Tallybook

Guide · For parents

What counts as a \"suitable education\"?

An education is suitable if it fits your child's age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs, and prepares them for life as an independent adult. There is no fixed curriculum, no set hours and no required method. The 2026 Act does not change this test.

Last checked 10 November 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.

The legal words

Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 requires an efficient, full-time education suitable to the child's age, ability, aptitude and special educational needs.

None of those words is defined in the Act. Government guidance explains how they are understood.

Suitable

Guidance says a suitable education should:

  • be appropriate to the child's age
  • let the child make progress
  • aim to prepare them to function as an independent citizen
  • not directly conflict with Fundamental British Values

It should include enough secular learning for the child to take part in life in the UK.

Efficient

An education is efficient if it achieves what it sets out to achieve. This is a separate question from whether it is suitable.

Full-time

There is no legal definition. Home education does not need a timetable or school terms. Guidance notes that schools provide roughly four and a half to five hours a day for about 190 days a year, and treats that as a loose comparison only. One-to-one learning covers ground faster.

You should be able to say roughly how much time your child spends learning.

What you do not have to do

  • follow the National Curriculum
  • provide a "broad and balanced" curriculum in the school sense
  • give formal lessons, mark work or test
  • match school standards for your child's age
  • aim for particular qualifications

What can make an education unsuitable

Guidance mentions:

  • no real progress in literacy and numeracy
  • conditions that make learning very difficult, such as constant noise
  • very marked isolation from other children

Who decides?

In the first place, the council. Councils are told not to set rigid criteria. If a council and a parent disagree and an attendance order follows, a court can end up deciding whether the education was suitable.

Does following the National Curriculum help?

You do not have to. Guidance says that doing so is strong evidence of suitability.

Sources