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Letter Asking to Home School a Child

By: Louise Tobias BA (hons) - Updated: 20 May 2021 | comments*Discuss
 
Letter Home School Teacher Child

Home schooling - when a child receives his or her education at home rather than in a traditional school - is legal in the UK. Under the law of the Education Act, each parent has a duty to make sure that their child has an education, but that education is not specified and this can include learning at home. But if a child is either currently attending a school or has been registered by you as about to attend (for example in year 6 at a primary school and registered to start year 7 of a secondary school), then parents have a duty to "de-register" their child. This can be done in the form of a written letter to the school's head teacher. This letter is not supposed to ask permission from the school for the parent to home school - as legally, a home education does not have to be sanctioned by a school. Instead, the letter should ask the school to remove your child from its register of pupils.

The home education support group 'Education Otherwise' has more information on the deregistration process from school to home education. It is a good idea to keep the letter addressed to the school as simple as possible, not waffling about reasoning. In fact, you merely have to ask for your child to be de-registered from a school, you do not actually have to tell the school anything about your education plans for your child, such as teaching your child at home, although many parents choose to do so as they may later require the school's help with things like examination entrance and even education resources.

The letter format set out below is a sample letter addressed to a head teacher from parents who have made the decision to home school their child. It can be used as an example of the kind of thing you need to explain to a school to ensure a positive response.

The School House
School Lane
Schoolville
England

Parental Address
Family Home
Anytown
England

1 November 2008

Dear Headteacher

We are the parents of Robert Powert, currently in form 4f, and are writing to you because after much thought and consultation with Robert, we have decided to withdraw our son from the school education system in order to take personal charge of his education. We are writing to request that you please take Robert's name off the school's register as of the 1 December. This is in legal accordance with Education (Pupil Registration) Regulation 8(1)(d) 2006, as from 1 December Robert will be receiving his education in a format otherwise than that provided at school.

We would be grateful if you could please confirm that you have received this letter and that you will be taking Robert's name off the register on 1 December.

We would appreciate written confirmation to the address above.

With thanks for your time and best wishes

[signature]

Mr and Mrs Powert, mother and father of Robert Powert(form 4f)

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This template is very helpful. I've used it as a guide to write a letter to my son's school to deregister him. My son is 9 and he has been bullied so many times. Just yesterday a bully bashed his head on the ground and the school did nothing about it. No medical attention was provided and my son felt dizzy and had a headache. So thank you for this template. Its been really helpful.
Fatoumata - 20-May-21 @ 1:09 AM
Thank you lovely simple letter although our head teacher advise was to ask for access to personal budget from the local council for help with the cost / funding .. x
Rose86 - 15-Jun-20 @ 6:26 PM
I am so glad that I found this site, as I was left with no choice but to pull my yr7 daughter from her school due to bullying which was also perpetrated out side of school. My smart. bubbly daughter became almost a shadow of herself, and was left terrified at the mere thought of going back to school. This was in January. my daughter had a mental health evaluation due as she was not sleeping, eating, or going to after school activities, which she loved. The saving grace is that through all of this, she has kept up with on line studies via the school being home schooled during her recovery and has expressed her wish to continue with being educated in safe, pressure free place. I have the template for the deregistration letter to the school headmistress, and am ready to release my daughter from a place she felt imprisoned in.
Rosebud - 13-May-20 @ 2:56 AM
Can you please help. I really want to be homeschooled because I feel uncomfortable in school and I feel like I didint learn much really. Sometimes I also get bullied which makes me feel very unsafe and like I'm in jail not school. My parents say I can't be homeschooled because you need to have a good reason for it like your disabled or something. I don't know if it's true. Please Email me with advise or something. Also can you say step by step what to do like 1. Letter to school I think 2. Sigh no this (link) 3....
Ewa - 24-Jan-16 @ 6:07 PM
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