Educating your child at home

You don’t have to send your child to school. If you prefer you can educate them at home. Even if your child has a statement, in England and Wales you don’t have to get permission to home school them.

The one exception is if your child is already on the register at a school. If it is a special school, then you must get permission from the local authority to remove your child’s name from the school roll. If your child is already on the register at any school, you should write to the chair of the governing body to inform them that you are going to home educate.

You must provide education for your child that’s suitable for their age, ability and aptitude and meets their special educational needs. You don’t have to provide the education described on a statement in exactly the same way as a school, but you must make sure you provide help for all your child’s needs. You can do this alone or with the help of tutors, correspondence courses, family and friends.