Do I have to tell the council if I home educate my child?

Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 places the duty on parents, not the state, to ensure a child receives efficient full-time education suitable to their age, ability and aptitude — "either by regular attendance at school or otherwise". That last word is the legal foundation of home education.

What the law does and does not require

There is no requirement to follow the National Curriculum, teach set hours, hold teaching qualifications, register with the council in England, or admit local authority officers to your home. What is required is that the education is efficient, full-time and suitable — terms interpreted broadly.

To withdraw a child already at school, write to the head teacher saying you are removing them to home educate. You need give no reasons and need no permission; the school must remove them from the register and notify the council. The exception is a child with an EHCP attending a school named in it — the plan must be amended before de-registration, though you can ask for that. The council keeps its EHCP duties either way, and may fund some provision or offer a personal budget.

Council enquiries and the School Attendance Order

Councils may make informal enquiries, and many run voluntary registers you are not obliged to join. Where a council has reasonable cause to believe a suitable education is not being provided, section 437 requires it to serve a notice giving you 15 days to satisfy it. Fail to do so and it can issue a School Attendance Order requiring enrolment at a named school; not complying with an order is a criminal offence.

You are not required to allow a home visit or hand over a curriculum. A written description of your approach with samples of work or a learning log is normally enough, and organisations such as Education Otherwise provide template letters. Keeping a portfolio is worth doing even if you never share it. A mandatory "children not in school" register has been proposed but is not in force; Wales already operates a different regime.

On qualifications, home-educated children are not entered automatically. You can enter them as private candidates at an exam centre, typically £50 to £150 per exam, or use a distance learning provider. From 16 the Raising of the Participation Age requires education or training to 18 — parental home education does not count after 16, so register with a formal provider even part-time.