We support the right of parents to educate their children at home if they choose to.

How to go about educating your child at home

If your child is already on roll at a school, you need to write to the school's head teacher. You must request that your child be removed from the school roll and state that you are fulfilling your legal duty to provide their education other than at school. The school will then inform the Local Authority.

If your child has never attended school, please contact us to tell us of your decision to educate at home. Please include your child's name, date of birth, address and your contact number.

Parents' responsibilities

Parents' responsibilities are set out in section seven of the Education Act 1996. This Act states that the parent of every child of compulsory school age must arrange for the child to receive suitable full-time education.

There is no rule about what a suitable education might be. But it should prepare a child for life in a modern society, and allow the child to reach his or her full potential.

Parents who educate their children at home are responsible for registering their children for exams. Contact the exam board to find an exam centre.

• AQA
• Pearson Edexcel
• OCR
• JEC
• Cambridge International

Can the Council intervene?

We only have a duty to intervene if there is evidence that the education offered is not suitable.

To make a decision on this, we will contact you to agree a mutually convenient time for an initial discussion about how things are going and your plans. If you have any questions or would like advice, this would be a good time to talk these through.