Thinking about home educating your child in the UK? You're not alone. With over 100,000 children now educated at home in England alone-and numbers growing every year-more families are discovering the freedom and flexibility that home education offers.
Whether you're frustrated with the school system, have a child with special educational needs that aren't being met, or simply believe you can provide a better education at home, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know to get started.
Is Home Education Legal in the UK?
Yes, absolutely. Home education (also called Elective Home Education or EHE) is completely legal in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996, parents have the legal responsibility to ensure their child receives a suitable education-but that education doesn't have to happen in school.
"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." - Education Act 1996, Section 7
The key phrase is "or otherwise"-this is your legal right to home educate. You don't need:
- Permission from your Local Authority
- Teaching qualifications
- To follow the National Curriculum
- Set school hours or term times
- Formal assessments or exams (unless you choose to)
For more details on the legal framework, read our comprehensive Understanding Home Education guide.
How to Start Home Educating: Step by Step
If Your Child Has Never Been to School
This is the simplest scenario. If your child has never been registered at a school, you don't need to do anything official. You're not required to inform anyone-simply begin educating your child at home.
However, you may receive contact from your Local Authority's education welfare team at some point, as they try to identify all children in their area. This is normal and nothing to worry about.
If Your Child Is Currently in School
To deregister your child from school, you need to write a letter to the headteacher stating that you are withdrawing your child to home educate. Here's what happens:
- Write the letter - Keep it simple: "I am writing to inform you that I am withdrawing [Child's Name] from [School Name] to educate them at home with immediate effect."
- Send it to the headteacher - Email or post, keeping a copy for your records
- The school must remove your child from the register - They have no legal grounds to refuse
- The school will inform the Local Authority - This is standard procedure
- You may receive contact from the LA - Typically requesting information about your education provision
Important: If your child attends a special school, you'll need LA consent to deregister. For all other schools, no permission is required-it's your right.
What About the Local Authority?
Many new home educators worry about Local Authority involvement. Here's what you need to know:
- You don't need LA permission to home educate
- You're not legally required to allow home visits
- You can provide information in writing if you prefer
- The LA must have a reason to believe education is not suitable before taking action
Most LAs are supportive of home education. They may request information about your provision once a year, which you can provide via a written report, samples of work, or a meeting (your choice).
Our Local Authority Reporting guide explains exactly what LAs can and cannot request, and how to write effective reports. Plus, Flybrite's AI report generator can create professional LA reports from your logged activities in minutes.
What to Teach: Curriculum Options
There is no required curriculum for home education in the UK. You have complete freedom to design an education that suits your child's needs, interests, and learning style. Options include:
Structured Approaches
- Formal curriculum - Following a complete programme like CGP, Oxford Owl, or online courses
- National Curriculum - Using what schools follow (entirely optional)
- International curricula - Cambridge, IB, American options
- Subject-specific programmes - Math-U-See, Reading Eggs, etc.
Flexible Approaches
- Eclectic - Mixing resources and approaches as needed
- Unit studies - Themed learning covering multiple subjects
- Project-based - Deep dives into chosen topics
- Charlotte Mason - Living books, nature study, narration
Child Led Approaches
- Unschooling - Following the child's interests naturally
- Autonomous education - Child directs their own learning
- Interest-led - Building education around passions
Most families end up with an eclectic approach-mixing methods based on what works. Our Approaches to Home Education guide explores each style in detail.
Need Lesson Ideas?
Flybrite's AI Lesson Generator creates engaging, age appropriate lessons across all subjects. Perfect for when you need inspiration!
Create Free AccountFinding Your Home Education Community
One of the biggest concerns for new home educators is socialisation. The reality? Home educated children often have more diverse social experiences than schooled children.
Home education communities across the UK are thriving, with:
- Local home ed groups - Regular meetups, park days, activities
- Co-ops - Shared teaching, group classes
- Sports clubs and activities - Many offer daytime sessions for home educators
- Online communities - Facebook groups, forums, support networks
- Home ed classes - Science, art, music, languages
Finding these groups can be challenging-that's exactly why we built Flybrite. Our app helps you discover local home education groups, connect with families nearby, and never miss local activities.
Practical Considerations
Time Commitment
Home education is more efficient than school-without assemblies, transitions, and managing 30 children, you'll find that focused learning time is much shorter. Many families find 2-4 hours of structured activity per day is plenty, with learning happening throughout daily life.
Cost
Home education can cost as little or as much as you choose:
- Free resources - Libraries, BBC Bitesize, Khan Academy, museum free days
- Low cost - Second-hand books, printables, basic subscriptions (£20-50/month)
- Medium cost - Curriculum packages, activities, group classes (£100-300/month)
- Higher cost - Tutors, specialist programmes, extensive activities (£500+/month)
Working While Home Educating
Many parents successfully combine work with home education through:
- Flexible or part-time work
- Working from home
- Tag-teaming with a partner
- Using co-ops and shared childcare
- Autonomous learning for older children
Getting Organised with Flybrite
Once you start home educating, keeping track of learning activities becomes important-especially for Local Authority reports. Flybrite was built specifically for UK home educators to make this easy. See how Flybrite works to understand the full journey from sign-up to thriving:
- Quick activity logging - Capture learning moments as they happen
- AI powered reports - Generate professional LA reports in minutes
- Community features - Find local groups and connect with families
- Lesson generator - Get AI created lesson ideas when you need inspiration
Flybrite is now live! Sign up free and start your home education journey today.
Ready to Start?
Home education is a journey, and like any journey, it starts with a single step. You don't need to have everything figured out before you begin. Most home educators learn as they go, adjusting their approach based on what works for their family.
The home education community is welcoming and supportive. You'll find families who've been exactly where you are now and are happy to share their experiences.
Your next steps:
- Read our Getting Started guide for detailed first steps
- Explore different education approaches
- Sign up for Flybrite to connect with local home ed families
- Join a local Facebook group to ask questions and find support
Welcome to the home education community. Your child's learning adventure is about to begin.