Does Your Home Education Look Different to Everyone Else’s?
by Gemma One of the first things that becomes obvious when you step into…
Educational Freedom is a non-profit organisation providing Home Education information and support. Our primary purpose is ensuring all Home Educators have access to FREE information and support. We aim to provide everything you could ever need to know about Home Education.
A great way of ensuring your Home Education journey goes smoothly is to read all of this website. The menu at the top will help you navigate each section.
Making the decision to Home Educate can be daunting. But be assured that there is plenty of support out there! There are lots of families that have been in your situation, and we have supported tens of thousands of them.
Read through all of our website to learn all about Home Education. Use the menu to navigate through all of our pages especially the WHAT TO DO FIRST page for your country. Navigating through each page in turn really will help you understand everything you need to do. Then move on to the dealing with the LA section.
PLEASE NOTE: MOST PAGES SHOULD NOT BE READ AS A STAND ALONE PAGE, ENSURE YOU READ THE INFO IN OTHER MENTIONED PAGES TOO.
Where to find us after you've read our website.
These are articles and news updates, to be read as extra to the rest of our site.
Here’s a sneak peak at our public FB page feed where we share factual info as well as fun memes. Join our closed group for advice and to chat to other home educators.
One of the most common questions new home educators ask is: Where do I even begin? The honest answer is: you begin by slowing down. Summer is the perfect time to decompress, observe your child, and let the pressure of school expectations melt away. You don’t need a curriculum, a timetable, or a stack of resources to get started. In fact, Educational Freedom encourages new families to take a “deschooling” period — a chance for children (and parents!) to rediscover learning without stress. Notice what your child gravitates toward. What do they talk about? What do they explore when no one is directing them? These clues will help you shape a personalised, suitable education in the months ahead.
There’s an important new research project happening at the Open University, and it has the potential to make a real difference for home‑educating and flexi‑schooling families. The researchers want to understand — in parents’ own words — why more families are choosing elective home education or flexi‑schooling, what their experiences have been so far, and what support would actually be useful. Instead of assumptions or outdated narratives, this study aims to gather real evidence from real families living it day to day. The findings will be used to help MPs, Peers, Local Authorities, and education settings gain a clearer picture of what’s driving this shift, what current processes feel like from the parent perspective, and where best practice already exists within our communities. In short: it’s a chance to highlight the places where children are thriving, learning joyfully, and rediscovering a love of learning — and to show what families need more of. If you’ve ever wished decision‑makers understood home education better, this is a meaningful opportunity to help shape that understanding.
If you’re new to home education and joining us this summer, welcome — truly. This is a season of fresh starts, gentle rhythms, and rediscovering what learning looks like when it’s shaped around your child rather than a timetable. Many families begin home education in summer because it gives everyone breathing space. There’s no rush to “get it right”, no pressure to recreate school, and no expectation to have everything figured out. Take this time to observe your child, reconnect, and notice what sparks their curiosity. Learning will happen naturally — through play, conversations, nature, hobbies, and everyday life. And if you’re feeling unsure about your rights or responsibilities, Educational Freedom has clear, calm guidance to help you feel grounded.
Out and about as a home educating family? Our Home Education Cards help young people feel confident when engaging with venues, activities, and new experiences. Many venues accept our card as proof of home education, making conversations easier and helping young people advocate for themselves with confidence. Simple, practical, and easy to carry — perfect for everyday outings. An often heard argument is that these cards are not needed, and you’re right, they’re completely optional. But what they do is help nervous kids explain who they are when they’re out and about, they help when a venue requires some form of ‘proof’. Home edders (including us) campaign hard to ensure venues don’t ask for ‘proof’ but some don’t back down, and rather than needing a letter from your LA or missing out then our card will do. And, by buying a card from us it helps keep our service going for free, we have helped millions of people without charging them a penny, we have no fees for home educators. The few pence profit from each sale goes towards our website fees as we are a not for profit none of the team take a wage and we rely on sales and donations to carry on supporting you. If you don’t want to buy a card then don’t. You could donate via our website instead. You can buy the card on our website: www.educationalfreedom.org.uk
We have many decades of hands on Home Education experience between us and many years as a professional support service.
Our team is made up of people from all walks of life, and all styles of Home Education.
We never have, nor will we ever, charge Home Educators a fee to access our website, personal support or anything else.
However, we do have costs such as web hosting, so feel free to donate.
Our aim is that our website contains everything you should need to know.
Beyond that we have a Facebook Page where you can connect with other Home Educators and our amazing admin team. We also have the option to contact us, for those times where you don’t have Facebook.
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