How to Respond to a Local Authority Enquiry: Home Education in England
If you've received a Local Authority enquiry letter about your home education, here's the direct answer: respond in writing with an Educational Provision Report that demonstrates "suitable education" in DfE language — and nothing more. Do not use the LA's own forms. Do not send originals of any work. Do not agree to a home visit unless you choose to. You have specific legal rights here, and the way you respond in the next two weeks will determine whether this becomes a brief formality or an escalating process.
This guide walks through exactly what to send, what you can legally decline, and how to structure a response that closes the enquiry professionally.
Understanding What the LA Can and Cannot Do
The legal basis for the enquiry is Section 436A of the Education Act 1996. The LA must be satisfied that you are providing efficient full-time education suitable to your child's age, ability, aptitude, and any special educational needs. If satisfied, the enquiry ends. If not satisfied, they escalate.
What the LA can do:
- Request information about the nature of the education being provided
- Issue a "Notice to Satisfy" requiring a formal response within 15 days
- Issue a School Attendance Order (SAO) if they remain unsatisfied and believe the child is not receiving suitable education
What the LA cannot legally do:
- Require home visits or access to your home
- Mandate interviews with your child
- Require you to teach to the National Curriculum
- Demand school-style lesson plans, timetables, or graded work samples
- Require you to use their own forms (though they will often send them anyway)
- Require you to provide "evidence" in any specific format
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found fault with LAs in 91% of upheld homeschooling complaints in 2024/25. Many LAs routinely ask for things they're not entitled to. Knowing the boundary is the first step.
Step-by-Step: What to Send
Step 1: Do Not Use the LA's Forms
Your LA probably included forms in their letter — a "home education registration form," a "curriculum coverage grid," or a "quarterly check-in template." These are designed for the council's information gathering, not yours. They ask for timetables, lesson plans, and subject-by-subject National Curriculum coverage — none of which are legal requirements for home education in England.
Filling in their forms sets a precedent. If you use their timetable template this time, refusing one next time becomes harder to justify. Write your own response instead.
Step 2: Write an Educational Provision Report
This is the core of your response. Target length: 1–3 A4 pages, typed. It should cover:
Section 1: Educational Philosophy (2–4 sentences) State your overarching approach — structured, Charlotte Mason, classical, semi-structured, autonomous/unschooling, or a hybrid. Example: "We use an eclectic approach combining structured mathematics and Latin with child-led exploration across history, science, and the arts. Learning takes place both through planned activities and through the natural interests and projects the children themselves initiate."
Section 2: Educational Style and Full-Time Status Explain that education takes place full-time and is appropriate to the child's age, ability, and aptitude. You don't need to quantify hours — "full-time" has no statutory definition in this context.
Section 3: Content of Learning by Subject Area Cover broad subject areas: literacy and communication, mathematics, sciences, humanities, arts, physical development, and personal development. This doesn't need to be exhaustive — it demonstrates scope.
Section 4: How Progress Is Assessed Home education law doesn't require formal testing. Describe how you assess progress in a way appropriate to your approach — narration, project completion, portfolio review, online learning progress, conversation and discussion, or whatever you actually use.
Section 5: Social and Physical Development Include brief information on clubs, groups, activities, sports, or community involvement. This addresses what EHE officers often flag as a concern even though they have no legal basis to require it.
Section 6: Closing Disclaimer End with a paragraph clarifying that this report is an overview provided in good faith and is not intended as a comprehensive account of all educational activity. This framing matters — it prevents the report being used as a baseline expectation for future correspondence.
Step 3: Decide What Evidence to Reference (Not Send)
The distinction between referencing evidence and submitting it is important. Mention that evidence is available — "a portfolio of reading records and project outputs is maintained" — without physically sending originals. If pressed, you can provide copies of specific samples later. Never surrender originals.
