🏠 Supporting families who go their own way

You are NOT legally required to...

You are required to ensure your child receives an efficient, full-time education suitable to their age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs. Many families do use timetables, lesson plans and assessments — but by choice, not obligation.

The rules differ across the four nations

The core right to home educate is the same across the UK — but the process for starting, and the powers of local authorities, vary between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

⚠ Scotland is the key difference — you need LA consent before withdrawing your child from school. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland you do not.

Why families choose home education

The DfE recognises a wide range of valid reasons. No reason is more legitimate than another — what matters is that the education provided is suitable for the child.

What home education costs — and what help is available

When parents choose to home educate, they generally assume full financial responsibility for their child's education. But there are important exceptions — and things the local authority can help with that many families are never told about.

Source: DfE Revised Funding Guidance for Local Authorities on Home Educated Children. Published under Open Government Licence.

📬 What happens if the local authority contacts you?

Your local authority has no formal power to monitor your home education provision — but it does have a duty to investigate if it believes a child may not be receiving suitable education. If it contacts you, it may ask for information or request to see your child's work. You are not legally obliged to respond, but if you don't, the LA can conclude that education is not being provided.

If the LA is unsatisfied, it can serve a notice (a Section 437(1) notice) giving you at least 15 days to respond with evidence. In most cases, cooperative engagement resolves any concerns. Escalation to a School Attendance Order is relatively rare and usually the result of sustained non-engagement rather than a simple difference of approach.

Tip: The DfE LA guidance explicitly encourages local authorities to operate voluntary registration schemes linked to support arrangements. Registering voluntarily — even though you are not legally required to — often means you get more help, more quickly. It also signals confidence in your provision, which reduces the likelihood of unwanted scrutiny.

✅ What your local authority should offer — ask for it

The DfE guidance for local authorities sets out what LAs should provide to home-educating families. Most parents never ask — and most LAs never volunteer it. These are things you are entitled to request:

Source: DfE Elective Home Education — Departmental Guidance for Local Authorities (April 2019). Published under Open Government Licence v3.0.

🛡️ Home education and safeguarding — the honest picture

The DfE LA guidance is clear: there is no proven correlation between home education and safeguarding risk. Most home-educated children are in safe, loving environments where a parent has made a thoughtful and committed choice. Many parents choose home education specifically because they are safeguarding their child — from bullying, from an unsuitable school environment, from a system that was failing them.

The guidance does acknowledge that home-educated children are not seen regularly by teachers and other professionals, which means concerns can occasionally go undetected for longer. This is not a reason to view home educators with suspicion — it is a reason for the LA and the family to maintain a constructive, cooperative relationship. The vast majority of home-educating families welcome that.