Home education in England: no ESA and parent-funded

England has no education savings accounts. Elective home education is legal, but parents carry the full fees: councils provide no funding.

The law in brief

Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 lets parents educate otherwise than at school. Deregister by writing to the school. The council may make informal enquiries to confirm suitable education. National guidelines say parents assume financial responsibility, and councils receive no funding for home-educating families.

West Berkshire states it plainly: no funding is available, and all fees sit with parents. Leeds adds that pupil-premium support stops too. Exam fees, tutors, curriculum and activities all come from the family.

Independent schools

England's independent schools register with the Department for Education and appear in Get Information About Schools, the source of our English rows. Fees are parent-paid. A few councils fund places only for children with education, health and care plans in specific cases, never as a general home-education grant.

Deregistration in practice

Write to the school to deregister; the school must tell the council the same day. Some families deregister mid-term, others start home education without ever enrolling. Either path is lawful. Keep a copy of the letter.

Councils vary in tone. Most send a form or a visit offer. You may decline visits but must still show suitable education on request. A short yearly report with work samples ends most enquiries quickly.

Exams and special needs

Leeds notes that parents take full responsibility for GCSE access. Register as a private candidate at an exam centre a year ahead, and budget entry fees per subject plus any practical endorsements.

For children with education, health and care plans, annual reviews continue and the council keeps oversight, but it does not fund provision while you home educate. Some families negotiate personal budgets instead; that is a separate fight with its own rules.

What this directory lists in Britain

Our British rows name open independent schools with addresses and sites. Program fields stay empty because no program reimburses these fees. Families use the rows to find schools, tutors and exam centres, not to claim funds. Read each listing for delivery and grades, then contact the school direct.