Search "Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act home education" and most of what comes back is a variation on the same sentence: the Children Not in School register is not yet in force. True, and worth saying once. It is not, on its own, especially useful.
What actually matters is the sequence of events between now and the day the register does commence, because that sequence is no longer a mystery. It is set out in the Act itself, in the guidance published so far, and in how local authority monitoring already works today. This guide walks through it step by step, exactly what will happen, in what order, and what you can sensibly do now rather than scrambling later.
This is not another "wait and see" update. Once the register commences, here is the exact sequence of events, and none of it requires a stranger to walk through your front door.
Check where you stand today
Answer six quick questions and find out exactly what you need to do before the Children Not in School register launches.
Check your readiness →What will actually happen, step by step
What Actually Happens, Step by Step
None of this is guesswork. It follows directly from how the Act itself is structured, and from how your Local Authority's monitoring duties already work today.
- 1. The Secretary of State lays commencement regulations. The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026, but the duty to register only takes effect once separate commencement regulations are made. That single event, a statutory instrument laid before Parliament, is the actual starting gun. Everything else on this list follows from it.
- 2. A transition period is expected before registration becomes compulsory. Major duties like this are rarely switched on overnight with no notice. Watch the commencement regulations themselves for the exact timeline once they are laid, rather than assuming a fixed number of months.
- 3. Your Local Authority opens its register and notifies families it already knows about. If you are already known to your Local Authority, for example because you deregistered your child from a school, you are very unlikely to be starting from zero. Families who have never been in contact with their Local Authority will need to come forward themselves.
- 4. You register each child. Based on what has been set out so far, expect to provide your child's and your own details and contact information, an outline of the education being provided, including subjects, approach and routines, any adaptations for special educational needs, and the names and contact details of any tutors, providers, or group classes used.
- 5. Your Local Authority's duty to make enquiries becomes clearer and register-linked. This is a change to how the duty is triggered and recorded, not a change to what is actually being checked. The underlying test, whether your child is receiving a suitable, full-time education appropriate to their age, ability and aptitude, does not change.
- 6. You keep the register updated. Whenever arrangements change, a new tutor, a new provider, a house move to a different Local Authority, you update the register to reflect it, rather than waiting for an annual check-in.
- 7. Not registering has consequences. Treat an unregistered child seriously, in the same way a Section 437 notice is treated today. Non-registration is expected to become an additional trigger point for formal follow-up, on top of the routes that already exist.
What genuinely will not change
What Changes vs What Stays the Same
What changes
- Registering with your Local Authority becomes mandatory
- You must give an outline of the education being provided
- You must notify changes to tutors, providers or group classes used
- Your Local Authority gains a clearer statutory basis for making enquiries
- Not registering becomes the trigger point for formal follow-up
What stays the same
- No requirement to follow the National Curriculum
- No teaching qualification needed to home educate
- No right for your Local Authority to insist on a home visit
- "Suitable education" remains a broad test, not a fixed checklist
- No permission needed to begin home educating under section 7
You still do not need permission to home educate once this commences. Registering with your Local Authority is not the same as seeking its approval. Under section 7 of the Education Act 1996, the duty to secure a suitable education sits with parents, and the Act does not change that. The one long-standing exception, requiring your Local Authority's consent before deregistering certain "relevant children", for example a child attending a special school, already exists separately from the register and is not new.
A home visit is not a legal requirement now, and nothing in the Act changes that. You can decline one without being in breach of any duty, and offer an alternative way to demonstrate your child's education instead, such as a written report or samples of work.
Suitable education also remains exactly what it has always been, a broad standard tied to your own child's age, ability and aptitude, not a fixed curriculum, a set number of hours, or a checklist your Local Authority can tick off. The register changes how that standard gets checked. It does not change what the standard is.
Quick reference: what's changing at a glance
A short summary if a table is easier to scan than the detail above.
| Area | Before commencement | Once the register commences |
|---|---|---|
| Registering with your LA | Not required | Required, via your Local Authority's register |
| National Curriculum | Not required | Still not required |
| Home visits | Not something your LA can insist on | Still not something your LA can insist on |
| Provider or tutor changes | No formal notification duty | Must be notified to your LA |
| Permission to home educate | Not required (section 7, Education Act 1996) | Still not required, registration is not permission |
| Not complying | Can prompt informal enquiries, then a Section 437 notice | Non-registration itself becomes an additional trigger point |
How to prepare now
None of this requires action from you today. Because the register has not commenced, there is currently no requirement to register with your Local Authority. The sensible approach is to keep good records as normal, exactly as recommended before the Act existed, and watch for an official commencement date rather than acting early on provisions that are not yet switched on. A few things are worth doing anyway, simply because they make the eventual process easier, not because they are required now.
- Start a simple, dated log of what your child is learning, if you don't already keep one. It maps directly onto the "outline of education" you will eventually be expected to give.
- Know your own Local Authority's name and how they currently make contact, so nothing about the process feels unfamiliar when it does begin.
- Go back to primary sources rather than relying on social media summaries, including this one. Read the Act in full on legislation.gov.uk, and check current departmental guidance on gov.uk.
- If you already work with a tutor, provider, or group class, keep a note of their contact details in one place, ready for when the register asks for it.
Little Folio was built exactly for this. Log an activity, attach a photo, and it is dated and stored automatically, so the record you will eventually need for the register is one you have already been building, not one you have to reconstruct from memory.
Start your free trial of Little FolioFrequently asked questions
When will the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act home education provisions actually start?
There is still no confirmed commencement date. The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026, but the duty to register only takes effect once the Secretary of State lays separate commencement regulations. At the time of writing, none had been made, and most legal commentary expects the register to become mandatory from 2027 at the earliest.
What information will I need to provide for the register?
Based on what has been set out so far, you should expect to provide your child's and your own details and contact information, an outline of the education being provided, including subjects, approach and routines, any adaptations for special educational needs, and the names and contact details of any tutors, providers, or group classes used, updating the register whenever these arrangements change. The exact forms still depend on regulations that have not yet been published, so treat this as the expected shape rather than a final specification.
Can my Local Authority force a home visit?
No. A home visit is not a legal requirement now, and nothing in the Act changes that. You can decline one without being in breach of any duty, and offer an alternative way to demonstrate your child's education instead, such as a written report or samples of work.
Will I need permission to home educate once this commences?
No. Registration is not permission. Under section 7 of the Education Act 1996, the duty to secure a suitable education sits with parents, and that does not change under the Act. The one long-standing exception, requiring Local Authority consent before deregistering certain "relevant children", already exists separately from the register and is not new.
Do I need to do anything right now?
No, not yet. Because the register has not commenced, there is currently no requirement to register with your Local Authority. The sensible approach is to keep good records as normal, exactly as recommended before the Act existed, and watch for an official commencement date rather than acting early on provisions that are not yet switched on.
How can I check where I currently stand?
Use our free Register Readiness Checker. Answer six quick questions and it will tell you exactly what, if anything, you need to do before the register launches, based on your own circumstances.
Further reading
- Elective home education legal rights in England: myth vs fact
- CNIS register update, August 2026: what we actually know
- How to respond when your Local Authority contacts you about home education
Little Folio is a record-keeping app built for home educating families in England. Log activities, store evidence, manage Local Authority correspondence, and generate professional reports in one place.
Last updated: September 2026. This post is for information only and does not constitute legal advice. Verify against current official guidance and seek independent advice for your specific circumstances.