Norfolk Home Learning
From small beginnings to great success
Homeschooling and the Law
Under English law, parents must see that their children have an education, either home-based or school-based. The choice is theirs. This freedom of choice is a legal right - see Home Education in England (July 2023),
Local authorities sometimes approach home educators asking about their methods and degree of success. Such approaches aren't illegal, but if they cause anxiety it's worth remembering the official position as stated on page 13 of Home Education in England:
'Local authorities have no formal powers or duty to monitor the provision of home education.'
When a local authority over-stepped the mark, its head of education was officially 'advised' as follows:
'Local authorities have no statutory duty to monitor home educating families on a routine basis. They should intervene only if they have reason for doing so. They are not ... permitted pre-emptively to seek reasons to intervene.'
(I can supply the full text. Please contact me if you'd like a copy.)
Tony D Triggs