🐾 PAWSTEPS · FOR HOME EDUCATORS

Home Educator Hub

Everything you need to home educate in England with confidence β€” the essentials, the law in plain English, a ready-to-use deregistration letter, flexible planning, and a built-in learning log to evidence your child's progress.

Getting started

Home education (also called Elective Home Education, or EHE) is when you take responsibility for your child's learning instead of sending them to school. It's completely legal in the UK, and thousands of families do it β€” for all sorts of reasons. Some feel they have no choice but to home educate and see it as a last resort; others realise early on that their child simply won't thrive in a school environment. Whatever the reason, most families find home education lets them support their child in a way school couldn't.

πŸ’‘ You don't need to be a qualified teacher, recreate a classroom, or teach 9-to-3. Home ed can be as structured or as relaxed as suits your child β€” and you can adapt as their needs change.

Your first steps

  1. If your child is registered at school, send a short deregistration letter to the head teacher. See the Deregister tab for a ready-to-use template. (Deregistering from a special school arranged by the LA needs their agreement first β€” the process differs.)
  2. If your child has never been to school (or is under 5), you don't need to tell anyone β€” though your LA may still make contact.
  3. Home education must take place from day one. Have a rough idea of your approach before you deregister, then take a few weeks to "deschool" and find your rhythm.
  4. Find your people. Local home ed groups and online communities are the single most helpful thing β€” for support, meet-ups and shared trips.

Quick facts

πŸŽ‚
Compulsory school age (CSA): a child legally must be in education from the term after their fifth birthday, until the last Friday in June of the school year they turn 16 (what would be Year 11). "In education" includes home education.
πŸŽ“
Post-16: the government recommends 16–18 year-olds are in education, training or work, but this isn't strictly enforceable.
🧩
SEND is fine at home. You can home educate a child with SEN or from a special school β€” you become legally responsible for a suitable education for their age, ability, aptitude and needs.
⚠️ Rules differ across the UK. This hub focuses on England; Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own guidance. Always check your own local authority's current information.

The law, in plain English

Your duty

By law (Education Act 1996, s.7), parents must make sure their child receives efficient, full-time education suitable to their age, ability, aptitude and any special needs β€” either by attending school or otherwise. Home education is the "or otherwise". "Full-time" for home ed has no set number of hours β€” it means learning is a genuine, regular part of life.

What you do not have to do

  • Follow the National Curriculum.
  • Do formal lessons, keep set hours, or follow a school timetable.
  • Have a fixed "school room" or buy specific resources.
  • Enter your child for exams or SATs.
  • Ask the LA's permission to home educate (except when deregistering from a special school).

The local authority's role

Your LA can make informal enquiries to check your child is receiving a suitable education. You're not legally obliged to meet them, let them into your home, or follow a set format β€” but many families find it easiest to respond with a short written report and a few examples of work (photos, a learning log, projects). Being open and organised usually keeps things simple.

🧩 SEND note (England): if your child has SEN but no EHC plan naming a school, the LA EHE team has no extra rights to monitor or demand information from you beyond any other home-educating family.
πŸ“’ The Record & Evidence tab has a built-in learning log β€” a tidy way to show "suitable education" if the LA ever asks.
⚠️ This is general information, not legal advice. For specifics, check GOV.UK "Home education" guidance and free support from Education Otherwise or Educational Freedom, or ask your local authority. Home education law in England may change β€” keep an eye on updates.

Deregistering from school

How it works

  • You don't have to give notice. You can hand in the letter or send the email as you collect your child on their last day, or on the morning of the first day they don't attend.
  • Once you've sent the letter, your legal duty is complete. You don't need to chase the school for confirmation, and you don't need to separately tell the LA.
  • The school must remove your child's name from the roll and pass your details to the LA's Elective Home Education (EHE) team.
  • Many schools don't reply β€” that's normal, not a problem. If a school tries to delay removing your child, a "failure to deregister" follow-up letter can be used.
  • Remember: home education must begin from day one.
⚠️ Deregistering from a special school (or where an EHC plan names the school) works differently and usually needs the LA's agreement first. Get advice before sending a letter in that case.

βœ‰οΈ Deregistration letter builder

Fill in the boxes and your letter updates below. Copy it into an email or print it. Everything stays private on this device.

