Home Education UK: The Complete Guide

Everything UK families need to know about home education. From getting started and understanding your legal rights, to timetables, resources, and making it work across two households.

88 guides Updated October 2026 By Darling Mellow

In This Guide

Essential Reading

Start here. The guides every parent needs.

School Suspensions and Exclusions: Your Rights in England (2026)

School Suspensions and Exclusions: Your Rights in England (2026)

How long a child can be suspended, when education must start, how to challenge a suspension, and how…

Oct 2026 · 4 min read
Free School Transport: Who Qualifies in England (2026)

Free School Transport: Who Qualifies in England (2026)

Free home to school transport in England: the 2 and 3 mile walking distances, SEND and unsafe routes,…

Oct 2026 · 5 min read
EHCP Questions Answered: What the Law Actually Says (2026)

EHCP Questions Answered: What the Law Actually Says (2026)

Is an EHCP legally binding? Can it be taken away? How long does it last? Every common EHCP…

Sep 2026 · 8 min read
How to Write a School Appeal Letter (With a Template That Fits the Panel’s Test)

How to Write a School Appeal Letter (With a Template That Fits the Panel’s Test)

Panels decide school appeals in two stages. A letter that wins gives them findings they are allowed to…

Sep 2026 · 7 min read

The Home Ed Starter Checklist, Free Download

Everything you need to know before you begin home educating in the UK. Legal rights, deregistration letter template, first week plan, and essential resources.

The Complete UK Home Education Starter System

The legal foundation, ready-to-send letters, planners and a curriculum guide by subject, done for you.

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Deep Dives

Detailed guides on specific topics.

EHCP Annual Review: The Timeline and Every Deadline That Binds the Council

EHCP Annual Review: The Timeline and Every Deadline That Binds the Council

An EHC plan must be reviewed every 12 months. The council has four weeks after the meeting to…

Sep 2026 · 5 min read
Infant Class Size Appeals: The 8.1% Success Rate, the Three Grounds and Every Council

Infant Class Size Appeals: The 8.1% Success Rate, the Three Grounds and Every Council

Only 8.1% of infant class size appeals heard in England were upheld in 2026, and 47 councils had…

Sep 2026 · 9 min read
School Attendance Codes Explained, From I to U

School Attendance Codes Explained, From I to U

Only four codes count as unauthorised absence. What each code means, which ones are taken out of the…

Sep 2026 · 7 min read
School Attendance Fines: The Rules in England for 2026/27

School Attendance Fines: The Rules in England for 2026/27

The threshold, the amounts, the two notice limit almost nobody explains, and what happens the third time. Current…

Sep 2026 · 10 min read

More Guides

Everything else you need to know.

Part-Time Timetables: What a School Can and Cannot Do

Part-Time Timetables: What a School Can and Cannot Do

Reduced hours are allowed only in very exceptional circumstances, temporarily, and only with a parent’s agreement. What the…

Sep 2026 · 8 min read
Does School Need a Doctor’s Note When Your Child Is Off Sick?

Does School Need a Doctor’s Note When Your Child Is Off Sick?

Schools are not expected to routinely ask for medical evidence when a child is off ill, and should…

Sep 2026 · 8 min read
Section 19: What Your Council Must Arrange When Your Child Cannot Attend School

Section 19: What Your Council Must Arrange When Your Child Cannot Attend School

Quick answer If your child cannot attend school because of illness, exclusion or any other reason, your council…

Aug 2026 · 8 min read
EHCP Appeal Success Rate: What the Tribunal Data Actually Shows

EHCP Appeal Success Rate: What the Tribunal Data Actually Shows

Quick answer Of the SEND Tribunal appeals that reached a decision in 2024/25, 99% were decided in the…

Aug 2026 · 5 min read
EHCP Refusal Rates and Waiting Times by Council (2026 Data)

EHCP Refusal Rates and Waiting Times by Council (2026 Data)

Quick answer Across England in 2025, councils turned down 26.6% of all EHC needs assessment requests (43,300 of…

Aug 2026 · 9 min read
NHS Right to Choose for ADHD and Autism Assessment: A Parent’s Guide

NHS Right to Choose for ADHD and Autism Assessment: A Parent’s Guide

Quick answer If your child is on an NHS waiting list for an ADHD or autism assessment in…

Jul 2026 · 16 min read
Minerva’s Virtual Academy vs Wolsey Hall Oxford: Which Online School? (2026)

Minerva’s Virtual Academy vs Wolsey Hall Oxford: Which Online School? (2026)

Quick answer These are two very different products. Minerva’s Virtual Academy is a full-time live online school with…

Jul 2026 · 5 min read
How Many Children Are Home Educated in the UK? The 2026 Figures

How Many Children Are Home Educated in the UK? The 2026 Figures

Quick answer On census day in autumn 2025, councils in England recorded 126,000 home-educated children, about 1.5% of…

Jul 2026 · 5 min read
Home Education and Term-Time Holidays: No Fines, No Term Dates (UK)

Home Education and Term-Time Holidays: No Fines, No Term Dates (UK)

Quick answer Home-educated children have no term dates, no attendance register and no headteacher to ask, so term-time…

Jul 2026 · 4 min read
How Much Does Homeschooling Cost in the UK? Real Numbers (2026)

How Much Does Homeschooling Cost in the UK? Real Numbers (2026)

Quick answer There is no official figure, and anyone quoting one is guessing. In practice, homeschooling in the…

Jul 2026 · 5 min read
Homeschooling in the UK: Rules, Cost and How to Start (2026)

Homeschooling in the UK: Rules, Cost and How to Start (2026)

Quick answer Homeschooling is completely legal in the UK and you do not need anyone’s permission, teaching qualifications,…

Jul 2026 · 6 min read
Online School UK Costs: The Real Fees for 2026/27

Online School UK Costs: The Real Fees for 2026/27

Quick answer UK online schools run from about £15 a month for self-paced materials to £11,000 a year…

Jul 2026 · 13 min read

Also worth reading

How many families near you are doing this?

There were 126,000 children in elective home education in England in autumn 2025/26, up 12.8% in a year, and Year 11 is the largest group. See the figures for your own council.

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