The first weeks of home education are the hardest — not because the teaching is difficult, but because you’re unlearning a lot of assumptions about what learning has to look like. This section covers the practical first steps: how to deregister, what deschooling is and why it matters, how to understand your child’s learning style before you plan anything, and how to build a rhythm that doesn’t collapse by week three. From someone ten years in.
It’s a Thursday somewhere in the middle of the first term of your family’s home education journey. The language lesson has just collapsed because you can’t remember the definition of a subordinate clause in English, let alone French. Quantitative chemistry sounds as complicated as quantum mechanics, and you just miscalculated 7 x 8. Education…that’s what…
Childrens Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 : What’s Actually Happening The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 affects families choosing Elective Home Education in England and Wales and is the law governing home education as of April 2026. The new law does not prohibit elective home education, define what exactly you need to teach your…
We’ve been home educating for more than ten years. In the early years, I kept everything — saved every piece of work, just in case. Eventually, I found a simpler approach: a single Evidence of Education report, updated periodically, that I could share with the local authority if needed. Given that the Children’s Wellbeing and…
To deregister a child from school in England or Wales, parents write a letter to the headteacher stating they are withdrawing their child to provide education otherwise than at school. No permission is required, no reasons need to be given, and the school cannot refuse. Once the letter is received, the school must remove the…
You know your child. You’ve known them their whole life. Their personalities, their moods, what makes them laugh, what makes them shut down. That knowledge is real and it matters. But knowing your child as a person and understanding how they learn best are two slightly different things. And figuring out your child’s learning style…
Deschooling gives your child the chance to recalibrate and rediscover a love of learning before starting home education.
Homeschooling and home education – aren’t they the same thing? Well, yes…and also, not.
The questions parents ask most often about home education in the UK — answered practically, without the politics.