Deciding if home education is right for your child
You may be thinking about home education because school has become difficult for your child, or because they need a calmer, more flexible way to learn.
This guide explains what home education involves, what the challenges are, and what to think about before you decide. Understanding the practical realities can help you feel clearer and more confident about your next steps.
In this guide
- What home education can offer
- What to consider before you decide
- How home education compares to school
- Support for SEND, mental health and school refusal
- Costs and financial impact
- Impact on family and relationships
- Social life and friendships
- Planning your next steps
- Further information and support
What home education can offer
Home education can give your child space to learn in a way that feels safer and more manageable.
It can help when your child needs:
- a calmer, more predicable environment
- a flexible routine based on their energy levels and interests
- one-to-one support and learning matched to their strengths
- fewer sensory or social pressures than in a classroom
- flexibility to accommodate specialist training, career projects or competition schedules
Parents may choose this route when school stress is negatively affecting their child’s wellbeing or ability to learn.
What to consider before you decide
Home education is a big commitment. It changes how your household runs and what you’re responsible for. It’s important to think about your capacity as well as your child’s needs.
When deciding whether home education could work for you and your family, you will need to factor in the following:
If you are planning to teach your child yourself, you will need to dedicate time to lesson planning, teaching and helping your child stay engaged with their learning.
Depending on which option you choose, you may need to pay for teaching resources, tutoring, travel costs and exam fees. You may also find your household costs such as your utilities and food bills are higher due to having your child home more often.
You don’t need formal qualifications to home educate your child, and you don’t need to be an expert in everything. Many parents use:
- online lessons or apps
- group learning with other families
- tutors for subjects like maths or languages
Some children can work independently if they have the support they need.
You’ll need to plan in activities or regular social time so that your child can maintain and develop friendships outside of school.
Children who leave school suddenly often have gaps in their learning. GCSE subjects can be difficult to pick up later, and practical subjects involving experiments or specialist equipment are harder to do at home.
If you don’t follow exam routes, think about how this may affect your child’s next steps. If they want to go to college or university in the future, what qualifications will they need?
If you deregister a child, their school place is not held open. Many schools are full or even oversubscribed, so returning later may mean being offered a place in an alternative school that you wouldn’t typically choose. Because of this, it’s best to be prepared that home education may be a long-term commitment and something that may not be suitable as a short trial.
If your child is in a specialist school, withdrawing is a different process and can be challenged by the school or local authority.
If you home educate a child with an EHCP, you will become responsible for fulfilling the provision in it, including any therapies. Regular reviews and oversight of the EHCP will continue when you are educating your child at home.
Many parents find the responsibility manageable, but it works best with realistic planning.
EOTAS (Education Other Than At School) is a legal option for children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) to get education outside of school when a school setting does not work for them.
Instead of going to school, your child’s education is arranged and paid for by the local authority. This might happen at home or through specialist tutors or services. EOTAS is usually considered when your child cannot attend school because of things like anxiety, health needs, or complex support needs.
You can ask for an EOTAS package when an EHCP is first being written, at an annual review, or during a reassessment of the plan. Any decision should involve you, your child or young person where appropriate, and the Local Authority (LA).
The LA must listen to your views and take them into account. They will also need to look at the evidence to decide whether EOTAS is necessary to meet your child’s needs.
How home education compares to school
Every child and family is different, so it can be helpful to understand some of the ways home education may compare with school.
School days are a mixture of structured and unstructured times, which for many children is ok. But for some children and young people, this may be overstimulating and create stressful moments. At home, you can adjust routines or create structure when it helps.
All children have different thresholds when it comes to energy and being able to manage the environment they are in. For some, the school environment may be fast-paced and overwhelming. Some families set up a workspace or follow a simple timetable, while others keep things flexible.
Not every family has extra space to create a suitable learning environment or flexible work patterns. Home education may be more challenging when you’re balancing other children or caring responsibilities alongside learning.
Support for SEND, mental health and school refusal
Home education may be one option to consider when your child is facing difficulties at school. Understanding the potential benefits and challenges, and other support options available, can help you make an informed decision.
Home education can reduce the pressures that make school difficult, helping your child focus on learning instead of coping. But it isn’t guaranteed that they’ll engage in learning activities, especially if their experiences at school have been traumatic. It may also take more planning to provide opportunities for your child to socialise with others.
A break from the pressures of school can help your child feel better and help stabilise their mood. But you’ll then be responsible for arranging any support such as counselling or therapy, and the isolation can become a challenge. Difficulties with mental health don’t disappear immediately when your child is no longer at school, and for some families may continue throughout home education.
