You have the right to teach your child at home instead of sending them to school. This is called elective home education, home education or home schooling.
If you choose to teach your child at home, you will take on full responsibility for giving them a suitable full-time education.
Department for Education (DfE) has guidance on Elective Home Education.
Things to consider
If you decide to educate your child at home, you will be responsible for all costs, including:
- books and other materials
- educational trips and visits
- private tutors
- computers or laptops
- exam fees
Teaching your child at home takes a lot of time, effort and commitment but it could also be very rewarding.
Online safety
If you are educating your child at home, you should be aware of the risks and challenges of the internet.
Essex Schools has information about keeping pupils safe online.
Essex Safeguarding Children’s Board has resources to help parents and children reduce the risk of online exploitation.
Taking your child out of school
If your child is at school, you need to write to the headteacher to let them know you have decided to educate them at home.
The school will remove your child from the register and they will let us know. We will register your child as receiving home education.
Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
You can still educate them at home even if they have an education, health and care (EHC) plan but you need to ensure your child's special educational needs are met.
If your child goes to a special school, you will need our permission before you can take them out of the school and start home educating them.
Contact the Essex SEND Information Advice and Support (IAS) Service for information and advice.
Essex Local Offer provides services and support for children with special needs and disabilities.
What to teach
You don’t have to follow the national curriculum but you need to make sure what you’re teaching is suitable for your child’s age and ability.
Taking examinations
You can arrange and pay for your child to take examinations as external candidates with an examination centre such as colleges.
Returning your child to school
You can apply to admit your child back to school at any time. You will need to apply for a school place, but places are not guaranteed.
If a child is being returned to school, following a period of elective home education, it is reasonable for schools to:
- assess the child to ensure that they are clear about the level at which the child is currently working
- review the outcome of any assessments to ensure that the child is placed into the right classes
- use the outcome of any assessments to determine which exam entries are to be made on behalf of the child
Returning a home educated child to school does not automatically guarantee that exam entries will be made on their child’s behalf. Decisions around exam entries will be made based on the outcome of any assessments which the pupil completes. This allows the school to determine whether the child is suitably prepared to sit specific exams. The final say will rest with the headteacher of the individual school.
Some exam boards have coursework requirements for particular subjects. To enter these exams, it may be necessary to share the coursework that the child produced as part of their elective home education. If this coursework is not available, the school may not be able to enter the pupil for their preferred subject.
Find out how to apply for a school place.
Checking on your child’s education
We have a duty to act if it appears that a child is not receiving a suitable education. We will be in touch with you from time to time to make sure your child is getting the education to meet their needs.
Support for parents
There are lots of places to get information and advice.
EHE workshops for parents
From time to time, we offer workshops to Essex parents who are registered home educators.
You will be able to access information from services and professionals who offer support to children falling into the compulsory education age category, speak to other parents who teach their children at home, hear about their experiences and learn from them.
Look out for forthcoming workshops here.
Support groups
You can contact national support groups for advice and guidance about elective home education:
Understanding and supporting your child’s emotional wellbeing and mental health
Looking after your child’s emotional and mental wellbeing is an important part of home education. Our children's emotional wellbeing and mental health resource (DOC, 31.97KB) provides details of support services and helplines that may be useful to you.
You can also visit our Children and young peoples health and wellbeing services page for more information.
More information
Provide can help find health services for children living in Essex.
Home Education Advisory Service (HEAS) advise parents who want to home educate their children.
Educational Freedom offers support, advice and information for home educators in the UK.
The British Council’s Learn English Kids provides free online games, songs, stories and activities for children to have fun and learn English too.
BBC Learning has free resources for primary and secondary school children.
Channel 4 Learning has free online resources for those who teach primary and secondary age children.
A little bit of structure is a blog by home educating parents for home educating parents.
SEN Teacher provides free printable resources for those who teach children and young people with special educational needs.
Primary Resources provides free lesson plans, activity ideas and resources in a number of subject areas for primary school children.
Ed Yourself provided updates on elective home education practice and policy.
Help for young people
Children must be in education or training until they are 18. You and your child can decide how to do this after they turn 16.
Our page on education and training for young people provides information on post-16 options including staying in full time education, apprenticeships and part-time working with training.
GOV.UK has more about the school leaving age.
National Careers Service provides information and advice about post-16 options including further learning, training and work.
UCAS provide advice for young people and parents on how to access higher education courses.
Examination boards
OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA) Edexcel GCSEs AQA
Legal advice
Children’s Legal Centre is a charity that promotes and protects the rights of children in the UK and worldwide.