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.

How to Deregister a Child With SEND or an EHCP to Home Educate (UK)

How to Deregister a Child With SEND or an EHCP to Home Educate (UK)

Quick answer In England, if your child attends a mainstream school you can deregister them to home educate…

Jul 2026 · 13 min read
Home Education Record Keeping in the UK: What You Actually Need to Keep

Home Education Record Keeping in the UK: What You Actually Need to Keep

If there is one thing that keeps new home educators awake at night, it is this: what if…

Jul 2026 · 4 min read
UK Home Education FAQ: Your Questions Answered (2026)

UK Home Education FAQ: Your Questions Answered (2026)

Quick answer Yes, home education is legal across the UK. In England and Wales it rests on section…

Jun 2026 · 9 min read
Home Education vs School in the UK: An Honest Comparison

Home Education vs School in the UK: An Honest Comparison

Quick answer Both home education and school can give a child an excellent education in the UK. Home…

Jun 2026 · 4 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.

Get the System, £49

Deep Dives

Detailed guides on specific topics.

Home Educating a Child Who Has Never Been to School (UK)

Home Educating a Child Who Has Never Been to School (UK)

Home educating a child who has never been to school in the UK: why you usually do not…

May 2026 · 5 min read
Flexi-Schooling in the UK: How Part-Time School Actually Works

Flexi-Schooling in the UK: How Part-Time School Actually Works

Flexi-schooling in the UK explained: what it is, why it is at the head teacher's discretion, how to…

May 2026 · 4 min read
Home Education Exams: IGCSEs and Finding an Exam Centre (UK)

Home Education Exams: IGCSEs and Finding an Exam Centre (UK)

How home-educated children take exams in the UK: why IGCSEs, finding a private exam centre, costs, and what…

May 2026 · 5 min read
How to Deregister Your Child From School in the UK

How to Deregister Your Child From School in the UK

How to deregister your child from school in the UK: the exact steps, a free letter template, and…

May 2026 · 8 min read

More Guides

Everything else you need to know.

Free SEND Resources Every UK Parent Should Know About

Free SEND Resources Every UK Parent Should Know About

Navigating the SEND system in England without help is, frankly, exhausting. The good news is that several charities…

May 2026 · 5 min read
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026: What Home Ed Families Actually Need to Know This Week

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026: What Home Ed Families Actually Need to Know This Week

Quick answer The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026, but its…

May 2026 · 9 min read
Home Educating a Child with SEND or an EHCP: Your Rights in the UK

Home Educating a Child with SEND or an EHCP: Your Rights in the UK

You absolutely can home educate a child with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. The same legal right applies…

Apr 2026 · 4 min read
Home Educated Children and GCSEs: How It Actually Works in the UK

Home Educated Children and GCSEs: How It Actually Works in the UK

It's the second question every home educator gets asked (right after socialisation): "But how will they get GCSEs?"…

Apr 2026 · 4 min read
Deschooling: The Step Most New Home Educators Skip (And Why It Matters)

Deschooling: The Step Most New Home Educators Skip (And Why It Matters)

You've deregistered. You're officially home educating. And the first thing you should do is... absolutely nothing. At least…

Apr 2026 · 4 min read
How to Respond When the Local Authority Contacts You About Home Education

How to Respond When the Local Authority Contacts You About Home Education

The letter arrives. The local authority wants to know about your "educational provision." Your stomach drops. Here's the…

Apr 2026 · 5 min read
But What About Socialisation? The Home Education Question Every Parent Is Tired of Answering

But What About Socialisation? The Home Education Question Every Parent Is Tired of Answering

“But what about socialisation?” If you home educate, you have heard this question approximately seventeen thousand times. From…

Feb 2026 · 5 min read
Duolingo for Kids: An Honest Review from a Home Educating Mum (2026)

Duolingo for Kids: An Honest Review from a Home Educating Mum (2026)

Quick answer Duolingo has no minimum age. Under-13s can use it with restrictions (a username instead of a…

Feb 2026 · 10 min read
Best Paid Resources Worth the Money

Best Paid Resources Worth the Money

Not everything worth using is free. Some paid home education resources worth the money genuinely transform your home…

Jan 2026 · 13 min read
Co-Parenting Home Education UK: Making It Work in Two Households

Co-Parenting Home Education UK: Making It Work in Two Households

Co-Parenting Home Education UK isn't something you'll find in most homeschooling guides. But if you're trying to make…

Jan 2026 · 10 min read
School Attendance Orders: What You Need to Know

School Attendance Orders: What You Need to Know

Received a letter about a school attendance order? Don't panic. School Attendance Orders (SAOs) are the Local Authority's…

Jan 2026 · 12 min read
Free Home Education Resources UK Families Love

Free Home Education Resources UK Families Love

Looking for free home education resources UK that actually work? You're in the right place. When I started…

Jan 2026 · 9 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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