Home education is massive in the media at the moment. Huge. Gigantic. Much of this is due to the new education bills coming in soon (and the less said about that, the better—that’s a whole new rant and blog post!) and the scary rise of knife crime and attacks in schools. The good thing is that it is opening more people up to the idea, some that didn’t even realise home education is legal. The downside is that so much misinformation and myths are floating around, which is annoying and dangerous. These don’t just come from other people – they come from schools and the LA’s as well. There are plenty of instances where LA’s and schools have just not understood what their role is, or are hoping parents don’t and overstep. It is SO important that everyone knows what their rights AND responsibilities are when it comes to home education. I am no expert, but I am a bit of a geek who researches EVERYTHING and verifies sources, so I think I have a pretty good understanding of it all.

The first thing, and the most important thing to remember if you are interested in home education, is that you are LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE for providing your child with a suitable, full-time education.

Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 provides that:
The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive
efficient full-time education suitable –
(a) to his age, ability and aptitude, and
(b) to any special educational needs he may have,
either by regular attendance at school or otherwise

Before you even consider deregistering a child from school and taking on this huge responsibility, you must do your research and understand what is expected of you.

I am in loads of home education Facebook groups, and it astounds (and horrifies!) me how many parents take this huge leap without even researching the basics first. There is so much information online, and yes, it is a lot to take in, but it is your responsibility to know at least the basics. After all, you are literally making a decision that will affect your child for their whole school life and beyond. In my opinion, if you can’t be bothered to spend some time researching your responsibilities and what you need to be doing, you probably aren’t suited to home education. I recommend the Home Education For All (HEFA) UK group on Facebook. It is free, and they have guides with all the information about your legal rights and responsibilities, how to deregister your child from school, how to write the annual responses to the LA, resources, and so on. It is a brilliant resource and easy to read. I think they also have podcasts as well, which I haven’t listened to yet, but I know they will be brilliant.

It is also important to understand that there is a difference between home education and homeschooling in the UK. Homeschooling = replicating school at home. Home educating = a flexible, personalised approach to education.

There are countless questions about home education, but here, I’ll answer some of the most common ones we have been asked. If you do have any that I haven’t answered, you can send me a message on any of my social media pages or email me at coffeecakekids@gmail.com and I will try to answer them or direct you to where you can find the answers. As I said above, I am not an expert, just someone who has experience and has done plenty of research, so it is important to check for yourself.

Home education in the UK: the common questions

Sooooo, a bit of background first, although you can read more about our decision to home-educate by clicking here. Harrison has been home-educated since May 2024. He was a victim of continued bullying at school and wasn’t reaching his full potential. He would be in year nine now if he were at school. We follow a semi-structured approach, as that works for us, and he is currently focusing on English, Maths, and History, with the aim of sitting iGCSEs in those subjects next year. Harrison has no known additional needs.

1. Is home education even legal in the UK?

Yes, it absolutely is! In the UK, parents have the right to home educate their children. There’s no legal requirement to send your child to school, but you do need to ensure they’re receiving an education suitable for their age, ability, and any special needs they might have.

2. What do you need to do to get started?

The first steps can feel a bit daunting, but it’s simpler than you might think. If your child is already at school in England or Wales, you’ll need to write a letter to deregister them. You don’t have to follow the National Curriculum.

3. How do home-educated kids socialise?

This is one of the most commonly asked questions we are asked. It is a common myth that our kids are shut in the house all day with no one other than their parents so have no socialisation opportunities. This couldn’t be any further from the truth. I laugh a lot because trying to pin Harrison down after school or on a weekend to do anything is next to impossible because he is out doing something with friends! If anything, he has a better social life now that he is not worrying about school and doing homework. In many cases, home-educated children often have more opportunities to socialise than their school-based peers. Think about it: at school they are in lessons all day, with children the same age as them and usually the same sort of ability. Harrison socialises with children younger than him, the same age, older than him and even adults. He’s incredibly articulate, able to hold a conversation with an adult, but also able to be a typical almost 14-year-old with his mates.

