Guide · For parents
Flexi-schooling and the register
Flexi-schooled children are eligible for the Children Not in School register. Being on a school roll does not take them out of it. Exactly what parents of flexi-schooled children will have to provide should become clearer in guidance.
Last checked 10 November 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.
What flexi-schooling is
Your child is registered at a school and attends part of the week. You educate them at home for the rest. Schools do not have to agree to it. Where they do, the time at home is recorded as authorised absence.
Why flexi-schooled children are eligible
The Act makes a child eligible if they are registered at a school, but the school has arranged or agreed that they will be educated elsewhere for some or all of the normal school day. That describes flexi-schooling.
What you may have to provide
The duties in the Act apply to parents of eligible children. So, on a plain reading, you would:
- notify the council within 15 days of your child becoming eligible
- give the core details, including time spent being educated by you and by others
- keep them up to date
The exemption, and why it probably doesn't cover you
The Act lifts these duties where a child's full-time education is arranged by the council or by the school. That fits a pupil the school has placed in alternative provision.
In flexi-schooling, the home days are arranged by you. So the exemption does not obviously apply. This is our reading. Guidance is expected to settle it.
Providers you use on home days
If a tutor or group teaches your child on home days, for more than the set amount of time and without you actively involved, they could be asked for information by the council.
Will schools become less willing?
Some families worry that extra reporting will put schools off flexi-schooling. Nothing in the Act requires schools to stop. It is a fair point to raise in the consultation.
What to do now
- Keep a simple note of your home days and what your child does on them.
- Ask the school how it records your arrangement.
- Watch for the consultation on the register.