Last checked: September 2026

In this article we have gathered links to the legal rights and responsibilities of a parent to home educate who is considering to educate their child at home. In general, parents in the UK have the right to educate their children at home and for most families there are no complicated legal hoops to jump through. The guidance and legal requirements does vary depending on where you live so we have broken it down by country below.

England

The government sets out your rights and responsibilities on this page. The government has also published a more comprehension parents guide. This is quite a long document which does read like a legal document. It is useful because it does go into detail exactly what is expected of parents and what parents should expect their local council to do. Section 4 specifically goes into what you need to do if you decide to home educate your child.

Each council also provides some degree of information and support for parents but this does vary depending on where you live. They may be able to provide support to you or put you in touch with homeschool groups in your area. Go to https://www.gov.uk/home-schooling-information-council and enter your postcode. You will then be taken to the relevant part of your local council's website that contains information for homeschool parents.

Wales

The Welsh Government’s Home Education Handbook is a practical guide for parents considering or already providing home education in Wales. It is well written and does give you lots of links for useful support services, various learning websites and child charities in Wales.

Each council also provides some degree of information and support for parents but this does vary depending on where you live. They may be able to provide support to you or put you in touch with homeschool groups in your area. Go to https://www.gov.uk/home-schooling-information-council and enter your postcode (this covers both England and Wales). You will then be taken to the relevant part of your local council's website that contains information for homeschool parents.

Scotland

The Scottish government sets out your rights and responsibilities on this page https://www.mygov.scot/learning-home-education/home-education. It explains what parents are responsible for when home educating,. It also explains when you need permission from your local council to withdraw your child from school and when you don't. The page links to the full Scottish Government guidance if you want more detail.

The Scottish Government’s Parent Club has this home education page aimed at parents who are thinking about home educating. It is a useful starting point because it is much more accessible and parent-friendly than the Scottish Government's full guidance. It doesn't go into the same level of detail about the legal requirements, but it does a good job of highlighting the practical things you need to think about and points you towards the more detailed guidance when you need it. One particularly useful section covers additional support needs and makes clear that local authorities don't have a legal responsibility to provide support once a child is home educated.

Northern ireland

The Northern Ireland government sets out the basics of home education on this nidirect page. It explains your legal responsibilities, including the requirement to provide a full-time education suitable for your child's age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs. It also explains that you don't need to follow the curriculum, use a timetable or give formal lessons, and what you need to do if your child is already registered at a school. There is also information about the Education Authority's role in checking that a suitable education is being provided.

The Education Authority has also published detailed guidance on elective home education. This is much more comprehensive and goes into considerably more detail about the respective responsibilities of parents, schools and the Education Authority. It also covers de-registration, how the Education Authority may make enquiries about your child's education, special educational needs and the support available to home educating families. It is quite a formal document, but is useful if you want to understand exactly what the Education Authority can and can't do. The Education Authority also has an EHE team that parents can contact for advice and support.