Home educating outside London: Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Glasgow

Home education is not a London story. Families in Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds home educate in large numbers, and Glasgow has its own rules that catch English families out when they move north. Here is what applies where.

England and Scotland are not the same

In England — Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds — Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 applies: a suitable, efficient, full-time education, which can be at home, with no National Curriculum and no registration.

Scotland works differently. The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 places the duty on parents to provide an efficient education suitable to the child's age and aptitude, and again there is no set curriculum. The important difference is that if your child has already started at a Scottish school, you need the education authority's consent to withdraw them.

Withdrawing from school, step by step

In England, write to the headteacher asking for your child to be removed from the admissions register; the school must accept it and tells the council itself.

In Glasgow and elsewhere in Scotland, if your child has begun at school, write to the education authority asking for consent to withdraw, and keep a copy. If your child has never started school, there is nothing to withdraw from.

What the councils may ask

Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds can make informal enquiries about your child's education, and Glasgow's authority can ask for information about your provision. A short written summary of your approach is normally plenty. None of them can insist on a home visit, and all of them would have to have genuine concerns before any formal process could start.

Free learning in each city

Manchester gives you the Science and Industry Museum and the free national museums, plus the libraries on Oxford Road. Birmingham has the Library of Birmingham and the canal-side geography that made the city. Leeds has the free Royal Armouries and the industrial-mill history written across the city, with Roundhay Park for science days. Glasgow has Kelvingrove, Glasgow Green and the Riverside Museum, all free to enter.

Finding other families

Every one of these cities has active home-education groups. Ask the council's home education or school education team for local contacts, and check the city home-education groups on social media — they run park days, sports, drama and shared classes that are worth joining before you try to do everything yourself.

GCSEs outside London, and the Scottish wrinkle

Home-educated teenagers in Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds sit GCSEs as private candidates at local centres, which is routine — but places are limited, so start 12–18 months ahead.

In Scotland it needs more planning. State-school pupils take National 5s, which home educators cannot enter privately, so Scottish home-educated families usually plan for GCSEs as private candidates instead. Not every Scottish centre enters private candidates for every subject, so begin early and be prepared to travel.

Next step

An online school is not tied to a city. Growing Roots Academy teaches live, small-group lessons from Key Stage 1 to GCSE, with families in Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Glasgow in the same classes as families in London. Browse our courses and fees, or register your interest and we will talk through your child's situation.