Before you withdraw your child
If you’re thinking about home education, we recommend speaking to your child’s school and the local authority before making a decision. The school will invite you to a meeting with a local authority representative. This is to help you understand your options and make an informed choice.
The Department for Education recommends that you inform the local authority when you decide to home educate so we can offer advice and support.
If your child attends a special school arranged by the local authority, you must get permission from us before removing them from school.
Removing from the school register
When a child is withdrawn, the school must inform the local authority as soon as possible. This includes the child’s name, address and the reason for removal from the school register.
If your child is attending school under a School Attendance Order, the order must be revoked before the child can be removed from the school register.
Planning for home education
You should aim to provide a suitable education from the point your child is withdrawn from school.
We understand that plans may still be developing at the start. However, preparing in advance helps avoid gaps in learning.
Returning to school
If you decide home education is not right for your child and want them to return to school within six months of deregistration, we’ll expect their previous school to readmit them.
In rare cases where this is not possible, we’ll discuss other options with you.
When home education is not appropriate
Schools must not encourage you to home educate your child to:
- avoid an exclusion
- address poor attendance
If your child is at risk of exclusion, the school must follow the correct legal process. If your child has attendance difficulties, the school and local authority will work with you to offer support.