UK HOME EDUCATION & THE LAW:

Home education (often called “homeschooling”) is a fully legal and well-established educational choice for families. Whether your child has never attended school, or you’re considering withdrawing them partway through their education, it’s important to know that you’re not alone.

Home education remains a lawful choice, and parents continue to have the right to educate their children otherwise than at school. While recent legal changes introduce some additional responsibilities for certain families, they do not remove the right to home educate.

This guide explains the current legal position, what to expect from your local authority, and how recent changes to home education law may affect you, so you can make informed decisions with confidence.

Home education is a lawful and well-established educational choice in England. Parents have the legal right to educate their child at home, provided they fulfil their legal duty to ensure their child receives a suitable education.

The foundation of home education law remains Section 7 of the Education Act 1996, which states:

“The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable—

(a) to his age, ability and aptitude, and

(b) to any special educational needs he may have,

either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.”

The words “or otherwise” are particularly important, as they recognise that education does not have to take place in a school. Parents may choose to educate their child at home, provided the education they offer is suitable for that individual child.

A suitable education does not have to follow the National Curriculum, mirror a traditional school timetable, or be delivered by a qualified teacher. Home education can take many different forms and should reflect the child’s age, abilities, interests and learning needs.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 introduces the most significant changes to home education legislation in many years. The Act includes provisions for a statutory register of children not attending school, alongside additional responsibilities for parents and local authorities.

Many of these new provisions will be introduced gradually through further regulations and government guidance. While the legal framework is changing, the fundamental right of parents to choose home education remains unchanged.

For most home educating families, the key legal responsibility remains exactly the same:

• Provide an efficient, full-time education that is suitable for your child’s age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs.
• Be prepared to demonstrate, if reasonably requested by your local authority, that your child is receiving a suitable education.
• Keep up to date with any future guidance relating to the new legal requirements.

Many families also choose to keep examples of their child’s work, projects or achievements. Although this is not generally a legal requirement, it can be helpful in demonstrating the progress and breadth of learning taking place.

The Key Principle Remains the Same

Although the law surrounding home education continues to evolve, one principle has remained consistent for decades:

Parents are responsible for deciding how their child is educated, provided that education is suitable for the child.

At TechBloq, we continue to monitor changes to home education legislation and will update this guide as new regulations and official guidance are published, helping families stay informed with clear, accurate and practical information.

In England, parents have the legal right to educate their child at home instead of sending them to school. This applies whether your child has never attended school or has previously been enrolled.

Most parents can choose to home educate without seeking permission. However, following the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, some children may require local authority consent before they can be removed from a school roll. This is intended to provide additional safeguarding for children in specific circumstances.

If you’re unsure whether these exceptions apply to your family, it’s worth checking the latest government guidance or speaking to your local authority before deregistering your child.

If your child has never attended school, you can begin home educating from the start of compulsory school age (approximately from age 5). You are responsible for ensuring they receive a suitable full-time education, but there is no requirement to follow the National Curriculum or replicate a traditional school environment.

Recent legal changes may require families to provide information for their local authority’s register of children not attending school once the relevant provisions are fully implemented. Until then, your primary responsibility remains providing a suitable education.

Many families decide to home educate after their child has started school. In most cases, you can request that your child’s name is removed from the school roll in order to begin home education.

However, the law has changed for some families. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 introduces circumstances where a school cannot automatically remove a child from its register without local authority consent. These provisions apply only in certain situations and are designed to strengthen safeguarding arrangements.

If your child attends a mainstream school and none of these exceptions apply, the process remains straightforward. You can read our guide on deregistering from school here.

Once your child has been removed from the school roll, you become fully responsible for providing their education.

You are no longer required to follow the school’s curriculum, timetable or assessment arrangements. Instead, you have the flexibility to choose learning approaches, resources and experiences that best suit your child’s needs.

As new legal requirements are introduced, parents may also need to provide certain information to their local authority as part of the statutory register of children not in school. Further guidance will explain exactly how this process will work as the new legislation is implemented.

Local authorities have a duty to make enquiries if it appears that a child may not be receiving a suitable education. However, they cannot simply dictate how home education should look.

In most cases, they cannot:

• require you to follow the National Curriculum;
• insist on school-style lessons or timetables;
• require your child to sit SATs or other school assessments;
• require you to be a qualified teacher; or
• insist on visiting your home as the only way to satisfy themselves that suitable education is taking place.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 gives local authorities additional responsibilities and powers in some circumstances, but these do not remove parents’ freedom to choose how a suitable home education is delivered.

One of the most common questions parents ask is, “What exactly counts as a suitable education?”

The good news is that the legal definition has not changed. Parents are still responsible for providing an efficient, full-time education that is suitable for their child’s age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs. The law does not prescribe exactly how that education should be delivered.

This means there is no legal requirement to follow the National Curriculum, teach the same subjects in the same order as schools, or recreate a traditional classroom at home. Every child learns differently, and home education gives families the flexibility to choose an approach that best meets their child’s individual needs.

A suitable education might include:

• structured lessons using books or online resources;
• project-based learning;
• educational visits and practical experiences;
• community groups and extracurricular activities;
• independent study;
• or a combination of different approaches.

The emphasis is not on whether your child’s education looks like school, but whether it is helping them to make meaningful progress and develop the knowledge, skills and understanding appropriate for them.

Following recent changes to home education law, many parents also choose to keep a simple record of their child’s learning. This is generally not a legal requirement, but maintaining examples of work, photographs of projects, reading lists or learning journals can be helpful should you ever need to demonstrate the education your child is receiving.

Ultimately, there is no single model of successful home education. What matters is that the education is suitable for your child, not that it mirrors a classroom.

If you’re new to home education, it’s completely normal to have questions or wonder whether you’re doing enough. Remember:

Choosing to home educate can feel like a big step, but you don’t have to have everything figured out from the beginning. Many families start with questions and uncertainties, learning alongside their children and adapting their approach as they grow in confidence.

There is no single “right” way to home educate. Every child is different. And one of the greatest strengths of home education is the freedom to create an education that reflects your child’s interests, abilities and individual needs.

Above all, remember that your relationship with your child, your understanding of how they learn, and your commitment to helping them flourish are far more important than following a pre-set curriculum or trying to recreate school at home.

Home education is not about doing school differently. It’s about creating the learning environment in which your child can thrive.

Disclaimer

The information provided on this page is for general guidance only and reflects our understanding of current home education laws in the UK (updated June 25th 2026). TechBloq is an educational support centre and not a legal authority. We are not qualified to offer legal advice and families are encouraged to consult official government sources or seek independent legal advice if they are unsure about their rights or obligations under the law.