Home Education by Council: How Many Children in Your Area (2026)
There were 126,000 children in elective home education in England in the autumn term of 2025/26, up 12.8% in a year and up around 56% in three. It is 1.5% of all pupils, but that ranges from 0.5% to 4.1% depending on the council. And it is not the picture most people have: Year 11 is the single largest group and Reception the smallest. Find your council below.
Home education gets talked about as a fringe choice made by unusual families. The Department for Education’s own figures say otherwise, and they say something more uncomfortable than that.
The national picture
In the autumn term of 2025/26 there were 126,000 children in elective home education in England, 1.5% of the pupil population. In autumn 2024/25 it was 111,700. In autumn 2022/23 it was 80,900. That is a rise of 12.8% in a year and roughly 56% in three.
It is also broad rather than local. Of the 151 councils with comparable figures, 130 recorded a rise, with a median increase of 12.9%. Only a handful went the other way.
One caveat worth knowing before you quote any of this: the count moves through the school year. The summer term is always higher than the autumn, because families who deregister mid-year accumulate. In summer 2024/25 the figure reached 137,200. To compare fairly you have to compare the same term, which is why every figure here is autumn to autumn.
It peaks at GCSE age, not in the early years
This is the finding that should change how the subject is discussed. Nationally the largest single group of home educated children is Year 11, at around 24,100. Then Year 10, at 21,800. Then Year 9, at 18,800. Reception is the smallest group in the entire dataset, at about 400.
So this is overwhelmingly a secondary school story, concentrated at exactly the age where support tends to run out and exam pressure peaks. It is not, in the main, parents deciding at birth to teach their children at home. It is families leaving a system that has stopped working for their child, often quite late.
Why families say they leave
On the reasons councils record, mental health is the single largest named category at 16%, ahead of philosophical or preferential reasons at 12%. General school dissatisfaction, dissatisfaction with SEND support and bullying together account for another 15%.
Treat all of this carefully. Around 17% of records are “unknown” and a further 12% have no reason given, and some councils file most of their cases under “other”. Councils collect this so differently that the reason data cannot fairly be used to rank one against another, and we have not tried to. Councils where 40% or more of records are unclear are flagged in the table.
The postcode spread
The share of pupils being home educated runs from 0.5% to 4.1%, with a median of 1.3%. Highest:
- Isle of Wight: 4.1% (690 children)
- Blackpool: 3.1% (620 children)
- Cornwall: 2.9% (2,210 children)
- Somerset: 2.9% (2,270 children)
- Torbay: 2.8% (500 children)
- East Sussex: 2.7% (2,000 children)
- Devon: 2.7% (2,840 children)
- Darlington: 2.6% (410 children)
- Doncaster: 2.5% (1,160 children)
- Southend-on-Sea: 2.5% (700 children)
And lowest:
- Richmond upon Thames: 0.5% (170 children)
- Trafford: 0.6% (260 children)
- Hackney: 0.6% (210 children)
- Barnet: 0.6% (380 children)
- Kensington and Chelsea: 0.7% (100 children)
- Merton: 0.7% (230 children)
- Redbridge: 0.7% (360 children)
- Rutland: 0.8% (50 children)
- Lambeth: 0.8% (270 children)
- Harrow: 0.8% (310 children)
We are not going to pretend to explain that gap in a sentence. Rural and coastal areas sit high, several London boroughs sit low, and school supply, demographics and how each council counts all play a part. What the spread does tell you is that whether home education feels normal where you live depends a great deal on where you live.
Every council in England
All 153 councils below. Click one for its own figures, trend, year group profile and the law on deregistering there.
