's Wellbeing Bill. If enacted, this would require home educating parents to register with their local authority, though it would not change the right to home educate itself. As of early 2026, the details are still being finalised.

Exams and Qualifications

Home-educated children can sit GCSEs, A-levels, and other qualifications, but the process is different from school:

• You must find an exam centre: home-educated students need to register as private candidates at a school or college willing to accept external entries. Not all schools offer this, and places can be limited - start looking early (at least a year before the exam)
• Exam fees are your responsibility: expect to pay £30–£50 per GCSE subject, plus any invigilation charges the centre applies
• Practical subjects are harder: GCSEs with practical components (science, art, PE) require access to facilities that a home setting may not have. Some exam centres will arrange practical sessions; others won't accept private candidates for these subjects
• IGCSEs as an alternative: many home educators choose International GCSEs (offered by Cambridge or Pearson), which are often more accessible for private candidates as they're typically fully exam-based with no coursework

Costs of Home Education

Home education is not free. While there's no tuition fee, costs include:

• Curriculum materials: textbooks, workbooks, online courses - costs vary from nearly nothing (using free resources like BBC Bitesize, Khan Academy, Oak National Academy) to several thousand pounds per year for structured programmes
• Exam fees: £30–£50 per subject, plus possible venue charges
• Activities and trips: the social and enrichment activities that replace school clubs and trips
• Lost income: the biggest cost is usually the opportunity cost - at least one parent typically needs to be available at home, which may mean reducing work hours or giving up employment

There is no government funding for home education in England. Home educating families do not receive any portion of the per-pupil funding that schools receive.

Is Home Education Right for Your Family?

Families choose home education for many reasons: dissatisfaction with available schools, bullying, unmet special educational needs, religious or philosophical beliefs, a desire for more flexibility, or simply a belief that they can provide a better education at home.

It works well when:

• At least one parent can commit significant time
• The child is motivated (or the parent has strategies for maintaining engagement)
• The family actively seeks social opportunities
• There's a realistic plan for how the child will gain qualifications if needed

It's harder when:

• Both parents need to work full-time
• The child needs specialist support that parents can't provide
• The family is isolated and social opportunities are limited
• The decision is reactive (fleeing a bad school situation) rather than proactive

Home education is a serious commitment, but it's also a genuine and legal alternative that works brilliantly for many families. If you're considering it, connect with local home education groups, read widely, and speak to families who are already doing it. For an overview of all the school options available, see our guide to types of schools in England.