If you have been searching for the "home education register UK", you have probably found a lot of confident but contradictory answers. Here is the accurate position, with the law it comes from.
Do I have to register right now?
No. As things stand, there is no duty on a parent in England or Wales to register with a local authority in order to home educate. The legal duty on you is the one in section 7 of the Education Act 1996: to make sure your child receives an efficient, full-time education suitable to their age, ability and aptitude, and to any special educational needs, either at school or otherwise.
If your child has never been on a school roll, you do not need to tell anyone. If you are taking your child off a roll, you write to the school, not to the council.
So what is the Children Not in School register?
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. Part 2 of that Act inserts new sections into the Education Act 1996 which will require every local authority in England to keep a register of children not in school, and will place duties on parents to provide information for it.
The important detail that most articles miss is commencement. Under section 78 of the Act, most provisions come into force on a day the Secretary of State appoints by regulations. The register sections are not among the handful that commenced automatically, so they are law on the statute book but not yet in operation. Wales is legislating along similar lines.
In plain terms: the register is coming, it is not here yet, and nobody can require you to register under it until those regulations are made.
Will I need consent to take my child out of school?
Once the relevant provisions commence, a new section 434A will require local authority consent before withdrawing certain children from school. It will not apply to everyone. It is aimed at a "relevant child", broadly a child of compulsory school age who is a registered pupil and who either attends a special school (or an independent school where the council arranged the special educational provision), or is subject to child welfare enquiries under the Children Act 1989, or has been within the previous five years.
For most families withdrawing from a mainstream school, the process today is unchanged: written notice to the head teacher, and the school removes your child from the register.
Registering does not unlock funding
You will see claims that registering gives you access to funding or resources. It does not. There is no general funding entitlement for home education in England, registered or otherwise. Some councils offer discretionary help, most commonly with exam costs and more often in Wales, but it is discretionary and not something registration triggers.
What actually helps
What genuinely protects you is being able to describe the education you are providing. If your council makes informal enquiries, a written account in your own words, covering what your child has been learning and the progress they have made, is what the guidance contemplates. You are under no legal obligation to produce specific evidence such as photographs or samples of work, and you do not have to agree to a home visit.
Keeping a light record as you go is the difference between a calm afternoon and a scramble. That is exactly what Flybrite is for: log learning as it happens, and have a clear written record ready if you are ever asked, and ready for the register when it does arrive.
FAQs
Do I need to register for home education in the UK?
Not at present in England or Wales. The Children Not in School register created by the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 is not yet in force. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own separate arrangements.
Does registering give me access to funding?
No. There is no general funding entitlement for home education, and registration would not create one.
Do I have to send the council photos or samples of my child’s work?
No. Departmental guidance for parents is explicit that you are under no legal obligation to produce specific evidence. A written account in your own words is what is expected.
What about Scotland?
Scotland is different. If your child has been attending a public school, you need the council’s consent to withdraw them under section 35 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, and that consent must not be unreasonably withheld.