| Council | Children | % of pupils | 1 year | 3 years | Secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isle of Wight | 690 | 4.1% | +13.1% | +43.8% | 72.9% |
| Blackpool ! | 620 | 3.1% | +21.6% | +77.1% | 80.6% |
| Cornwall ! | 2,210 | 2.9% | +7.8% | – | 73.3% |
| Somerset ! | 2,270 | 2.9% | +22.0% | – | 59.5% |
| Torbay ! | 500 | 2.8% | +8.7% | +61.3% | 74.5% |
| East Sussex ! | 2,000 | 2.7% | +13.6% | +63.9% | 72.5% |
| Devon ! | 2,840 | 2.7% | +16.9% | +66.1% | 70.8% |
| Darlington | 410 | 2.6% | +20.6% | +70.8% | 87.8% |
| Doncaster ! | 1,160 | 2.5% | +33.3% | +96.6% | 71.3% |
| Southend-on-Sea | 700 | 2.5% | +22.8% | +59.1% | 65.2% |
| Medway | 1,150 | 2.4% | +22.3% | +79.7% | 69.8% |
| Barnsley | 800 | 2.3% | +12.7% | +73.9% | 78.5% |
| Norfolk ! | 2,520 | 2.1% | +12.0% | +30.6% | 63.7% |
| Gloucestershire | 1,950 | 2.1% | +18.2% | +41.3% | 68.4% |
| Calderdale | 630 | 2.0% | +1.6% | +75.0% | 81.2% |
| Telford and Wrekin | 620 | 2.0% | +14.8% | +67.6% | 74.6% |
| Peterborough ! | 810 | 2.0% | +3.8% | +28.6% | 75.6% |
| Plymouth ! | 720 | 2.0% | +10.8% | +94.6% | 79.5% |
| County Durham ! | 1,370 | 1.9% | +38.4% | +121.0% | 76.8% |
| Wakefield | 1,020 | 1.9% | +14.6% | +96.2% | 76.5% |
| Kingston upon Hull, City of ! | 830 | 1.9% | +10.7% | +118.4% | 78.6% |
| Kent ! | 4,760 | 1.9% | +14.1% | +65.9% | 71.2% |
| Hartlepool | 270 | 1.8% | +3.8% | +170.0% | 77.8% |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 350 | 1.8% | +12.9% | +59.1% | 80.6% |
| St. Helens | 460 | 1.8% | +27.8% | +155.6% | 78.3% |
| Rotherham | 740 | 1.8% | +32.1% | +100.0% | 75.7% |
| North East Lincolnshire ! | 440 | 1.8% | 0.0% | +69.2% | 76.7% |
| Derbyshire ! | 1,990 | 1.8% | +23.6% | +82.6% | 76.2% |
| North Northamptonshire | 1,050 | 1.8% | +1.9% | +59.1% | 71.4% |
| Dudley ! | 900 | 1.8% | +45.2% | +95.7% | 67.0% |
| Cambridgeshire ! | 1,840 | 1.8% | +9.5% | +39.4% | 72.3% |
| Essex ! | 4,100 | 1.8% | +14.8% | +67.3% | 70.9% |
| Southampton ! | 640 | 1.8% | +6.7% | – | 70.3% |
| Dorset ! | 880 | 1.8% | +29.4% | +76.0% | 64.8% |
| Cumberland | 610 | 1.7% | +10.9% | – | 75.8% |
| East Riding of Yorkshire ! | 760 | 1.7% | +26.7% | +72.7% | 73.7% |
| North Lincolnshire | 410 | 1.7% | +28.1% | +86.4% | 78.0% |
| North Yorkshire | 1,340 | 1.7% | +10.7% | – | 74.8% |
| Derby | 720 | 1.7% | +12.5% | +75.6% | 73.2% |
| Nottinghamshire | 2,100 | 1.7% | +20.0% | +72.1% | 75.4% |
| Herefordshire, County of | 410 | 1.7% | +7.9% | +64.0% | 69.0% |
| Shropshire ! | 740 | 1.7% | +13.8% | +42.3% | 68.0% |
| Warwickshire ! | 1,530 | 1.7% | +11.7% | +71.9% | 68.0% |
| Bedford ! | 510 | 1.7% | +2.0% | – | 66.7% |
| Thurrock ! | 540 | 1.7% | +35.0% | +74.2% | 72.2% |
| West Sussex ! | 2,140 | 1.7% | +8.6% | +52.9% | 72.0% |
| South Tyneside | 340 | 1.6% | +25.9% | +112.5% | 80.0% |
| Lancashire ! | 2,980 | 1.6% | +19.2% | +65.6% | 75.8% |
| Lincolnshire ! | 1,680 | 1.6% | -5.6% | +29.2% | 69.8% |
| West Northamptonshire ! | 1,050 | 1.6% | -0.9% | +32.9% | 72.6% |
| Central Bedfordshire | 770 | 1.6% | +18.5% | +60.4% | 64.6% |
| Suffolk ! | 1,730 | 1.6% | +7.5% | +39.5% | 71.3% |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 850 | 1.6% | +14.9% | +46.6% | 65.5% |
