How to Start Home Education in the UK (Step by Step)

First, the part that calms everyone down

In England, the legal duty to educate your child sits with you as the parent, under section 7 of the Education Act 1996. The law says your child must receive an efficient, full-time education suitable to their age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs — by attending school "or otherwise". Home education is the "or otherwise".

You do not need anyone's permission to start, and you do not need the local authority's approval. You also do not have to follow the National Curriculum, keep school hours, build a timetable, or teach formal lessons at a desk. How you educate is genuinely up to you.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different laws and a different process. If you live in one of those nations, the spirit is similar but the steps below are England-specific, so check your own nation's official guidance before you act on anything here.

Step 1 — Make the decision (and give it a week)

Before you write any letters, sit with the decision for a few days. There's no rush, and a calm start beats a panicked one.

A few things worth doing in this first week:

• Talk it through with your child, at a level that suits their age — what they'd miss, what they'd love.
• Read the official guidance on gov.uk (search "elective home education") so you're working from the source, not hearsay.
• Find your nearest home-ed community: local Facebook groups, Education Otherwise, and word-of-mouth meet-ups are gold for honest, local advice.
• Have a rough think about money. There is no automatic government funding for home education in England — be realistic, though many resources are free or low-cost.

Step 2 — Deregister from school (England)

If your child is at an ordinary maintained school or academy, you take them off roll by giving written notice to the school — usually a short, polite letter or email to the head teacher is enough. For an ordinary state school, the school must then remove your child from the register; for a child educated wholly at home, this isn't something they can refuse.

Keep it simple. Your letter only needs to say that you are educating your child at home from a stated date, and to ask that they be removed from the admission register. Date it, keep a copy, and ask the school to confirm in writing.

Two important exceptions. If your child is at a special school under arrangements made by the local authority, you need the LA's consent before deregistering — don't send notice without checking first. Independent (private) schools have their own notice terms in your contract, so check those too. If you're unsure which applies to your child, the current gov.uk guidance on elective home education is the place to confirm.

• Address it to the head teacher (or the school office).
• State your child's name, date of birth, and the last date they'll attend.
• Say you're withdrawing them to home educate and ask to be taken off the register.
• Request written confirmation, and save a copy for your records.

Step 3 — Understand the local authority (and breathe)

Once your child is off roll, the school usually informs the local authority, and the LA may get in touch. This is normal and nothing to fear. In England this is often called "informal enquiries" — the LA simply wants reassurance that a suitable education is happening.

There is no legal duty to meet the LA, allow a home visit, or report in any set format. Many families do choose to engage, because a friendly, constructive relationship tends to make everything smoother. A simple written summary of your approach is often plenty.

Be aware of the bigger picture, calmly. If an LA isn't satisfied that a child is receiving a suitable education, it can make further enquiries and, ultimately, issue a School Attendance Order requiring the child to attend a named school. This is uncommon where parents respond reasonably and can show that learning is happening — which is exactly what a few light records help you do. When law is involved, lean on the current gov.uk guidance rather than anything you read second-hand.

Step 4 — Plan your first week (keep it gentle)

Resist the urge to recreate school at home. Many families take a slower start — sometimes called deschooling — letting everyone decompress before any structured work begins. A child who has had a hard time at school may need this more than anything.

Your first week can be mostly about rhythm and curiosity. Read together, cook, get outside, visit the library, follow whatever your child is genuinely interested in. Education is happening even when it doesn't look like a lesson.

Free and low-cost resources are everywhere once you start looking:

• Libraries — free books, often free activities and quiet study space.
• Museums and galleries — many are free, with brilliant family trails and workshops.
• Parks, woods and beaches — nature study, PE and science for the price of a bus fare.
• Online — free curricula, YouTube channels, podcasts, and subject sites like BBC Bitesize.
• Home-ed groups — meet-ups, sports sessions, trips and group classes near you.

Step 5 — Keep light records from day one

You are not required to keep a formal portfolio, and you certainly don't need an Ofsted-style folder. But a light touch of record-keeping makes life far easier — it helps you see progress, spot gaps, and answer the LA confidently if they ask.

Records can be as simple as a few photos, a line about what you did, and the occasional piece of work your child is proud of. The point is a believable picture of a real, suitable education over time, not paperwork for its own sake.

If jotting things down feels like one more job, an app like Flybrite can log moments as you go and turn them into a tidy, LA-friendly summary — handy for those informal enquiries. Plenty of families do it perfectly well with a notebook and a phone camera, too.

Step 6 — Think ahead to exams (but don't panic yet)

If your child is younger, you have years before you need to think about this — skip ahead and enjoy the early days. If they're approaching their teens, it's worth a gentle bit of forward planning.

Home-educated children usually sit GCSEs and IGCSEs as private candidates at an exam centre, and you pay the fees yourself. Many families find IGCSEs easier to arrange, because several specifications have no controlled assessment or coursework — which is hard to do outside a school setting.

Centres book up and fees vary, so look into local exam centres roughly a year ahead of any exam, choose specifications that suit a private candidate, and budget for entry costs. There's a whole community who've done this before you, and they share centre recommendations freely.