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So what is “full-time education” in law? Well, there are NO set hours in law for a “full-time education.”
Zero. None! 😳

“Full-time education” doesn’t mean 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. Especially if that isn’t suitable for your child. Many children can manage that just fine.
But as we’re all aware here, many cannot.

This isn’t an “anti-attendance” post btw It’s about understanding what the law actually says because parents are often misinformed or pressured in the name of attendance targets or Ofsted stats.

Under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996, parents must ensure their child receives an efficient full-time education suitable to their age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs they MAY have..

The key word here is ‘suitable’. So if a child’s needs aren’t being met or they’re overwhelmed, have EBSA, they’re anxious, or unwell because the provision isn’t right, then forcing “full-time” hours doesn’t make it lawful.

What matters is whether your child’s education actually helps them learn, progress, and thrive.

💡 Tip: if your child/teen is struggling due to unknown/unmet difficulties and school says…

“They must be in full-time, you have a legal obligation under section 7,” you can remind them the law in section 7 doesn’t define full-time by hours, it defines it by suitability….and then a conversation needs to be had about next steps to support.

So Section 7 – of the Education Act 1996 states…..

“The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable….

(a) to his age, ability and aptitude, and
(b) to any special educational needs he may have,
either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.”

SEND law protects your child’s right to a suitable education. It’s really not a one-size-fits-all.

(I’ve linked the legislation in the comments- ENGLAND ONLY)

Love
Leigh x

It’s all adding layers of complexity

If only it was simple and good

We will continue to offer our best service and support, unique to each and everyone of our children and mothers (families) 🌈

This is a simple summary of what you need to know about what is changing (and when) around Home Education in the UK.

Note: Everything is accurate as of today! Sometimes unexpected things happen, like wars, elections and MP misconduct, which can change everything.

Please also note, this post is designed to be an easy-to-digest summary to inform parents, it is not meant to be used as a legal document, so some language will have been simplified.

Abbreviations:
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: CWSB
Children Not in School Register (Home Ed register): CNIS

1. Home Education is legal and will remain legal.

2. You do not need to follow a curriculum or take GCSEs, but you do need to provide a full-time education that meets your child’s age, ability, aptitude, and any special educational needs and disabilities.

2a. There is no definition of full-time, and the 32 hours a school child attends is not comparable to 1:1 tuition or self-directed learning.

However, many home educators would argue that their child learns at all times - including evenings, weekends & school holidays.

2b. An important court case in 1985 suggested full-time education may be when an education is:

- Efficient (it achieves that which it sets out to achieve).

- Suitable (education that prepares the child for life in modern civilised society and enables the child to achieve their full potential according to their age, ability and aptitude).

3. Home education is just one part of the CWSB. Other sections impact kinship care, schools, teachers and all parents.

4. The CWSB introduces changes to the way Home Education is regulated and overseen in England. It may also apply to Wales, but they have not agreed yet.

5. These (home ed) changes will most likely come into effect in 2027.
It is "possible" that it could be delayed by the process itself, or put on hold by something major happening on a national level or stopped by a general election.

6. The CWSB introduces a register of children not in school (CNIS register). It is called this (and not a home ed register) because not all children out of school are being electively home educated, and some are classed as missing from education.

6a. The register is NEW and replaces the current register that local authorities hold of children who have been de-registered from school or have voluntarily opted to join it.

6b. It will require more information than any existing registers, and local authorities will be able to hold additional information if they decide it is suitable to do so.

6c. Failure to join the CNIS register can result in a fine and a "notice to satisfy", which is the first step to issuing a School Attendance Order (SAO).

7. The CWSB requires certain parents to seek "permission" to home educate. These are:

- Parents of children with SEND who have been placed in a specialist school by the local authority. Eg they fund it.

- Parents of children who have been subject to child protection investigations or plans (or have been in the past 5 years).

8. Local authorities will be required to "consider the child’s home" when a family join the CNIS register. This includes new and existing home educators. This will likely result in home visits for many families.

8a. Refusing a home visit can trigger a "notice to satisfy", which is the first step to issuing a School Attendance Order (SAO).

9. Failure to comply with a School Attendance Order (SAO) can result in fines and ultimately 51 weeks in prison for a parent.

10. The CWSB is initiating a pilot of "deregistration meetings" in parts of the country; if “successful”, it will roll out nationwide in the future. This would require all children to remain in school and attend until a meeting can be arranged with the local authority and school to "discuss" your decision.