| Greenwich | 670 | 1.6% | +17.5% | +42.6% | 64.7% |
| Sunderland ! | 600 | 1.5% | +39.5% | +106.9% | 79.4% |
| Stockton-on-Tees ! | 470 | 1.5% | +34.3% | +113.6% | 79.2% |
| Nottingham ! | 690 | 1.5% | +13.1% | +46.8% | 76.8% |
| Sandwell | 930 | 1.5% | +10.7% | +75.5% | 69.9% |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 650 | 1.5% | +22.6% | +85.7% | 76.9% |
| Worcestershire ! | 1,280 | 1.5% | +13.3% | +34.7% | 72.7% |
| Brighton and Hove | 500 | 1.5% | +8.7% | -2.0% | 69.4% |
| Wiltshire | 1,110 | 1.5% | +13.3% | +46.1% | 69.7% |
| Liverpool ! | 910 | 1.4% | +4.6% | +122.0% | 71.4% |
| Wigan | 690 | 1.4% | +21.1% | +97.1% | 72.5% |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 410 | 1.4% | +10.8% | +78.3% | 59.5% |
| Bradford ! | 1,400 | 1.4% | +27.3% | +102.9% | 64.3% |
| Leicester ! | 870 | 1.4% | +8.8% | +38.1% | 61.5% |
| Birmingham ! | 2,880 | 1.4% | +1.1% | +35.8% | 67.7% |
| Walsall | 670 | 1.4% | +13.6% | +71.8% | 75.8% |
| Staffordshire | 1,760 | 1.4% | +15.8% | +63.0% | 68.4% |
| Hampshire | 2,780 | 1.4% | +10.8% | +58.0% | 70.6% |
| Reading ! | 350 | 1.4% | +9.4% | +40.0% | 61.8% |
| Slough | 460 | 1.4% | +43.8% | +84.0% | 58.7% |
| South Gloucestershire | 600 | 1.4% | -1.6% | +42.9% | 73.3% |
| Islington | 320 | 1.4% | +6.7% | +23.1% | 67.7% |
| Gateshead | 350 | 1.3% | +29.6% | +84.2% | 69.4% |
| Northumberland | 550 | 1.3% | +14.6% | +52.8% | 70.9% |
| Knowsley ! | 310 | 1.3% | +19.2% | +106.7% | 72.7% |
| Bolton | 670 | 1.3% | +15.5% | – | 71.6% |
| Rochdale ! | 520 | 1.3% | -1.9% | +73.3% | 63.0% |
| Halton | 250 | 1.3% | +19.0% | +78.6% | 76.0% |
| Cheshire East ! | 750 | 1.3% | +7.1% | +44.2% | 68.0% |
| Cheshire West and Chester ! | 650 | 1.3% | +14.0% | +47.7% | 76.1% |
| Westmorland and Furness ! | 370 | 1.3% | +12.1% | – | 73.7% |
| Kirklees | 940 | 1.3% | +25.3% | +80.8% | 66.3% |
| Leeds ! | 1,530 | 1.3% | +13.3% | +82.1% | 69.9% |
| Solihull | 470 | 1.3% | +4.4% | +51.6% | 63.3% |
| Wolverhampton | 590 | 1.3% | +1.7% | +28.3% | 63.9% |
| Buckinghamshire | 1,220 | 1.3% | +7.0% | +34.1% | 67.5% |
| Oxfordshire | 1,400 | 1.3% | +12.9% | +38.6% | 68.8% |
| Surrey ! | 2,410 | 1.3% | +7.6% | +48.8% | 73.7% |
| Isles of Scilly | – | 1.3% | – | – | – |
| North Somerset | 420 | 1.3% | +7.7% | – | 72.7% |
| Swindon ! | 500 | 1.3% | -9.1% | +28.2% | 68.6% |
| Barking and Dagenham | 580 | 1.3% | +5.5% | +65.7% | 55.9% |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 510 | 1.2% | +18.6% | +88.9% | 69.2% |
| Middlesbrough | 300 | 1.2% | +36.4% | +172.7% | 65.6% |
| Leicestershire | 1,220 | 1.2% | +20.8% | +41.9% | 70.5% |
| Milton Keynes | 650 | 1.2% | +1.6% | +27.5% | 68.2% |
| Bracknell Forest | 250 | 1.2% | +25.0% | +108.3% | 72.0% |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 290 | 1.2% | +16.0% | +61.1% | 74.2% |
| Bristol, City of ! | 720 | 1.2% | +7.5% | +22.0% | 72.2% |
| Camden ! | 270 | 1.2% | +17.4% | +17.4% | 63.0% |
| Lewisham ! | 480 | 1.2% | -7.7% | +9.1% | 68.0% |
| Croydon | 770 | 1.2% | 0.0% | +30.5% | 62.0% |
| Ealing ! | 670 | 1.2% | +4.7% | +36.7% | 66.2% |
