If you have decided to home educate, the first practical step is letting the school know. For many families, this feels like the most daunting part of the whole process, but it is actually one of the simplest things you will do.
This guide walks you through every step of deregistering your child from a mainstream school in England, what happens afterwards, and what your rights are if the school pushes back. There is a free, ready-to-fill letter template further down the post too, written in plain English, so you do not have to start from a blank page.
Do you need permission to home educate in England?
No. You do not need permission from the school, from your local authority, or from anyone else to begin home educating your child in England.
Your right to home educate is grounded in the Education Act 1996, which places the responsibility for a child's education on the parent, not the state. Once you send a deregistration letter, the school is legally required to remove your child from the roll. They cannot block it, delay it, or make it conditional on a meeting.
The one exception is if your child attends a special school named on their Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). More on that below.
Step 1: Write your deregistration letter
You need to send a written notice to the headteacher of your child's school. This can be an email or a physical letter. Either is legally valid. Write your own using the guidance below, or skip ahead and download our free template, ready to fill in and send today.
The letter must state that you no longer need the school place because you are taking responsibility for your child's education by home educating. You do not need to give reasons, explain your plans, or say anything beyond that.
Keep it short and factual. Here is a template you can use:
Subject: Deregistration of [Child's Full Name], [Date of Birth]
Dear [Headteacher's name],
I am writing to inform you that I am withdrawing [child's name] from [school name] with immediate effect, as I am taking responsibility for their education at home under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996.
Please remove their name from the admissions register and confirm when this has been completed.
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
Keep the wording factual. Include your child's full name and date of birth. Keep a copy of everything you send, and get written confirmation so you have evidence of when it was sent and received.
The blank page ends here
Say what you need to say. We have written the boring bit for you. Free template, ready to fill in and send today.
Download the free letter template (PDF)Step 2: Send the letter and keep a record
You are not obliged to give any notice period. You can send the letter on the morning of your child's last day, or even the first morning they do not attend.
Send it by email where possible, as you get an automatic timestamp and a paper trail. If you post it, use recorded delivery and keep the receipt.
Do not feel pressured into attending a meeting before you send it. A school may invite you to discuss your decision, and you can choose to go if you wish, but it is not a legal requirement and attending is not a condition of deregistration.
Step 3: The school removes your child from the roll
Once the school receives your letter, they are legally obliged to act on it immediately. Although most deregistrations are processed on the same day, the school may reach out for a conversation about your child's needs. This is normal safeguarding practice, not a barrier to deregistration.
The school will then pass your details to the EHE (Elective Home Education) team at your local authority. This is routine and does not mean anything has gone wrong.
If a school refuses to act on your letter or says they cannot deregister your child until a meeting has taken place, they are wrong in law. You can send a follow-up letter referencing the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024, which require the school to delete your child's name from the register as soon as the grounds are met.
Step 4: Your local authority contacts you
After deregistration, your local authority will usually make contact within a few weeks. They will ask for basic information such as your child's name, date of birth, preferred contact method, and a brief outline of your initial educational provision, to confirm your child is not missing education.
This initial contact is informal. You are not legally required to allow a home visit, and you are not required to respond in extensive detail immediately. It is established that children coming out of school often need a period of adjustment. If the LA contacts you straight away, you can tell them you will respond more fully after a few months.
When you do respond, keep it brief and factual. Describe in general terms the approach you plan to take and the kinds of learning you will be doing together. You do not need to produce a full curriculum plan at this stage.
What about children with an EHCP?
If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan and attends a mainstream school, the deregistration process is the same. Consent or approval is not required to deregister a child with an EHCP from mainstream school where parents have decided to home educate and are taking responsibility for their child's education.
Some schools and local authorities incorrectly tell families they must wait for an EHCP review before deregistering. This is not correct in law.
If your child has an EHCP when you deregister from school, the LA will want to carry out a review to ensure you are able to meet your child's needs and to establish whether the LA has any continuing duty. This review happens after deregistration, not before it.
The exception is if your child attends a special school named on their EHCP. In that case, parents require consent from the local authority before the child's name can be removed from the school roll. If this applies to your family, contact your LA directly to begin the process.
What if you have never enrolled your child in school?
If your child has never been enrolled in a school, you do not need to inform anyone of your decision to home educate. There is currently no duty to notify your local authority, although this will change when the Children Not in School register comes into force under the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026. That system is not yet in place. Read our guide to the Act for the latest on timing.
What does deschooling mean and do I need to plan it?
Many families find that their child needs time to decompress after leaving school before formal learning can begin at home. This is sometimes called deschooling: a period where the pressure is off and the child can simply rest, play, and reconnect with their own curiosity.
There is no legal requirement to begin structured learning immediately. Your duty is to provide a suitable education, and sometimes the most suitable thing in the early weeks is rest and recovery. Trust your instincts. You know your child better than anyone.
What records should I keep from day one?
From the moment your child is deregistered, the responsibility for their education sits with you. Your LA may ask at some point how you are providing a suitable education. Keeping a simple running record from the start means you are never scrambling to reconstruct what you have been doing.
You do not need anything elaborate. Notes of what you did each day, photographs of activities, samples of written work, books you have read together. All of this adds up over time to a clear, honest picture of your child's learning.
Little Folio was built to make this simple. You can log activities as you go, store photos and documents as evidence, and keep all your LA correspondence in one place, so when your local authority gets in touch, you are ready.
Start your free trial of Little FolioSummary: deregistering from school in England
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do I need permission? | No (for mainstream schools) |
| Do I need to give notice? | No, effective immediately |
| What do I send? | A written letter or email to the headteacher |
| What happens next? | School removes your child and notifies the LA |
| Will the LA contact me? | Yes, usually within a few weeks |
| Do I have to allow a home visit? | No, it is not a legal requirement |
| What about an EHCP (mainstream)? | Same process, no permission needed |
| What about an EHCP (special school)? | LA consent required first |
Further reading
- Ed Yourself: deregistration guidance
- Educational Freedom: deregistration templates and advice
- The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026: what home educators need to know
- What records do home educating parents need to keep in England
Little Folio is a record-keeping app built for home educating families in England. Log activities, store evidence, and manage LA correspondence in one place, so you are always prepared.
Last updated: August 2026. This post is for information only and does not constitute legal advice. Always verify against current official guidance and seek independent legal advice for your specific circumstances.