Many areas have groups for home-educated children. We haven’t gone to any yet, but off the top of my head, there’s a regular meet-up on a beach near us and a monthly outing with a group to do activities at the local zoo. We have a pretty supportive LA who puts on activities as well. For example, before Christmas, Harrison went to four sessions at an outdoor education centre where he did things like gorge walking and kayaking with other home-educated kids. He’s also been invited to art sessions.

Harrison also attends St. John Cadets once a week and goes to a local youth club put on by the council. These are open to any kids aged between 10 and 16, and it was something he enjoyed and got a lot out of before he started home education. He is also a member of his local youth council and is going on a residential with them soon. On top of that, he does lots of normal teenage stuff—going to the park or for a bike ride with his mates from the local area and so on.

3. What does a typical day of home education look like?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer here. Some families like to have a set routine with timetables and lessons, while others take a more relaxed, child-led approach. Every day can be different depending on what works for your family and how your child learns best. If you are home-educating, you have to provide a full-time education. However, the number of hours this entails is not specified, and you don’t have to stick to traditional terms and school days. I’ll share a typical week for us on my blog very soon!

5. How do you track progress without school tests?

Tracking progress looks different for every family. Some use workbooks or regular assessments, while others focus on practical projects and everyday learning experiences. The key is to keep an eye on how your child is developing and adjusting as needed. We use some online resources like IXL and Edplace, and that helps me to see his progress but to be honest, I think it’s quite instinctive most of the time. We sit together to work and don’t move on until we are both confident that he understands it and then revise every so often.

6. Can home-educated children still take exams like GCSEs?

Absolutely! Home-educated children can sit GCSEs, A-levels, and other qualifications. It just takes a little extra planning since they’ll need to register as private candidates at an exam centre. Some families spread the exams out over several years to reduce the pressure. Harrison is studying towards iGCSE, which you can read more about by clicking here.

8. What’s the hardest part?

Home education isn’t without its challenges. It’s bloody hard! Finding the right balance, sourcing good resources, or facilitating a subject you’re not confident in is not easy, especially in secondary years. I used to be a teacher, which I thought would help, but other than knowing a few extra places to get resources from, it doesn’t, because home education is nothing like school. The most difficult thing for me personally is not getting that break when he would have been at school. I do make sure I take time away from it sometimes, like popping out for a coffee or something, otherwise we would drive each other mad!

9. How do home-educated kids move on to college, university, or work?

Home-educated kids go on to further education, university, and into careers just like anyone else. Colleges and universities welcome home-educated students, often recognising that they bring unique skills like independence and self-motivation. However, while it is not the law to sit GCSE’s or take any formal exams, I(personally) think it is important, because not having them in at least the core subjects can make it harder, although certainly not impossible. Harrison wants to go into something like ground maintenance, so that is what we are putting our main focus on.

10. How do you keep accountable to the authorities?

If your child has never been registered at a school, you aren’t legally required to inform anyone, although many parents choose to notify their local authority (LA). If your child is already in school, you must write to the school to deregister them. The school informs the LA. The LA has a duty to make informal enquiries to ensure your child is receiving a suitable education. They generally send a letter or phone you asking you to attend a face-to-face meeting. This is where the LA often oversteps, by making it sound like you HAVE to do this. You don’t. In fact, it is recommended that you don’t. This is not because there is anything to hide, but because conversations can misremembered and misreported. I declined all offers of phone calls and meetings and specified all communication between us to be in writing, so we both have clear records and evidence. Once a year (I’ve not long done our first), you are expected to send a report to the LA to evidence that your child is receiving a suitable education. I’ll share the one we did as an example at some point.

That only covers the very tip of the iceberg when it comes to home education. Over the next few weeks, I will share more about how we ‘do’ home education,