Skip to site navigation

Accessibility Options

Font size

Colour scheme

Educating your child at home

 
We support the right of parents to educate their children at home, if you so wish.

How to go about educating your child at home

If your child is in already in school, you need to write to the school’s headteacher. The school should then inform us.

If your child has never attended school, please contact us (see contact details top right) to tell us of your decision to educate at home.

What are the parents' responsibilities?

The parents’ responsibilities are set out in Section 7 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.

Can the Council intervene?

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

In order to make a decision on this, a Home Education Officer will make a request to visit the family on an annual basis, if possible, to view the education being offered.

Following the visit, a report will be written, stating whether the provision is suitable.

What if the child has special educational needs?

Please see Can I teach my child myself? in our Special education needs section.

Further information

Please contact us using the details at the top right of this page.

A to Z of Services

Contact information

Useful links