Elective Home Education Form: What You Actually Need to Send the School

You've decided to home educate your child and you're searching for an "elective home education form" to fill in and submit. Here's the thing: no such form exists in English law. There is no official government document to complete, no council application to file, no box on a website to tick. What triggers your child's legal removal from the school roll is a single piece of written communication from you to the headteacher — and getting the wording of that communication right is everything.

This article explains what that written notification needs to contain, what it legally does, and what happens after you send it.

Why There Is No Standard EHE Form

The reason no standardised form exists is that the legal framework for elective home education in England is built on a parent's pre-existing duty, not on a permission system. Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 places the duty to educate on you as a parent. School attendance is one way to fulfill that duty; home education is another. You are not applying for anything. You are simply informing the school that you are exercising your legal right to fulfill your duty differently.

Because of this, local councils and schools cannot legally create a mandatory form that you must complete before your child can be deregistered. Some local authorities do publish their own EHE "notification" documents on their websites, and some schools will send you paperwork to fill in after you contact them. These are not legally required. Completing them is optional.

The only instrument that actually triggers deregistration is a written statement from a parent with parental responsibility, delivered to the school proprietor or headteacher.

What Your Written Notification Must Say

The deregistration of a mainstream-school pupil is governed by Regulation 9(1)(f) of the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024, which replaced the older 2006 Regulations from August 2024 onward. Under this regulation, the school must delete your child's name from the admission register once a parent has told the school in writing that:

1. The child will no longer attend the school after a certain day
2. The child will receive education otherwise than at school

That's it. Those two elements — in writing, with a specified date — are the legal threshold for mandatory deregistration. The school has no discretion once both are present.

Your notification should also include:

• Your child's full name and date of birth
• The name of the school
• A clear statement that you have made a decision (not that you are considering or intending) to home educate
• The last day of attendance — this is the "certain day" required by the Regulation

The distinction between "decision" and "intention" matters. Government guidance on children missing education draws a sharp line between a parent who has decided to home educate and one who is still considering it. If your letter says you are "thinking about" home educating, the school may treat this as an unresolved situation and initiate welfare checks or multi-agency meetings before actioning your request. A firm decision compels immediate compliance.

A Sample Written Notification

[Your name]
[Your address]
[Date]

Dear [Headteacher's name],

RE: Formal notification of deregistration — [Child's full name], DOB [date]

I am writing to inform you that I have made the decision to home educate [child's first name]
and to withdraw them from [school name]. Their education will henceforth be provided
otherwise than at school, in accordance with my duty under Section 7 of the Education
Act 1996.

[Child's first name]'s last day of attendance was/will be [specific date].

In accordance with Regulation 9(1)(f) of the School Attendance (Pupil Registration)
(England) Regulations 2024, please delete [child's first name]'s name from the admission
register and provide written confirmation once this has been completed.

Yours sincerely,
[Your name]

Send this by email with a read receipt requested, or by recorded post. Keep proof of delivery. Schools have been known to claim non-receipt as a reason to delay — having proof means you can respond swiftly.

What Happens After You Send It

Once your child's name is deleted from the register, the school is legally required under Regulation 13(4) of the 2024 Regulations to make a "deletion return" to your local authority. This gives the council your child's details and the reason for removal. This is the point at which most parents first encounter their local authority's Elective Home Education team.

The local authority may then contact you — usually by letter or email — to conduct an "informal enquiry" into whether your child is receiving suitable education. This is not an inspection. The council has no power to enter your home, demand to see your child, or require you to follow a particular curriculum. Their duty under Section 436A of the Education Act 1996 is to make arrangements to identify children who may not be receiving suitable education — not to approve or supervise it.

You are entitled to decline a home visit while still cooperating with the enquiry by providing a written description of your educational provision. Engaging in some form with the council is sensible; complete non-response gives them grounds to escalate.

The One Exception: Children at Special Schools

If your child attends a dedicated Special School — not a mainstream school with a SEN unit, but a school whose sole purpose is education for pupils with special needs — the process is different. Under Regulation 9(2) of the 2024 Regulations, the school cannot remove your child's name without the local authority's consent. This applies whether or not your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

For a child with an EHCP at a mainstream school, the standard written notification process applies. You do not need LA consent. The EHCP continues after deregistration and the council retains its duty to review it annually.

The 2026 CNIS Register: What's Changing

The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which was progressing through the House of Lords as of early 2026, introduces mandatory "Children Not in School" (CNIS) registers across all English local authorities. Once in force — anticipated by late 2026 — parents will be legally required to provide basic information to their local council when they commence home education.

This does not change the deregistration process itself. Your written notification to the school remains the legal instrument that removes your child from the roll. The CNIS register is a separate obligation that comes into effect after deregistration. The key distinction is knowing exactly what information is mandatory (name, date of birth, address, education provider details) and what is optional — and not volunteering more than you are required to provide.

The England Legal Withdrawal Blueprint covers the full deregistration process, including the exact written notification required under the 2024 Regulations, scripts for responding to school pushback, guidance for parents of children with EHCPs, and everything you need to know about the incoming CNIS register. Get the complete guide.

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