Step 4: Respond Within a Reasonable Timeframe
There's no statutory deadline for responding to an informal s.436A enquiry, only for a formal "Notice to Satisfy" (15 days). Respond within 2–3 weeks of the original letter to demonstrate engagement without appearing rushed.
Step 5: Keep Copies of Everything
File copies of every letter you send and receive, with dates. If the situation escalates to a School Attendance Order or Ombudsman complaint, this correspondence chain is your evidence.
The Response Trap: What Parents Get Wrong
Over-responding. The parents who send timetables, photos of every activity, workbooks, and detailed subject coverage grids believe they're demonstrating good faith. What they're actually doing is establishing an expectation of access and demonstrating exhaustive compliance with a school model — which is not the legal standard. They then can't reduce their reporting level without it appearing suspicious.
Under-responding. Ignoring the letter or sending a brief "we're aware of our legal rights" response without any substantive information signals hostility and invites escalation. The LGSCO finds LAs at fault frequently — but a SAO takes months to fight and causes significant family stress in the interim.
Using the LA's forms. This one is so common it deserves repeating. The LA's own welcome pack forms are written to maximise information extraction. They're not neutral tools.
Using Americanised templates. Submitting a "portfolio" with "Report Cards," "Middle School Transcripts," or "GPA Calculations" immediately signals to an EHE officer that you don't understand the English system. It undermines your credibility.
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The Document That Does the Job
The England Portfolio & Assessment Templates includes a fillable Educational Provision Report template built specifically to close s.436A enquiries. It uses DfE terminology throughout, structures content around the legal "suitable education" standard, and is designed to satisfy the enquiry without conceding more oversight than the law requires. It also includes:
- Weekly Learning Log — builds your evidence base consistently (10 minutes per week)
- Annual Summary Template — year-end overview that doubles as the basis for your next provision report
- CNIS Register Compliance Guide — for the new Children Not in School register
- GCSE Private Candidate Logistics Tracker — if your child is approaching qualification age
- UCAS Academic Reference Framework — for university applications
The complete toolkit costs — less than one GCSE entry fee, and it converts what typically becomes a weekend of panicked assembly into a 20-minute professional response.
What Happens If the LA Isn't Satisfied
If the LA remains unsatisfied after your written response, they can serve a "Notice to Satisfy" — a formal notice requiring you to demonstrate suitable education within a specified period (usually 15 days minimum). This is a distinct legal step from the informal s.436A enquiry.
If they issue a School Attendance Order and you believe it is unlawfully made — which the LGSCO's complaint data suggests is common — you have the right to appeal through the magistrates' court. Education Otherwise and HEAS both provide legal support at this stage.
The vast majority of cases never reach this point. A clear, professional, legally-calibrated written response to the initial enquiry is sufficient.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to tell the LA I've started home educating?
If you've deregistered from a state school, the school is required to notify the LA. If your child has never attended school ("Section 7 parents" who've educated from the start), there is no legal requirement to notify anyone — though the new CNIS register changes the landscape for some families.
Can the LA turn up at my door unannounced?
No. The LA has no right of entry to your home. If an officer arrives unannounced, you are not required to admit them. If there are welfare concerns (unrelated to home education itself), social services have separate powers under different legislation.
How often will the LA contact me after I respond?
It varies significantly by council. Some LAs make one enquiry and are satisfied by a professional response. Others have annual review processes. Establishing a strong documentation routine from the start means future responses take 20 minutes rather than a weekend.
What if the LA says I have to follow the National Curriculum?
They're wrong. The Education Act 1996 explicitly does not require home-educated children to follow the National Curriculum. You can politely correct this in writing — a brief sentence noting that home education in England is not required to follow the National Curriculum under existing DfE statutory guidance is sufficient.
Should I join Education Otherwise before responding?
Education Otherwise membership is valuable for legal support if a situation escalates. For a first enquiry response, a purpose-built provision report template is more immediately practical — it gives you the document, not just the legal principle.
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