Your Legal Right to Home Educate
Home education in England is a legal right, not a privilege. Understanding this is the foundation of everything else. You do not need permission. You do not need to follow the National Curriculum. You do not need a teacher. You do not need to replicate school.
The duty to ensure your child receives suitable full-time education rests with you as the parent — not the school, not the Local Authority.
What the law actually says
Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 states that it is the duty of every parent of a child of compulsory school age to cause them to receive efficient full-time education suitable to their age, ability and aptitude and to any special educational needs they may have. Crucially, it says this must happen either by regular attendance at school or otherwise. The word "otherwise" is your legal right to home educate.
Home education does not require registration with the Local Authority (unless your child is currently on a school roll — see deregistration below). It does not require inspections unless the LA has genuine grounds to believe the education is not suitable. Most families home educate entirely without interference.
What "suitable education" means
"Suitable" means appropriate to your child's age, ability, aptitude, and any special educational needs. There is no legal requirement to follow the National Curriculum. There is no requirement to assess, test, or provide evidence of learning unless the LA makes a formal statutory enquiry. The bar is not "meeting the standards of a school." The bar is providing an education that suits this particular child.
If your child has an EHCP, the Local Authority retains responsibility for ensuring their needs are met, even during home education. This means the LA must still fund provision specified in Sections F and G of the EHCP — and you can insist on this. Deregistering from school does not end the EHCP or your rights under it.
Deregistering from School
If your child is currently on a school roll, you need to deregister them before home education can begin. This is a simple process — but it must be done correctly, and school must comply.
How to deregister
- 1Write a brief letter to the headteacher stating that you are withdrawing your child from the school roll to home educate, with effect from [date].
- 2Keep a copy. Send by email (so you have a timestamp) or recorded delivery post.
- 3The school must remove your child from roll on the date you specify — they cannot delay, negotiate, or refuse.
- 4Once removed from roll, you are not required to inform the Local Authority, although many families choose to.
- 5If your child has an EHCP, notify the LA separately in writing and request a meeting to discuss how provision will be delivered during home education.
A school cannot refuse to deregister your child. They may try to persuade you to reconsider, or request a meeting — you can attend if you wish, but you are not obliged to. If a school delays or claims they cannot remove your child from roll, this is unlawful. Contact your local SENDIASS for support.
Attendance orders — know your rights
A School Attendance Order (SAO) is a legal notice requiring a child to attend a specific school. An SAO can only be issued if the LA has genuine reason to believe a child is not receiving suitable education. It is not a first step — the LA must first contact you, consider your response, and be satisfied the education is unsuitable before issuing one. The vast majority of families who home educate never receive one.
If you receive an SAO, do not ignore it — but do not panic. Contact IPSEA or your local SENDIASS immediately. You have the right to respond in writing and to challenge the LA's assessment of what constitutes suitable education.
Deschooling: The Recovery Phase
Before you think about curriculum, subjects, or structure, there is something more urgent: recovery. Children who have been in distress at school — particularly those with EBSA — need time to heal before they can learn. This phase is called deschooling.
The widely-used deschooling guideline: allow one month of low-demand recovery for each year your child was in school before they stopped attending. A child who spent seven years in school may need seven months before formal learning feels safe again.
What deschooling looks like
Deschooling is not doing nothing. It is doing whatever rebuilds your child's nervous system. It might look like: sleeping until 10am, playing video games for three hours, watching nature documentaries obsessively, building LEGO, lying on the sofa, or taking very slow walks. To an outside observer it can look alarming. To a nervous system that has been chronically stressed, it is essential.
Your job during this phase is to maintain warmth and connection, reduce demand to the absolute minimum, and resist the urge to add structure too early. The brain cannot absorb learning when it is in survival mode. Regulation comes first. Learning follows safety.
""This is giving in. They need routine.""
Routine imposed on a dysregulated nervous system does not create safety — it creates more stress. Safety comes first. Then routine can be introduced gently from a place of connection, not compliance.
""They're just going to fall further behind.""
A child who is not regulated cannot learn. There is no "falling behind" when the alternative is a child who remains in crisis. Emotional and neurological recovery is the foundation on which all future learning depends.
Your child starts asking questions. They develop an obsessive interest in something. They express boredom. They ask what day it is. These are all signs that the window is starting to open. Follow their lead — do not rush it.
Home Education Approaches
There is no single right way to home educate. Different approaches work for different children. Most families end up combining elements of several. Here are the main frameworks — and the questions to ask yourself about each.
The child leads their own learning entirely. Adults follow interest, provide resources, answer questions, and facilitate experiences. There is no set curriculum and no imposed structure. Learning happens through play, passion, conversation, and life. This approach has strong evidence behind it — children who learn this way are often highly motivated, creative, and self-directed learners.
⚠ Can feel uncomfortable for parents trained to think in school terms. Takes time and trust. Some children need the structure of a curriculum to feel secure.
A formal timetable, specific subjects, workbooks, and measurable targets. Closest to what school looks like. Some children find this reassuring — a clear structure in a safe environment removes the social and sensory overwhelm of school while keeping the familiar academic shape.
⚠ Can recreate the pressure of school in a new setting. Requires significant parent time and discipline. Less suitable during the deschooling phase or for children with significant demand-avoidance.