| Havering | 520 | 1.2% | +26.8% | +85.7% | 62.3% |
| Sefton | 430 | 1.1% | +13.2% | +95.5% | 75.0% |
| Wirral ! | 520 | 1.1% | +15.6% | +92.6% | 75.0% |
| Bury ! | 350 | 1.1% | +16.7% | +66.7% | 61.8% |
| Salford | 480 | 1.1% | +17.1% | +71.4% | 70.2% |
| Stockport | 500 | 1.1% | +11.1% | +66.7% | 71.4% |
| Tameside | 410 | 1.1% | +32.3% | +95.2% | 70.7% |
| York | 280 | 1.1% | +16.7% | +64.7% | 71.4% |
| Coventry | 620 | 1.1% | +21.6% | +55.0% | 65.1% |
| West Berkshire ! | 280 | 1.1% | +12.0% | +27.3% | 75.0% |
| Newham | 580 | 1.1% | +41.5% | – | 52.5% |
| Bexley | 460 | 1.1% | +12.2% | +76.9% | 77.8% |
| Enfield ! | 630 | 1.1% | +26.0% | +43.2% | 71.4% |
| Hounslow ! | 520 | 1.1% | -1.9% | +30.0% | 62.7% |
| Waltham Forest ! | 450 | 1.1% | +18.4% | +25.0% | 56.5% |
| Manchester ! | 900 | 1.0% | +13.9% | +38.5% | 63.3% |
| Warrington | 320 | 1.0% | +10.3% | +100.0% | 63.6% |
| Sheffield ! | 830 | 1.0% | +7.8% | +69.4% | 69.9% |
| Hertfordshire | 2,020 | 1.0% | +9.2% | +8.0% | 67.2% |
| Wokingham | 310 | 1.0% | +10.7% | +55.0% | 67.6% |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 260 | 1.0% | +13.0% | – | 63.0% |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 210 | 1.0% | 0.0% | +40.0% | 60.9% |
| Southwark | 390 | 1.0% | +2.6% | +34.5% | 61.5% |
| Westminster | 180 | 1.0% | +28.6% | +12.5% | 68.4% |
| Bromley ! | 530 | 1.0% | +23.3% | +60.6% | 70.4% |
| Hillingdon ! | 490 | 1.0% | +16.7% | +53.1% | 65.3% |
| Kingston upon Thames | 250 | 1.0% | -10.7% | -3.8% | 72.0% |
| North Tyneside | 280 | 0.9% | +21.7% | +100.0% | 71.4% |
| Oldham | 420 | 0.9% | +7.7% | +75.0% | 71.4% |
| Luton | 380 | 0.9% | -2.6% | +18.8% | 51.3% |
| Portsmouth | 270 | 0.9% | -3.6% | +35.0% | 63.0% |
| Tower Hamlets | 390 | 0.9% | 0.0% | +62.5% | 46.2% |
| Haringey | 310 | 0.9% | 0.0% | +55.0% | 57.6% |
| Brent | 430 | 0.9% | +7.5% | – | 61.4% |
| Rutland | 50 | 0.8% | +25.0% | +66.7% | 100.0% |
| Lambeth ! | 270 | 0.8% | +28.6% | +28.6% | 67.9% |
| Harrow | 310 | 0.8% | -3.1% | +29.2% | 59.4% |
| Sutton ! | 300 | 0.8% | +7.1% | +15.4% | 70.0% |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 100 | 0.7% | 0.0% | -9.1% | 60.0% |
| Merton | 230 | 0.7% | -4.2% | +27.8% | 60.9% |
| Redbridge | 360 | 0.7% | +12.5% | +33.3% | 51.4% |
| Trafford | 260 | 0.6% | +8.3% | +36.8% | 63.0% |
| Hackney ! | 210 | 0.6% | -41.7% | – | 68.2% |
| Barnet | 380 | 0.6% | -9.5% | +11.8% | 53.8% |
| Richmond upon Thames | 170 | 0.5% | -15.0% | -19.0% | 70.6% |
| City of London | – | – | – | – | – |
| Wandsworth ! | 190 | – | +11.8% | +26.7% | 60.0% |
The law, briefly
Home education is legal in England and you do not need permission. Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 requires a parent to secure a suitable full-time education “either by regular attendance at school or otherwise”. If your child is at a mainstream school you deregister in writing to the head teacher, and under regulation 9(1)(f) of the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024 the school must remove them from the register and inform the council. A special school place arranged by the council is the exception and needs its consent.
