Is home education still legal in England after the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026?

Yes. Home education remains fully legal. The Act does not require permission to home educate (except in limited safeguarding cases) — it introduces a registration duty, requiring parents to provide information to their local authority's Children Not in School register.

When does the home education register start?

The Act received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026, but the registration duty is not yet in force. Ministers must pass commencement regulations first, with Department for Education guidance and consultation expected beforehand. Implementation is widely expected during 2027.

What information will parents have to provide?

Under the Act, parents will provide their child's name, date of birth, home address, and information about how the child is being educated, including education providers used and time spent. Exact details and formats will be confirmed in regulations and statutory guidance.

What is an EHE report and do I need one?

An EHE (elective home education) report is a written summary a parent gives the local authority to show a suitable education is being provided — typically covering educational approach, subjects and activities, providers, and examples of learning. There is no single prescribed format, but clear, dated records make responding to any LA enquiry far easier.

The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026: what home educating families in England actually need to do

Last updated: 10 July 2026 · Written for parents, in plain English

The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 became law on 29 April 2026. It is the biggest change to home education law in England in a generation — and it has caused a great deal of worry, much of it based on misunderstanding. This guide sets out what the Act really says, what you will need to provide, and what is still to be decided.

The short version: home education remains legal. You will not need permission (except in limited safeguarding cases). What's new is a duty to register with your local authority and provide information about your child's education. Those rules are not in force yet — implementation is expected during 2027.

What the Act changes

The Act requires every local authority in England to keep a Children Not in School register. Once the relevant sections are switched on, parents of children who are not enrolled at school will have a legal duty to provide information for that register.

Based on the Act as passed, parents will need to provide:

the child's name, date of birth and home address;
information about how the child is being educated;
details of education providers the child attends (such as tutors, group classes or online schools) and roughly how much time they spend there.

Local authorities will also be able to ask for evidence that a suitable education is being provided, and may request a home visit within 15 days of registration.

What has NOT changed

You do not need a curriculum, timetable or qualified-teacher involvement.
You do not need to follow the National Curriculum or sit any particular exams.
Autonomous, child-led and semi-structured approaches remain lawful — the legal test is still a "suitable, efficient, full-time education".
Nothing starts until the Government passes commencement regulations.

When does it start?

Not yet. The registration duty needs commencement regulations, and the Department for Education is expected to consult on guidance first. Most informed estimates point to 2027. Nothing is required of you today beyond the existing law.

⏳ Section to update when the 2027 regulations are published: exact commencement date · final list of required information · prescribed forms or formats · how often information must be updated · penalties and appeal routes. (This block is a placeholder — replace with confirmed details as soon as the DfE publishes them, and update the JSON-LD FAQ answers above to match.)

What should an EHE report contain?

Even before the register begins, local authorities can make informal enquiries, and a clear written summary — often called an EHE report — is the easiest way to respond. There is no prescribed format, but reports that resolve enquiries quickly tend to include:

Section	What to include
Child details	Name, date of birth, the period the report covers
Educational approach	Structured, semi-structured, child-led — and why it suits your child
Providers & activities	Tutors, classes, clubs, online courses, group learning
Subject coverage	What areas of learning were covered, with examples
Evidence log	Dated examples of activities, trips, projects and work produced

The single biggest favour you can do yourself is to keep light-touch, dated records as you go. Reconstructing a year of learning from memory is stressful; logging two minutes a day is not.

Keep records the easy way

Log learning in minutes and generate an LA-ready report in one click. Your records stay on your device — nothing is uploaded anywhere.

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Common concerns, honestly addressed

"Is this surveillance of home educators?"

Many families feel the register is intrusive, and those concerns were raised throughout the Bill's passage. What the law requires is specific and limited — the information listed above. You are not required to hand over everything about your family life, and keeping your own records puts you in control of what you share and how it is presented.

"Will the LA judge my child-led approach?"

The suitability test has not changed. Good records that show progress on your own terms are the strongest protection an autonomous educator can have.

"What if I do nothing?"

Once the duty commences, failing to provide required information can ultimately lead to a school attendance order. The sensible route is simple: register when required, share what the law asks, no more.

What to do now (July 2026)

Nothing is legally required of you yet — don't panic.
Start keeping simple dated records of learning; future-you will be grateful.
Respond to the DfE consultation when it opens — home educators' voices shaped several amendments already.
Follow updates from your local authority and national home-ed organisations.