Key Facts
| Legal ground (England) | School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024, reg. 9(1)(f): written notice that the pupil will not attend after a given day and will be educated otherwise than at school |
|---|---|
| Consent needed | Council-arranged special school place (reg. 9(2)); school attendance order must be revoked first |
| School's duty | Remove the name once the date passes; inform the local authority of deletions at non-standard transition times (reg. 13) |
| Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 | Further consent cases (e.g. child protection enquiries or plans) not yet commenced at 26 October 2026 |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
To deregister a child from school in England to home educate, you write to the head teacher saying that your child will no longer attend the school after a named date and will be educated otherwise than at school. Once that date has passed, the school must remove your child from its admission register and tell the local authority, and it cannot refuse. Council consent is needed first only if your child attends a special school under arrangements made by the council or attends school because of a school attendance order.
How deregistration works in England
Deregistration is governed by the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations, which list the only grounds on which a school may take a child off its roll. The home education ground applies when a parent has told the school in writing that the child will no longer attend after a certain day and will receive education otherwise than at school, that day has passed, and no school attendance order names the school.
Three things follow from that wording. The notice must be in writing, it should give a date, and the removal happens automatically once the date passes, so the school has no discretion. GOV.UK puts it simply: the school must accept if you are taking your child out completely.
Step by step: deregistering your child
- Check whether consent is needed. If your child is at a special school under arrangements made by the council, or attends school because of a school attendance order, contact the council first (see below). If not, no permission is needed.
- Plan the first few weeks of education. The council may make informal enquiries soon after it hears from the school, and a short written outline of what you intend to teach makes those straightforward.
- Write to the head teacher. Use the template below, give the date after which your child will not attend, sign it and keep a copy.
- Ask the school to confirm the removal. Ask for written confirmation of the date your child's name was removed from the admission register.
- Expect contact from the council. The school must tell the council about the removal when it happens outside the normal points of transfer between schools, and many councils then write to the family. The local authority guide explains what they usually ask and how to reply.
- Return anything the school lent you and ask for records. Many parents ask for a copy of the child's latest reports or assessment data, which helps with planning.
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The template below is a starting point to adapt. Replace the text in square brackets and keep the sentence about education otherwise than at school, since it mirrors the wording of the regulations.
"[Your name]
[Your address]
[Date]
To the Head Teacher, [School name]
Re: [Child's full name], date of birth [date of birth], [year group or class]
I am writing to inform you that I have decided to educate my child, [child's name], at home. [Child's name] will not attend [school name] after [date], and from that date will receive education otherwise than at school.
Please remove [child's name] from the school's admission register under regulation 9(1)(f) of the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations, and confirm in writing the date on which this has been done.
I understand that the school will inform the local authority of the removal.
Yours sincerely,
[Signature]
[Name of parent with parental responsibility]
There is no requirement to give a reason for home educating, and the letter does not need to describe the education you will provide.
When do you need the council's consent?
Consent is needed in two situations, and in both the school cannot remove your child until the council has acted.
| Situation | What has to happen first | If the council refuses |
|---|---|---|
| Child at a special school, placed there under arrangements made by the council | The council must consent to the child's name being removed | You can ask the Secretary of State to settle the dispute |
| Child attending school because of a school attendance order | The council must revoke the order, or amend it to name a different school | You can refer the refusal to the Secretary of State |
A child with an education, health and care plan at a mainstream school needs no consent, though the council's duties under the plan continue in a different form. The home education with an EHCP guide covers that in detail.
The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act adds a consent requirement for some further groups of children, including those subject to child protection enquiries or plans, once its home education provisions are brought into force. Their current status is in the key facts on this page.
Can the school refuse, delay or ask you to reconsider?
The school cannot refuse a valid written notice or delay removal past the date you give. A head teacher may ask to meet you to talk about the decision, which some parents find useful, but a meeting is not a condition of deregistration.
The Department for Education's guidance for parents also warns about the opposite problem. If a school suggests that you remove your child to avoid an exclusion, or because of difficulties with learning or behaviour, that practice is known as off-rolling, and the guidance says you should tell the council.
What happens to attendance and fines while you deregister?
Until your child's name is removed, they are still a registered pupil, and absences can be treated as unauthorised. The Department for Education's guidance for councils points out that a parent can be at risk of prosecution for non-attendance until the removal takes effect, even if suitable education is already under way. Giving the notice in writing, with a date close to the last day your child attends, closes that gap.
Can your child go back to school later?
Yes. You can apply for a school place at any time through the council's in-year admissions process, or direct to an academy or other school that runs its own admissions. There is no guarantee of a place at the school your child left, and if no place is available there, the council must find a state school place or arrange education in some other way.
Deregistering in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The process differs outside England, most of all in Scotland.
- Scotland: if your child has attended a state school, you must ask the council for consent to withdraw them, under section 35 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980. See the home education in Scotland guide.
- Wales: a written notice to the school is the usual route, under Welsh registration regulations. See the home education in Wales guide.
- Northern Ireland: a signed letter to the principal with the date home education starts. See the home education in Northern Ireland guide.
Related guides
- Home schooling in the UK: the law in each nation
- Home education in England: the law and your duties
- Elective home education and the local authority
- Home education curriculum by age
- Flexi-schooling: part-time school
- Home schooling funding and grants
Tutoring for home-educated children with Taylor Tuition
Families who have just deregistered often want a tutor in place for the subjects a parent prefers not to teach, so that the first weeks of home education have structure. More than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status and around three in five hold a master's degree or doctorate, and tutors who work with children hold an enhanced DBS check, and most are registered on the DBS Update Service.
Sessions run online for families across the UK and internationally, and in person in central London. Fees start from £50 per 50-minute session and depend on tutor level and subject; there is no registration fee and the initial consultation is free.
Read more about our home education tutors, or send an enquiry and we reply with tutor recommendations.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a school refuse to deregister my child for home education?
- No. In England, once a parent has told the school in writing that the child will not attend after a given date and will be educated otherwise than at school, the school must remove the child when that date has passed. The exceptions are a council-arranged special school place and a school attendance order, which need the council to act first.
- Do I need to give a reason for deregistering?
- No. There is no legal requirement to give a reason or to describe the education you will provide in the deregistration letter. The council may later make informal enquiries about the education itself.
- How long does deregistration take?
- The school removes your child's name once the date in your letter has passed, so the timing is set by the date you give. Ask the school to confirm in writing when the removal was made.
- Will I be fined while I deregister my child?
- Absences before the removal date are still recorded, and the Department for Education's guidance notes that a parent can be at risk of prosecution until the child is off the roll. Giving written notice with a near date avoids a gap.
- Do I need to tell the council myself?
- There is no legal duty on parents in England to tell the council, because the school informs it of the removal. Many families contact the council anyway, to use any advice or support it offers.
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