The Children Not in School register is not in force in England. Sections 37 to 42 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 are commenced only for the purpose of making regulations, under section 78(1)(a). Checked 21 August 2026. There is nothing to register today.
- How to deregister your child from school
- Free deregistration letter generator
- Free local authority response letter generator
- Everything we have on home education
- If your child has SEND, the EHCP figures for your council
Common questions
How many children are home educated in England?
126,000 in the autumn term of 2025/26, which is 1.5% of the pupil population, according to the Department for Education. That is up 12.8% on the autumn before and up around 56% over three years.
Is home education increasing?
Yes, and almost everywhere. Of 151 councils with comparable autumn figures, 130 recorded an increase, with a median rise of 12.9%.
What age are most home educated children?
Secondary age. Year 11 is the largest single group at about 24,100, followed by Year 10 and Year 9. Reception is the smallest at around 400. Home education is concentrated at GCSE age rather than in the early years.
Why do most families home educate?
Of the reasons councils record, mental health is the largest named category at 16%, ahead of philosophical or preferential reasons at 12%. However, 17% of records are unknown and 12% give no reason, so the data is indicative rather than precise.
Do I need permission to home educate in England?
No, unless your child attends a special school arranged by the local authority, which needs the council’s consent. Otherwise you notify the head teacher in writing and the school must remove your child from the register under regulation 9(1)(f) of the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024.
Do I have to register with the Children Not in School register?
Not yet. As at 21 August 2026 the relevant sections of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 are in force in England only for the purpose of making regulations, so the duty has not started and there is nothing to register.
Sources
- Department for Education, Elective home education, autumn term 2025/26. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Education Act 1996, section 7.
- School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024, regulation 9.
- Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, section 78 (commencement).
- GOV.UK home education guidance.
How common is this where you live?
176,361 children in England miss half of school or more, and severe absence has risen 44% since 2021/22 even as overall absence improved. See the figures for your council.
Use the data
The full dataset behind this page is available as JSON: /data/home-education-by-council.json. It contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, sourced from the Department for Education. Free to reuse, and a link back is appreciated.
This is information, not legal advice
Darling Mellow is a parenting website. We are not solicitors, we are not regulated to give legal advice, and nothing here is advice about your particular child or situation. We write about the law in England, we date everything and we link our sources so you can check them. Deadlines and duties change, and only you know your full circumstances, so please take proper advice before making a decision that matters.
Where to get free or regulated advice
- Your local SENDIASS. Free, confidential and impartial, and every council in England must provide one. Find yours through your council’s SEND Local Offer, or via GOV.UK.
- IPSEA. A charity with legally trained advisers, giving free advice on SEND law in England. Their guidance is the best free legal explanation available.
- Legal aid, through Civil Legal Advice on 0345 345 4345 (Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm, Saturday 9am to 12.30pm). Special educational needs is one of the areas still covered. Legal aid can fund advice and help preparing a SEND Tribunal appeal, though not representation at the hearing itself. Check whether you qualify with the official legal aid checker.
- A solicitor regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Find an education law specialist through the Law Society’s Find a Solicitor, and you can confirm anyone is genuinely regulated on the SRA register.
If you are in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, the law and the services differ and you should use your own nation’s guidance.