Do I have to register my home-educated child?

Not yet. In England the law creating a register has passed, but the duty on parents is not in force. When it starts, you will have to tell your council and give some basic details. Scotland and Northern Ireland have no statutory register.

Last checked 10 November 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. For your own situation, Education Otherwise and Educational Freedom both support families.

The position today in England

You have the same duty parents have always had: to make sure your child gets a suitable full-time education. You do not need permission to home educate in most cases, and you do not have to register.

If your child is at school, you still need to deregister them properly. That is a separate process.

What changes when the register starts

Under the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, you will have to:

• tell your council within 15 days of your child becoming eligible
• give the core details you hold
• tell the council within 15 days if a name, address or parent detail changes
• answer the council's requests for updates on education time and providers

What you will be asked for

• your child's name, date of birth and home address
• any other addresses where your child lives
• each parent's name and address
• which parent provides the education
• an estimate of time spent being educated by you, and by anyone else
• details of any outside provider above a set amount of time

How often the council can ask

The council must ask for updates at least once a year. It cannot ask more often than once every three months. Each request must give you at least 15 days.

Home visits

Within 15 days of registering your child, the council must consider where the child lives. It may ask to visit. You can say no. The Act says a refusal must be taken into account if the council later decides whether to begin the school attendance order process.

If you don't provide the information

The government has said parents will not be fined for this. The consequence is that the council can begin the school attendance order process.

What you get in return

If you ask, your council must give you advice and information about your child's education. In England it must also offer parents a forum twice a year.

Children who are exempt

The duties do not apply where the council or a school has arranged your child's full-time education.

Sources

• Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, section 38
• Written parliamentary answer on penalties for parents