Failure to Deregister England.

LETTER TO SEND TO MAINSTREAM SCHOOL IN ENGLAND IF THEY ARE REFUSING TO ACTION A DEREGISTRATION.

Often schools will not acknowledge your deregistration, or they may still send generic attendance texts or emails, this does not mean the school have refused to deregister. Only send this letter if they have contacted you to say they will refuse or delay deregistration.

For more information about the legalities read HERE

Your Name
And Address

Date

School Name
School Address

Dear [Head’s name]

Re – Name of child . Date of birth.

I have received your letter/email/phone call dated xxx, I have taken advice from the UK Home Education service Educational Freedom and I understand that in law if I choose to deregister my child in order to home educate you must remove their name from the register immediately. I therefore refer you to my deregistration letter dated the x.

Please note: The School Attendance ( Pupil Registration) ( England) Regulations 2024 s13(4). When the name of a registered pupil… is deleted from the admission register of a school the proprietor of the school must make a return to the local authority (a deletion return). The Proprietor must ensure the deletion return is completed when the grounds under s9(1)(f) are met.

I also draw your attention to the Working together to improve school attendance 2024 statutory guidance points 218, 219 and 221 which reiterate that the Proprietor of the school must delete from roll when the grounds under The School Attendance ( Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024 s9 are met.

We are aware that the government previously suggested schools can offer a meeting with parents if they are considering deregistration, this suggestion did not include refusing to or delaying deregistration once in receipt of a deregistration notification from the parent. We also do not require a meeting with school as we are confident in this decision.

There is no legal basis for a cooling off period/ a meeting/lengthy process *quote whatever the school have claimed*. I ask that if you believe this to be true that you provide, in writing to me, evidence of such a rule or law. I am well versed in the EHE guidance and can categorically state no such rule exists.

We are confident in our decision to home educate, we respectfully remind you that the deregistration was an instruction to be actioned immediately not a request to be considered.

I have fulfilled all of my legal obligations in this case by simply instructing you to deregister my child as per the 2019 Elective Home Education guidelines.

I await confirmation by return that you have now removed my child’s name from the school roll.

Yours sincerely