How to Write a Home Education Philosophy (and Respond to the Local Authority)
Quick answer If your local authority makes contact, you can respond with a short written statement,...
Quick answer
Home-educated young people have the same post-16 options as everyone else: college, sixth form, an apprenticeship, or carrying on learning at home. You do not need to have been to school. In England a young person must be in some form of education or training until 18, but that can be any of these routes. And if your teen does not yet have GCSE maths and English, most colleges and apprenticeships let them study those alongside rather than turning them away.
One of the quiet questions hanging over home education is: what happens at the end? Does educating at home close doors at 16? The honest answer is no. If anything, home-educated teenagers arrive at this stage with the same choices as their schooled peers, and often a clearer idea of what they actually want.
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In England, young people have to continue in education or training until they are 18. This does not mean school, and it does not undo your right to home educate. It can be met by full-time education (college, sixth form or continued home education), an apprenticeship, or part-time education or training alongside work or volunteering. Our guide to compulsory school age in the UK explains the age rules in full.
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College and sixth form
Home-educated teenagers can apply to college or sixth form like anyone else, and colleges are very used to it. Each course sets its own entry requirements, which reflect the level of the course rather than where you studied before.
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📚 Home Ed Cost Calculator — Compare school vs home ed costs →The one thing to know: if your young person does not yet hold GCSE maths and English at grade 4 or above, most colleges will have them work towards those alongside their main course, either as a GCSE resit or as a Functional Skills qualification. It is a condition of the course, not a barrier to getting in.
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are a strong route for home-educated young people, combining paid work with training. Entry requirements are set by the employer or training provider and vary by level.
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Here too, maths and English are handled sensibly. Apprentices aged 16 to 18 need to achieve English and maths qualifications to complete their apprenticeship, but if they do not already hold a GCSE grade 4 or an equivalent, they are funded to work towards Functional Skills Level 2 during the apprenticeship. In other words, not having sat GCSEs yet does not shut your teen out, it just becomes part of the training.
Carrying on at home
Continuing to educate at home past 16 is also a valid choice. Young people can work towards GCSEs, IGCSEs or A-levels as private candidates, study online courses, or build a portfolio of work and experience. Our guides to exams and exam centres and exam costs cover the qualifications side.
And university is still open
None of this closes off higher education. Universities accept home-educated applicants through UCAS on the same terms as everyone else, and there are routes in even without a conventional set of A-levels, including Access to Higher Education courses for those aged 19 and over. Our guide to home education and university explains how it works.
If you are earlier in the journey and thinking ahead, our complete guide to starting home education covers the foundations.
Last reviewed 9 July 2026. General guidance for England, not careers or legal advice. Entry requirements are set by individual colleges and employers, and the rules on staying in education or training to 18 apply in England. See the GOV.UK guidance on English and maths requirements in apprenticeships, and confirm current details with the college or provider.
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The Complete UK Home Education Starter System
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Everything in one place, written for the law as it stands in 2026: the legal foundation, ready-to-send deregistration and local-authority letters, printable weekly and term planners, a curriculum guide by subject, and record-keeping logs. The letters and planners, done for you.
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