Make sure you are fully aware of your rights and remember you do NOT EVER have to have a visit or a phone call, in fact we strongly urge families to keep communication in writing.
Updated 15/12/2025
Below are suggested ways to respond to requests for information made very soon after beginning Home Education. Please read all of this guidance before replying to the Local Authority (LA). If you are unsure why we recommend these responses, we encourage you to explore the rest of the website, where the rationale is explained in more detail.
“In response to your letter/email/phone call/visit dated [x], we wish to decline the meeting/phone call offered at this time. We are well supported both locally and nationally, but will contact you should we require any assistance.”
“Please note that we request all future correspondence to be in writing (letter or email). We also ask that our phone number be removed from your records.”
“We are satisfied that the home education provision for [child’s name] is suitable to their age, ability and aptitude, and that it constitutes a full-time education. Where applicable, the provision also takes into account their special educational needs.”
(Only include reference to SEN if relevant.)
If the forms are purely administrative (for example, confirming personal details), we generally advise completing them.
However, if the forms request information about your educational provision—particularly school-based or irrelevant questions (such as parental qualifications, timetables, levels, grades, or similar)—you are not obliged to complete these sections.
Do not partially complete forms (for example, providing personal details but leaving provision questions blank), as this can draw unnecessary attention to the unanswered sections. Instead, you may choose to provide the administrative information by email and submit your own provision and resources summary (if you feel sufficiently settled to do so), with a covering note such as:
“As the forms provided do not appear to be designed to reflect home education in all of its diverse approaches, we do not feel it is appropriate to complete them. Instead, please find attached our own summary of provision and resources.”
Remember, you are not required to:
Declare your own educational background
Provide details of tutors
Submit graded work
Follow a timetable
Show samples of your child’s work
You may respond with:
“As we only deregistered on [x date], we feel that providing detailed information at this stage would not accurately reflect our provision. While we understand that education must take place from day one—and confirm that it is—we would be better placed to provide a meaningful overview in approximately three months’ time. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to engaging further at a later date.”
Please note: the LA is not obliged to agree to a delay. If they continue to request information, please read the relevant guidance HERE on this issue before responding further.
At this stage, do not address this request directly. Please refer to the relevant page on this topic before replying.
If the letter or call goes beyond a reasonable request for general information, you may wish to include:
“We wish to remind you of section 5.1 of the Elective Home Education Guidance for Parents, which states: ‘Your local authority has no formal powers or duty to monitor the provision of education at home.’ The guidance also encourages a positive and respectful relationship, which we do not feel is reflected in the tone or assertions made in your correspondence.”
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