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Educating your child at home

Your child must receive a full-time education from the age of 5, you can choose to educate your child at home.

If your child is already in school and you decide to teach them at home

You need to write to the headteacher or chair of governors to let them know and ask them to take your child's name off the school's register.

The headteacher or chair of governors will then notify the Inclusion, Attendance and Welfare Service. The service will contact you to offer information and advice.

If you don’t tell the school, your child will be recorded as absent without authorisation and you could be fined.

You don't have to follow the national curriculum but it can be a useful guide.

If your child is not already in school

We are responsible for monitoring children who are missing from education. If you're educating your child at home and your child has never been registered at a Plymouth school you should tell us. You aren't required to, but we can provide advice, help and information.

What you need to do

You need to read our:

You should also read the Government guidance.

We decide if the education being provided is:

  • an efficient and full time education
  • suitable to the child's age, ability and any special educational needs that the child may have

We will want to know your approach to education. It is your responsibility to provide examples which show the suitability of your child’s education provision.

Home educators can use the Elective Home Education (EHE) Monitoring Record to provide information to us regarding the suitability of the education that they are providing for their child. The template is not compulsory, it can also be adapted by home educators to meet their individual requirements.

Contact us

Returning to school

If you want your child to return to school:
email -  inyear.admissions@plymouth.gov.uk
or visit the school admissions webpages for information and to apply for a school place.