Your home education questions answered

Do I need to be a qualified teacher?

No, you do not need any formal qualifications to home educate and you do not need to employ a qualified teacher.

What is a suitable and full-time education?

The words 'efficient' and 'suitable' are not defined in the Education Act. But we interpret them to mean that a child is educated to equip them for life in the community to which they belong. At the same time the child should be educated so that they can make their own choices within modern society in later years.

The law states that a parent's duty is to provide a child with an efficient, full-time education. This should be suitable to his/her age, ability, aptitude and special needs.

Government guidelines on home education go on to say we may reasonably expect the education provision to include things like:

• Consistent involvement of parents or other significant carers
• Recognition of the child's needs, attitudes and aspirations 
• Opportunities for the child to be stimulated by their learning experiences 
• Access to resources or materials required to provide home education for the child. For example, paper and pens, books and libraries, arts and crafts materials, physical activity and ICT 
• The opportunity for appropriate interaction with other children and adults

You can make a full-time home education varied and flexible. You can include activities that do not usually take place at school.

You do not have to have any specific qualifications to home educate your child.

You do not have to follow school hours, days and terms. DfE guidelines suggest that a full-time education can be similar to that of a state school. This is where children of compulsory school age receive about 4.5 to 5 hours of education a day, for about 190 days a year.

You do not have to follow the National Curriculum or specifications used in mainstream schools. You also do not have to follow fixed timetables, meet age-specific standards, mark work or give formal lessons.

You do need to show how your child is progressing and achieving positive outcomes through your home education.

We recognise that there are various approaches to home education which are equally valid. We also recognise learning can take place in different environments, not just the family home.

We'll aim to respect and understand parent's philosophies and individual approaches to education, to promote mutual positive and trusting relationships. 

See our further guidance around what makes an education suitable (PDF, 155 KB).

What should my children learn?

Whether you choose to follow a curriculum or not, the local authority will expect your provision to be:

• Broad: It should introduce the child to a wide range of knowledge, understanding and skills
• Balanced: Each part should get sufficient time to make its special contribution, but not so much that it squeezes out other essential parts of learning
• Relevant: Subjects or topics should be learnt so to bring out their application to your child's own experience, to adult life and to give due emphasis to practical aspects
• Differentiated: Home education should match the child's abilities and aptitude. It should also be sufficiently challenging so your child can show that some progress is being made. 

It's important for your child to mix with other boys, girls and adults to learn from, and with them. There are many home education groups in Norfolk which home education families organise and run.

The National Curriculum covers the core subjects of English, mathematics and science, but you do not have to follow it. See more about The National Curriculum.

Unless the family has philosophic, medical or religious reasons for not doing so, a broad balanced curriculum should include:

• Personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE)
• Outdoor and environmental education
• Work experience (KS4)
• Careers advice

Do I need to follow the National Curriculum at home?

The National Curriculum does not apply to children educated at home. But it does provide a useful checklist of skills and knowledge. 

For more information see The National Curriculum.

What help and support is available?

The Services to Home Educators team will be able to offer support around resources to use, examinations, SEND needs and services. 

If the information on this web page does not answer your questions, call 01603 307733 or email ehe@norfolk.gov.uk

Read our privacy notice to find out how we use your personal information.

What is the difference between de-schooling and unschooling?

Unschooling is a distinct philosophical approach to learning that allows a child to lead on their own learning journey. It draws on a child's natural curiosity to learn.  

Typically, learning is informal through life experience, with the child leading on what they would like to learn, when and how. This can feel like a more meaningful learning process and can contrast positively with the structure, curriculum and expectation of school education.    

De-schooling is a term sometimes used at the start of a child's home education. Home education may not yet be fully established, full-time or suitable.  

Though our team wouldn't expect this to be the case within the first few days, we'd expect families to be aiming for satisfactory provision from the start. Use of this term may suggest that a child is not receiving proper education and guidelines make clear there's no legal basis for this position.