Home Schooling Programs UK: What Parents Are Actually Required to Provide

When families begin exploring home education in the UK, the first question is almost always the same: what am I actually required to do? The answer — that there is no mandatory curriculum, no required number of hours, and no obligation to follow the National Curriculum — surprises most people. But the absence of prescription does not mean the absence of responsibility. Understanding what you must provide, what you may choose to provide, and where the two overlap is the foundation of any coherent home education plan.

This guide is for parents considering elective home education (EHE) in England, with notes on Scotland and Wales where the framework differs meaningfully.

The Legal Requirement in Plain English

Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 establishes the core legal duty: parents must ensure their child receives "efficient full-time education suitable to the child's age, ability, aptitude, and any special educational needs." That is the entire legal requirement for home educators in England.

What this does not require: - Following the National Curriculum - Teaching a set number of hours per day or week - Registering with any central government body (in England — this will change under the Education (Children Not in School) provisions of the Schools Bill, with a national register expected in late 2026) - Allowing your Local Authority (LA) into your home - Providing written schemes of work or lesson plans

What this does require (in practical terms): - An education that is appropriate for your child's stage of development and learning needs - A level of provision that would satisfy an LA if they made an informal enquiry - The ability to demonstrate, broadly, that your child is learning

The 2019 DfE guidance on elective home education is clear that local authorities must not "seek to dictate the content or style of the education" and that parents are "not required to provide a school-type educational environment." This is significant: the law explicitly does not require you to recreate a school.

What a "Suitable" Education Looks Like

Without a mandated curriculum, parents have genuine flexibility. In practice, home educating families in the UK tend to fall into one of several broad approaches:

Structured curriculum: Following a bought curriculum (such as those from Galore Park, Oxford Home Schooling, or Wolsey Hall) or designing your own timetable aligned broadly with National Curriculum key stage objectives. This is common for families who want clear academic progression or who are preparing for GCSE exams.

Semi-structured: A mix of formal academic work alongside project-based learning, co-op activities, and interest-led study. This is probably the most common approach among UK home educators and the one most supported by the research on what children actually retain.

Child-led or unschooling: Allowing the child's interests to drive all learning, with the parent as facilitator rather than teacher. This approach is more common among families who withdrew from school in response to school-induced anxiety or burnout and who are in a recovery or "deschooling" phase.

None of these approaches is inherently more legally compliant than another, provided the child is demonstrably learning and developing.

What Local Authorities Can and Cannot Do

By autumn 2024, 111,700 children were in elective home education in England — a 21% increase from the previous year. This growth has intensified local authority interest in monitoring EHE families, even ahead of any new legislative requirements.

Your LA may make contact with you. If they do:

• They can ask for information about your educational provision
• They cannot require you to use a specific curriculum, timetable, or teaching method
• They cannot require your child to be assessed or tested by an LA officer
• They cannot enter your home without your consent
• They can issue a School Attendance Order if they have reason to believe your child is not receiving suitable education — but this is a significant step and is preceded by an informal enquiry and a request for information

The most effective approach when an LA makes an informal enquiry is to prepare a simple written account of your educational approach and a record of activities your child has undertaken — museum visits, group activities, books read, projects completed. You do not need to prove you are matching any school standard; you need to show that learning is occurring in a purposeful way.

Private Home Education and Paid Programmes

The terms "private home education" and "private home schooling" usually refer to either of two things: home education organised entirely by parents using paid curriculum resources, or the engagement of a private tutor to deliver structured lessons at home.

Using a private tutor: Many home educating families in the UK hire private tutors for one or more subjects, typically as the child approaches GCSE age or if a particular subject is outside the parent's expertise. Platforms such as Tutorful, First Tutors, and Superprof list tutors who work with home-educated students. Rates typically range from £25–£60 per hour depending on the subject and the tutor's experience.

Online private schools: Providers such as Wolsey Hall Oxford, Cambridge Home School Online, and ICS Learn offer fully structured programmes with online lessons, tutor support, and formal GCSE entry pathways. These typically cost £1,500–£5,000 per year per child. They offer convenience and structure but are not suitable for every child — particularly those who withdrew from mainstream school due to anxiety or burnout and who may not be ready for a classroom-style environment, even online.

Curriculum packages: A middle path. Publishers such as Galore Park (particularly for Common Entrance and GCSE preparation), CGP (widely used for GCSE revision), and Easy Peasy All-in-One provide structured, self-paced materials that cost significantly less than full online school enrolment and can be paced around the child's needs.

Subject-specific providers: For science practicals, music grades, drama examinations, or sports qualifications, home educators in the UK can access specialist providers independently. This includes county music services (for ABRSM examinations), LAMDA registered centres (for drama grades), and independent exam centres (for GCSE entries as private candidates).

Home Schooling in London: Specific Considerations

London's home education population is one of the largest in the country — growing from approximately 9,500 students in 2022/2023 to nearly 12,000 by 2024/2025. This density creates both advantage and complexity.

Advantages in London: - Extraordinary free cultural resources: the British Museum, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, and dozens of smaller institutions are all free to enter and actively welcome educational groups during school hours - A dense network of home education groups — South London Home Educators' Hub, Berkshire Heroes Club (accessible from outer West London), and numerous borough-specific Facebook groups - Greater competition among private tutors and online providers, which moderates pricing

Challenges in London: - LA scrutiny tends to be higher in areas with large EHE populations, particularly following the introduction of Children Not in School clauses in recent legislation - Transport costs for group activities and days out are higher than in rural areas - Space for home-based learning is often more constrained

For London-based families, the single most effective strategy for building a sustainable home education programme is connecting with an established local group early. The Co-operative UK directory lists over 6,000 registered co-ops across the UK, with the heaviest concentration in London and the South East.

What the Education (Children Not in School) Register Will Change

From late 2026, England will require mandatory registration of all home-educated children with their local authority, under the Schools Act. Parents will need to: - Register their child by name and confirm their educational arrangements - Update the LA every three months if educational arrangements change - Provide contact details for any educational providers (tutors, online schools, co-ops)

This is not a curriculum requirement — it is an administrative one. Families who are already providing suitable education and who maintain basic records of their provision will be unaffected in practice. The change is targeted at the minority of children whose home education status is being used to conceal them from safeguarding systems.

If you are new to home education, the most practical thing you can do now — ahead of the register's implementation — is begin keeping a simple activity log: dates, activities, what your child did and learned. This costs nothing and protects you against any future LA enquiry.

Building the Full Picture

The legal requirements around UK home education are intentionally permissive. What most parents find harder than compliance is the practical architecture of a full educational programme — not just the academic subjects, but the extracurricular activities, social opportunities, and structured routines that make home education sustainable and genuinely rich for the child.

The UK Socialization & Extracurricular Playbook addresses exactly this dimension: how to find and build the social infrastructure your child needs, how to structure a weekly and monthly rhythm, and how to navigate the specific programmes and organisations — from Scouts UK to Duke of Edinburgh to county music services — that are available to home-educated children across the UK.

See more United Kingdom homeschool guides →