A pragmatic combination: interest-led for the most part, with some structured elements where the child is ready and willing. You might do maths workbooks three mornings a week, read widely on topics they love, and follow their passions for the rest of the time. This approach gives flexibility to respond to where your child actually is on any given day.
⚠ Requires judgement about when to push gently and when to back off. Easy to drift into imposing too much structure. Needs regular review.
A philosophy, not just an approach. The core belief: children are natural learners who will develop knowledge and skills through lived experience, relationships, and following their own curiosity — without any formal instruction. Unschooling families do not use curricula, tests, or lesson plans.
⚠ Requires significant parental commitment to the philosophy. Can be challenging to explain to professionals. Well-documented in research as producing curious, motivated, capable adults when done with genuine engagement.
For children recovering from school distress, especially those with demand-avoidant profiles, starting with the most autonomous approach is usually the wisest choice — even if it is not where you ultimately settle. The primary goal is rebuilding trust between your child and learning itself. Structure can always be added gently when safety is restored.
Curriculum, Resources & Qualifications
When your child is ready to engage with more structured learning, there is an enormous range of free and low-cost resources available. You do not need expensive packages — but it helps to know what is out there.
Free online resources
Free, self-paced maths, science, and humanities from primary to A-level equivalent. Excellent for children who want to progress at their own pace without a tutor.
The DfE's free lesson library — video lessons for every key stage in most subjects. Created during COVID but now permanent. High quality.
Solid coverage of KS2–KS4 subjects. Good for revision, filling gaps, or structured self-study.
Free audiobooks and ebooks of thousands of classic texts. Invaluable for reluctant readers or those who prefer listening.
Free coding education from MIT. Visual, creative, and genuinely engaging for a wide age range.
Free language learning. Works well as a self-directed daily habit for language acquisition.
Qualifications for home-educated young people
Home-educated students can sit GCSEs and A-Levels as private candidates. They register directly with an exam centre (often an independent school or a specialist centre that accepts external candidates) and pay the exam fee. They do not need to follow any particular course of study — they can prepare however works for them and sit the exam when they are ready.
Alternatives to GCSEs worth knowing: IGCSE (Cambridge International), which is taken by home educators worldwide and accepted by all UK universities; Functional Skills Qualifications (equivalent to GCSE pass grades for most employer and college purposes); BTECs and vocational qualifications, which can be pursued through local colleges; and AQA Unit Award Scheme, which awards certificates for small units of learning — ideal for building confidence and a portfolio of achievement.
Education Otherwise (educationotherwise.org) is the main UK home education charity. Mumsnet Home Education forum, Facebook groups by county (search "home education [your county]"), and local home ed groups (often on Meetup or Facebook) are invaluable for finding exam centres, co-ops, and local knowledge.
Daily Life, Structure & Avoiding Burnout
Home education is a marathon, not a sprint. The families who sustain it well are those who build in rest, build community, and resist the pressure to make every day look productive. This section is about the practical reality — for you as well as your child.
What a sustainable home education day might look like
There is no template — but families who sustain home education well tend to share a few features: some predictable anchors in the day (a morning read, a walk, a particular activity), space for child-led time, and a realistic expectation of what constitutes "enough." A four-hour day with genuine engagement is worth more than six hours of resistance and stress.
Many home educators find that the morning is best used for anything demanding any concentration (if their child is a morning person), and that afternoons are for interest-led, creative, or physical activity. Others find their child works better later in the day. Follow the child's chronobiology, not a school timetable designed for institutional convenience.
Home education parents report high rates of burnout, isolation, and financial strain. Building in time that is yours — not your child's advocate time, not their educator time, not their emotional regulation support time — is not selfish. It is what makes this sustainable. BACP-registered therapists (bacp.co.uk/therapist-finder), local home ed groups, and online communities for home education parents are all worth seeking out.
Socialisation: the most common concern
The question every home educator hears: "But what about socialisation?" The evidence consistently shows that home-educated children are not socially disadvantaged — and children with EBSA in particular often thrive socially once removed from the specific environment that was causing distress. Social connection happens through: home ed groups, sports clubs, community activities, volunteering, online communities, and simply spending time with family and family friends.
For children with EBSA, forced socialisation too early can be counterproductive. A single trusted friendship is worth more than a forced social programme. Let it develop organically from interest-based activities — one or two children who share the same passion for Minecraft or Lego or horses will create more genuine connection than any structured social timetable.
""Home-educated children won't get into university.""
Universities in the UK routinely accept home-educated applicants. Many actively welcome the independent thinking and self-direction that home education develops. UCAS has specific guidance for home-educated applicants.
When to consider returning to school
Home education does not have to be permanent. Some families use it as a bridge — a period of recovery and rebuilding confidence — before moving to a more suitable school setting. A specialist school, a smaller independent school, a pupil referral unit, or a flexi-schooling arrangement may eventually become viable. The goal is the child's wellbeing and education, not a particular setting. There is no failure in changing approach.
You are already doing something remarkable
Choosing to prioritise your child's wellbeing over convention takes courage. Every resource on this site is free, and more are being added regularly. You're not alone in this.