Elective home education

We believe that every child has the right to a good education. Whether your child is educated at home or at school, we aim to work in partnership with you to help them reach their full potential.

Your right to home-educate

Parents have the legal right to educate their children at home, in line with their own values, beliefs or educational approach. We respect this choice and want to support families who choose home education.

Our goal is to work with home-educating families to ensure that:

• children receive a full-time, efficient education
• the education is suitable for their age, ability and any special educational needs

Starting home education

We also wish to ensure that parents who choose to home educate their children do so for the right reasons and are well prepared from the point they begin. This may be from:

• the start of your child’s education, or
• after removing your child from a school roll

If your child is currently attending school, you must notify the school in writing. The school will then remove your child from the register and inform the local authority.

We also recommend that you let us know about any significant changes that may affect your child’s education, such as a change of address.

Children with special educational needs (SEN)

If your child has special educational needs, you may need permission from the local authority before removing them from the school roll. This is to ensure that your child’s needs continue to be met appropriately.

Learn more about elective home education