Letting the school know

My child is currently registered at a school

If your child is already at school we advise you to write to the school to inform them of your decision to home educate and ask for the child's name be taken off the school roll.

The school will tell us, that you are going to be responsible for educating your child.

Relationships with the school

If you have had a disagreement with the school, this alone should not be a decision to take your child out of school and educate them at home. In these instances speak with the headteacher or contact us to help you broker a resolution to the situation that is acceptable to you and in the child's best interest. Also, if you are feeling pressured into starting home education, speak to us so we can provide you with support.

My child is not registered at a school

If your child has never been registered at school, you don't have to do anything, but we encourage you to tell us so we can keep you up to date with information and events you may be interested in. Contact us for support:

Children with special educational needs

If your child has special educational needs (SEN) you can still educate them at home, whether they have an education, health and care (EHC) plan or not. If your child has an EHC plan, we have a duty to make sure the child's needs are met, and that you make suitable provision, including for your child's special educational needs.

However, if your child goes to a special school, you will need permission from us before you can take your child out of special school and start home educating them.

Next steps

Once we're told of your decision, we'll get in touch with you for an initial chat. Read what happens next and how we can support you.