So you've made the decision. Or you're close to making it. And now you're wondering, how do I actually do this? How do I get my child out of school and start home educating?
I've been there. And I'm going to walk you through exactly what happened for us, step by step, in plain English with no fluff.
As a parent, you have the legal right to educate your child at home in accordance with Section 7 of the Education Act 1996, which states that it is the responsibility of parents to ensure their child receives a full time education suitable to their age, ability and aptitude. You do not need permission from anyone to do this.
Step One, The Email to School
It starts with an email. You write to the school, addressed to the headteacher, and you keep it simple. Something along the lines of:
"I am writing to inform you that I wish to deregister [child's name] from [school name] as of [date]. I will now be home educating them. I do not wish to have a meeting regarding this decision as my mind is made up. Thank you."
That's it. You don't need to explain yourself. You don't need to justify your reasons. You don't need to write an essay. Short, clear and to the point.
What the School Might Do Next
Don't be surprised if the school emails back saying they are disheartened to hear of your decision and would love to arrange a meeting with you, or perhaps sends you a form to fill in.
Here's what you need to know: you do not have to have that meeting. You do not have to fill in that form. Your mind is made up and you have already said so in your email. You are not obliged to do either of those things. Ignore the form. Politely decline the meeting if they push. You owe them nothing more than the notification you have already given.
The school's only job at this point is to confirm receipt of your deregistration email, remove your child from their register and contact the Local Authority. That is all they are required to do. Nothing more.
It's also worth searching for your local council's home education guidelines online, just search for your council name followed by "home education" and you should find their specific guidance, which can be really helpful to have to hand.
An Important Note for Some Families
Please be aware that the process above applies to children attending mainstream schools. If your child attends a special school, or if your child may be subject to a child protection enquiry, the rules may be different. In these circumstances, parents may be required to obtain consent from the Local Authority before deregistering. This is my understanding but please do seek your own independent advice as rules can vary, and if this applies to your family, I would strongly recommend looking into this further before taking any steps.
The Local Authority Gets in Touch
Once the school deregisters your child, they will inform your Local Authority (LA). The LA will then reach out to you, by phone, email or even post, to request a meeting. This is usually a fairly informal get-to-know-you type of meeting where they find out your reasons and may hand you some leaflets with information about home education.
After that initial meeting, you'll be passed over to the LA officer team who will be your main point of contact going forward.
The Wait , And Our Experience
We were told to expect our first proper LA home visit within around 8 weeks. It was 17 months. I can only assume there was quite a backlog! 😄
If you've read my other blogs you'll know that I chose to opt in for home visits rather than submitting written reports. After waiting 17 months, our first proper LA home visit finally arrived and honestly? It lasted 15 minutes.
Me, my two children and the LA officer sat around our table. We had our folders ready, the ones I had been putting together for them and when she saw them her reaction was simply: "Wow." I don't think she was expecting anything like it.
She went through the work inside, spoke to the children about what they had been learning, and they proudly showed her their crafts too. She made notes in her notebook, told them how well they had done, and then wished us well.
Two weeks later, two letters arrived through the door. One for each child, addressed to the parents. And the line that stood out the most was this:
"The work that you shared at the visit demonstrates that you are providing a full time suitable and efficient education for Archie" and the same for Bonnie.
The letter ended by wishing us all the best for the coming year and letting us know the officer would be in touch again in twelve months.
Was I Scared? Absolutely.
I'll be honest with you. When it came to that first home visit I was terrified. All the scaremongering online, the Facebook groups, the TikTok videos telling you never to let the LA in, never to engage, never to do this or that, it had eaten away at me.
But I stood my ground. I wanted to find out for myself rather than let other people's fear make my decisions for me. And I am so glad I did.
A written report for two children would have taken me hours, days, possibly weeks to put together properly. That home visit took 15 minutes and was completely relaxed. For our family, it was absolutely the right choice.
The Bottom Line
Deregistering your child from school is simpler than you might think. One email to the headteacher is all it takes to get the ball rolling. You don't need a solicitor, you don't need to fill in forms, and you don't need to justify yourself to anyone.
What you do with the LA after that is entirely your choice, home visits, written reports, emails, phone calls. Do what feels right for your family and don't let anyone else's experience or fear dictate what that looks like for you.
You've got this. 💚
Have you been through the deregistration process? I'd love to hear your experience in the comments!
Sarah, Home Ed Mum Diary
0 comments