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Before educating your child at home

Educating your child at home is a big decision. It requires a great deal of your time and energy. When you're involved in your child's education, it can be rewarding for everyone involved.

Attending school is more than lessons and exams. Your child may miss out on:

  • friendships
  • socialising with other children and adults
  • developing communication skills
  • learning from others
  • experiencing different cultures.

Expenses

You will not receive any financial help, so there will be expenses. These include:

  • costs associated with teaching resources
  • access to the internet
  • learning materials
  • the cost of taking exams if you want your child to gain qualifications.

You may find it difficult for one person to teach a range of subjects. If this is the case, you may need to pay for a tutor.

Meeting other families

Meeting other home-educating families can be a great source of support for both you and your child.

It's a chance to share ideas, swap experiences and build friendships with families on a similar journey. Your child can also meet and spend time with other children through groups, activities and events.

Many home-educating families connect through social media, where you can find local groups and opportunities to meet up.

Read some examples sent to us by home educating families about their thoughts on educating their child at home:

Or read the elective home education guidelines for local authorities on GOV.UK.

Next steps

Once you're happy to continue with the process of educating your child at home, see what to do next.