Home educating in Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Waltham Forest

Home education is a right, not a favour, and it applies equally in Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Waltham Forest. The process is the same across all three boroughs. Here is how to start, and where to find support and free learning locally.

You do not need anyone's permission

English law asks only that a child receives a suitable full-time education, which can be at home. You do not have to register as a home educator, follow the National Curriculum, or prove anything about your own qualifications.

If your child is at a school in one of these boroughs

Write to the headteacher asking for your child to be removed from the admissions register. The school must accept the letter and inform the local authority. If your child has never been on a school roll, there is nothing to tell anyone at all.

Expect an informal enquiry

All three councils can ask, informally, what your child's education looks like. A short written summary of your approach and a sample of work usually answers it. No council in this group can insist on a home visit or a formal inspection of your teaching.

Free resources and where to meet other families

Each borough's library service runs free children's activity sessions, and the boroughs themselves give you a lot for nothing: Walthamstow's market and Waltham Forest's edge of Epping Forest; Havering's Thames-path walks and the open spaces of Amberswood and Hainault; and Barking's riverfront and Ilford's Redbridge Museum, all a short bus ride away. For other families, ask the council's home education team for local group contacts, and check East London home-education groups on social media and at library noticeboards.

GCSEs without a school behind you

Home-educated teenagers in these boroughs sit GCSEs as private candidates at an exam centre. East London centres do accept private candidates, but places are limited, so begin 12–18 months ahead and confirm fees and deadlines in writing. Our private-candidate GCSE guide for London families covers it in full.

Next step

An online school does not care which borough you live in. Growing Roots Academy teaches live, small-group lessons from Key Stage 1 to GCSE, with families in these boroughs and across the UK and overseas. Browse our courses and fees, or register your interest and we will help you plan your child's week.