Plan flexibly

Choose your style

There's no "one-size-fits-all". Pick what suits your child and your family β€” many families mix these and change over time.

Structured / school-at-home: workbooks and timetabled lessons in a clear order. Good if your child likes routine and clear goals.
Unschooling / autonomous: child-led learning driven by their interests and natural curiosity.
Online learning: digital platforms and courses for structured lessons and subject-specific support β€” handy for GCSE/A-level subjects.
Charlotte Mason: living books, nature study, short focused lessons and narration. Gentle and rich.
Eclectic (most common!): mix and match β€” structured maths, project-based science, unschooled afternoons. Whatever works this week.

Planning a curriculum

You don't have to follow the National Curriculum, but it can be a useful backbone β€” especially if your child may sit GCSEs or A-levels later.

  • Prioritise the core: English, Maths and Science.
  • Add breadth: History, Geography, Art, Music, Computing, PE, PSHE and life skills.
  • Build breaks in. Regular breaks β€” including full days off β€” help avoid fatigue and actually aid memory and retention.
  • Mix it up. Combine online learning with hands-on activities and real-world experiences to keep everyone fresh and motivated.

Everyday life is the curriculum

  • Maths: cooking (weighing, halving), shopping (money, change), board games.
  • English: reading together, writing lists, story-telling, letters to family.
  • Science: gardening, cooking, watching wildlife (a hedgehog in the garden!), simple experiments.
  • Geography/History: days out, museums, maps, family stories.
  • PE & wellbeing: parks, swimming, gymnastics, den-building, walks.
✨ For a hyperfocused child (trains, space, animals…) build topics around their passion β€” the PawSteps Lesson Planner can theme a whole week for you.

Myth-busting

Myth: "Home-educated children lack social skills."
Reality: home-ed children often socialise widely β€” across ages β€” through groups, clubs, sports, meet-ups and community life.
Myth: "You must recreate school at home."
Reality: learning can be hands-on, flexible and led by real life. No timetable or classroom required.
Myth: "You need to be a qualified teacher."
Reality: you don't. You know your child best, and you can lean on resources, tutors, online courses and community.

Record & evidence

What "suitable education" evidence can look like

If the LA asks, you can show a picture of varied, purposeful learning. Real examples families have shared include:

  • Dated, marked workbook pages (spelling, handwriting, reading, adding & subtraction, times tables, telling the time)
  • Activities and clubs (swimming, gymnastics, dance, learning an instrument)
  • A curriculum outline (e.g. English, Maths, Science, Art, plus family interests)
  • Who supports learning (parents, grandparents, tutors) and how
  • Photos of projects, days out, cooking, gardening and experiments
  • A simple learning log β€” like the one below

Learning log

Jot down what your child did and learned. This builds a lovely record β€” and neat "suitable education" evidence if your LA ever asks. Saved privately on this device.

Subject coverage

See at a glance which subjects you've touched (updates from your log).

Your log

Resources & community

Inside PawSteps

⚑ Lesson Planner β€” plan a whole week (Home Educator mode), themed to your child's interest πŸ“š Learn Zone β€” bite-size lessons across every subject πŸ¦” Curriculum content packs β€” real lessons EYFSβ†’GCSE by animal & subject πŸ“– Story Corner & Chapter Books β€” reading for all ages 🌿 Wellbeing & Focus Toolkit β€” fidgets, feelings, focus & SEND support

Support & guidance (UK)

  • Education Otherwise β€” long-running home-ed charity, free info & helpline.
  • Educational Freedom (educationalfreedom.org.uk) β€” deregistration guidance, letter templates, and "what to do first".
  • GOV.UK "Home education" β€” the official guidance for England.
  • Your local council's EHE pages β€” search "[your council] elective home education".
  • Local Facebook & meet-up groups β€” search "[your area] home education".

Money-savers

  • Many museums, farms and attractions offer home-ed group rates and term-time workshops β€” just ask.
  • Look for home-ed discounts on curricula and software.
  • Libraries, free wildlife cams, and everyday life are your best (free!) resources.
For cmux: Home Educator hub. Learning log, coverage tracker & letter builder are session-only here; in production save per family and feed the Home Educator dashboard's "Suitable Education evidence log" + portfolio export. The deregistration letter should be downloadable as PDF/email. Legal content is plain-English general info with signposting β€” keep the not-legal-advice caveat and the special-school warning.