Home education means that your child does not go to school and you take full responsibility for their education.
Your right to choose
It is generally accepted that a school-based education:
- provides a broad and balanced curriculum
- encourages social development
However, parents have a right to choose to educate their child at home.
As a local authority we respect this right and want to support our parents to home educate well. Ultimately, it is our duty to ensure that our children:
- are safe
- are being suitably educated
What you are required to do
A parent is legally obliged to ensure their child receives education that is full-time, efficient and suitable. This is stated in Section 7 of the Education Act 1996.
A parent must ensure that education is suitable to the child’s age, ability and aptitude and takes account of any special educational needs.
To ensure this, we evaluate the suitability of the home provision you intend to provide.
Elective home education (EHE) is a major job and may take large amounts of your time, energy and money. You can read full government guidance on EHE and our frequently asked questions.
Reasons not to choose home education
You should not choose home education simply because:
- you are disappointed at not having gained a place at a particular school
- you are having difficulty ensuring your child attends school
- you have had a disagreement with the school or a teacher
- your child is at risk of exclusion from their school
What to do instead
We advise you to:
- arrange for a meeting with your child’s school to try to resolve any concerns
- contact our team for advice and support
Next steps
If you want to home educate your child, you should first complete a form that gives us an understanding of your circumstances and plans.
Enquire about elective home education
After your enquiry we will:
- acknowledge your intention to home educate your child
- send you a formal registration letter
- request to meet you either in person or online, to talk through the education provision you will be providing
If we meet in person, it would ideally be in your home. Otherwise, we'll agree a suitable venue such as a library or children’s centre.
The meeting would not normally take any longer than one hour and we would expect to meet with your child.
Frequently asked questions
A school cannot request or advise a parent to de-register their child from the school to home educate. Any decision to home educate must be made by you. The responsibility to provide a suitable education for your child will be effective from the date you remove your child from the school.
Your right to educate your child at home applies equally where a child has special educational needs (SEN). Parents of a child with an EHCP who are considering home education should first discuss this with their child’s named SEN case officer.
No, we do not supply resources or arrange exams for your child. If you make the choice to home educate your child, you will be expected to pay for any exam fees, should you wish your child to sit them, and the cost of textbooks, tuition fees and other resources.
If your child received free school meals at their school, you may be able to claim vouchers whilst you home educate. For contact information, see: Free school meals.
If you decide to home educate, it will be your responsibility to provide your child with a suitable full-time education. This means providing a programme that meets your child’s needs according to their age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs.
There is no requirement for you to follow a prescribed curriculum. However, the education programme should be well balanced and prepare your child for life within the community of which he or she is a member.
If you do not wish to meet with the EHE team, we will request a written report/questionnaire setting out your education philosophy and ask that you support this with evidence of your child’s work.
If you have support in the delivery of your child’s learning, such as a tutor, an endorsement in the delivery of the programme is accepted as evidence but is not essential in the assessment. If available, they would need to confirm that the education provided, in their view, is suitable.
The EHE team works with families to support them to provide an efficient, full-time and suitable education at home. We will make recommendations and arrange a further visit to assess progress after giving advice. We strive to work together with families to ensure that education provision is appropriate.
We hold their full name, date of birth, address, parent details and contact details, whether they have any SEN needs or have an EHC plan. If your child was on roll of a school, we would be provided with a notification of your request to home educate and basic education background information. We also record dates of your last visit and whether it was satisfactory. We ask for your religion and/or ethnicity. We ask for your reason to home educate for our monitoring purposes.
Starting at a school is particularly disruptive for children in GCSE years. Joining a school at this time can affect the subject options available to your child and may negatively affect their final grade, as previous coursework marks may be lost.
Please also be aware that limited vacancies are available for in these year groups throughout Hounslow.
You can seek a place in a school at any time and let us know of your intention. It is not always possible for a child to go back to the same school if home education does not work out. You may find few school options, particularly if your child is in the later stages of secondary education.
Contact us
For queries and further information:
Note: This information will be reviewed regularly. We are expecting changes in 2026 resulting from the passage of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
