If you are reading this, something has already shifted. Maybe your child has had a difficult year at school. Maybe your family rhythm does not fit a five-day timetable. Maybe you have always known you would do this, and the moment has just arrived. Whatever brought you here, the first thing worth saying is that home education in England is ordinary, legal, and chosen by tens of thousands of UK families.
You do not need permission to start. You do not need a teaching qualification. You do not need to replicate a school timetable at your kitchen table. What you do need is a clear understanding of what the law asks of you, and a way to keep a gentle record of what your family is doing.
The legal position, in plain English. Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 says every child of compulsory school age must receive a full-time education suitable to their age, ability, aptitude, and any special educational needs, either by attendance at a school or otherwise. "Otherwise" is home education. The law does not define what the education must look like. It does not require a curriculum, set hours, or timed lessons.
If your child is currently at school, you write to the headteacher asking to deregister. The school must remove your child from the roll and notify the Local Authority. If your child has never been to school, you do not need to notify anyone, though most families choose to. If your child is at a special school or on an EHCP at a mainstream school, the process is slightly different. Speak to an IPSEA adviser before you deregister.
What the Local Authority can and cannot do. The LA has a duty to act if it appears a child is not receiving a suitable education. In practice, most LAs write a friendly enquiry letter once a year. Some ask for a report, some ask to visit, some ask nothing at all. You are not legally obliged to admit an officer into your home, and you are not obliged to produce work in any particular format. You are obliged to satisfy them that the education is suitable.
Most families write a one- or two-page annual report. It describes the approach, lists the main subjects covered, gives examples of activities, and includes a few photos or samples. Flybrite can compile this for you automatically from a year of activity logs. See our guides section for a full worked example.
Your first month. Do not try to build a curriculum in week one. Spend the first few weeks noticing what your child is actually drawn to, and capture it. Photos of a forest walk. A recipe you baked together. A list of questions they asked in the car. That is learning. Write it down. By the end of the month, you will have a picture of your family’s real rhythm, and the scaffolding comes next, not first.