Home education is not the only option if your child is refusing to go to school. You can also ask about:
- flexible or part-time timetables
- changing to a different school
- alternative or specialist settings
- Early Help or other support from your local authority
It’s helpful to explore all these options before making a permanent decision.
Whilst you can keep your child home temporarily if you fear for their safety at school, unexplained absences can lead to legal action against parents. You should immediately inform the school and document your concerns in writing.
The school still has a duty of care to your child and to maintain safety, so they should work with you to put things right. Ask to meet the safeguarding lead or school governors or contact the local authority for support and advice.
Parents are encouraged not to deregister straight away in these situations; it’s best to keep exploring any available support until you feel confident your child is safe to return.
Costs and financial impact
Alongside decisions about learning, it’s important to consider the financial costs and practical arrangements that home education may involve.
There is no general funding available for home education. You will need to pay for any books and teaching resources, tutoring or online school fees, trips and exams. If your child has an EHCP with a personal budget, you may be able to use some of it for online learning.
You’ll need to arrange a suitable space for your child to sit their exams and pay the exam entry fees. These costs can add up quickly as you will need to pay for each exam, so can cost several hundred pounds for GCSEs. It’s worth checking with your Local Authority to see if they have any schemes available to help with exam costs.
Some colleges allow home educated children to join English or maths classes and sit their exams there. Plan early to minimise stress, especially if your child needs time to get used to the setting.
Families manage combining work and home education in different ways. Some use online schools or tutors during work hours. Others adjust their work patterns or reduce their working hours.
What works for you will depend on your child’s age, independence and needs. Many children cannot be safely left alone, especially if they are young, or have difficulties with their mental health or safety risks.
Any Universal Credit and Child Benefit you receive will continue while your child is in education, but this may change after GCSE age.
Impact on family and relationships
Home educating can affect the wider family more than parents expect. As well as thinking about your child’s education, it’s important to consider how home education could affect family life and the support available to you.
Separated parents sometimes disagree about withdrawing a child from school. This can cause conflict and make the decision harder. It’s important to clearly communicate your concerns and plans with your child’s other parent so that you can come to an agreement.
Some grandparents or carers may feel unprepared or reluctant to deliver home education during days they usually provide childcare. They may worry about the responsibility or feel it wasn’t part of their agreement with the family.
Home educating your child can feel isolating at times. If you are at home with them full-time, your child is likely to become your main social contact, and vice versa. You will be taking on the role of their teacher, counsellor and caregiver all at once and the emotional load can be heavy, especially if your child is also struggling.
Joining local home education groups on social media can be a helpful source of support and community. You can also ask your Local Authority if they can share any details of events or activities for home educated children in your area.
Planning your next steps
Before you commit to a decision, it’s important to think about what your next steps might be.
Understand what the difficulties are
Talk with your child about how they feel at school. Make a note of which parts of school they are finding stressful.
Explore all your options
You could ask the school about timetable changes or part-time schooling, look at different schools, or contact your local Early Help service.
Consider what home learning might look like.
Think about your available space, your routine and what keeps your child calm.
Plan the practical side
Work out how you’ll manage your time and budget. Also look at how you can provide opportunities for socialising and where your child could sit their exams.
Making a decision
Sit with your child and decide together where possible. Talk to them about what feels safe and manageable.
Only deregister when you’re ready.
Have a plan for your child’s learning and wellbeing before you deregister them. Once you take your child off roll, their school place is not saved. It may be difficult to get a place back, especially if the schools in your area are oversubscribed. Or you may be offered a school placement that you feel is unsuitable. This is why it’s helpful to explore other options first.
If you’re at crisis point, the decision may feel urgent. It can help to talk things through with someone neutral, such as one of the parenting coaches on Parent Talk.
Further information and support
If you are considering home education for your child, and are based in England or Wales, a good first step is to find your local Elective Home Education (EHE) team. From there you can find information and support from your Local Authority, as well as guidance on how to notify them of your decision.
The Gov.UK website has more information on how to educate your child at home. If you are based in England, Scope has some helpful advice on home schooling.
Not Fine in School also offers advice and resources for dealing with school attendance barriers, and a peer support group for parents.
Page last reviewed: July 2026
Next review due: July 2029
This advice was written by our experienced Parent Talk coaches. Parent Talk is a free online service for parents and carers, provided by the charity Action for Children. For more advice, message our parenting coaches with our online chat.
Social life and friendships
Depending on your home education set up, your child may spend more time away from their peers than they would do at school. Many families use local home-ed meetups, clubs, sports groups, forest school sessions, or online groups for connection and socialising.
Online friendships can also help, if you feel confident about your child’s safety online and who they are talking to.
Some children may find social interactions difficult at school, and this can continue when they are educated at home. Social confidence often returns gradually once children have had space to recover from difficult school experiences.