10a. This meeting cannot block you from home educating (if point 7 above does not apply) - but depending on what you say, it could trigger a "notice to satisfy" which is the first step to issuing a School Attendance Order (SAO).

11. Once on the CNIS register and having had your home "considered" by the local authority, you will need to provide information on the education you are providing. They will assess this and either approve it, ask for more information or issue a "notice to satisfy", which is the first step to issuing a School Attendance Order (SAO).

12. After this, you will be required to keep them updated on any changes, such as, but not limited to: moving house or using a new education provider (eg a tutor or drop-off home ed group).

13. If you use a drop-off home education group, they will be required to meet certain requirements as part of different legislation that is due to come soon for alternative provisions (it is currently guidance but planned to become law). They will also be required to provide information on any home-educating child who is attending to the local authority.

13a. Failure to provide this information will result in a fine.

14. Drop-off home educating groups will have a limit imposed on them for how often any individual child can attend. This will be judged across a number of factors which will be more clearly defined in secondary legislation (e.g. what will happen between the bill becoming law and it coming into force), and could be adjusted in the future.

14a. Any drop-off home education group that is assessed as providing the majority of a child’s education will be viewed as an Indepedent Education Institution or school and will be bound by any consequences that come with it.

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Important Point to remember:
So this isn't in the Bill - but I am allowing myself a bit of context.

Some local authorities have reportedly said that they want Home Ed numbers cut by a third. Various MPs (including Keir Starmer) are publicly linking home ed and extremism and saying that school is essential to social cohesion.

Taken together, it is understandable that many people fear this bill is not truly about safeguarding, but about getting children into mainstream school and their education under state oversight.

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All families who are, or are considering home education, need to be prepared and to understand what is coming.

However, to coin a phrase from the wonderful Douglas Adams.

Don’t Panic.

Fear, worry, anxiety and stress are understandable, but don’t let them take control.

- Nothing will happen suddenly.

- This page, and many others, will keep you updated and make sure you have everything you need to know.

- Some local authorities will handle this transition well, some will not – but you have a community across the UK and across the world who will be there for you with information, advice and support.

- There are a lot of people who will not give up on defending home education and will resist it being controlled further or outlawed. You can join them.

- Legal challenges will come. And that can have a real change on what is happening.

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If any of this concerns you, you can:

✅ Email your MP (and Lords), and keep emailing them. They need to understand the impact this Bill will have and that you will be in touch with them regularly if it starts having a negative effect in your family and your child’s education.

✅ Sign Petitions. There are always a few good ones on the go, and you can find them in various online spaces or search for them on the Government petition platform.

✅ Share posts (like this one!) and create your own about your thoughts, concerns and experiences.

✅ Comment on relevant Department for Education (or other governmental) social media posts with your thoughts and feelings.

✅ Attend events about home education and/or the bill

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Whatever you do, don’t be silent and don’t give up.

This isn’t about politics; it is about children and their right to receive a safe and suitable education that works for them, now and in the future.

Seeing the unique child is what we love to do 🌈

People often think the hardest part of parenting SEND children is the children themselves…

For me, having AuDHD kids isn’t the difficult part.
Of course there are harder days (no family is perfect, are they?) but that isn’t what I find hard in the scheme of things. The challenges our family has faced are the same ones I hear from so many other SEND parents.

For many of us, the hardest part of parenting SEND children is actually the system-or sometimes the complete lack of one! Maybe it’s the world around them, because when our children don’t fit neatly into society’s boxes, families are often treated as a problem.

It’s being ignored by teachers when you raise concerns. It’s watching your child struggling in a pit you can’t reach them in. It’s being told it’s your fault because you’re “too soft”, and being sent on parenting courses to “do better”. It’s the guilt and the constant questioning of yourself.

It’s your gut screaming that your child needs help, only to be gaslit when you ask for it. It’s being told “we don’t see that here” or “you just need to try harder.” It’s watching your child use every ounce of energy they have just to hold themselves together at school.

It’s children using every single ounce of energy they have to hold it together at school (masking), only to expolode at home after- in the one place they feel safe.

It’s the referral forms & the 4 year waiting lists.
The 3 year wait for CAMHS CBT. It’s CAMHS turning away children’s mental health needs because they are autistic. It’s assessments that could help (like sensory ones) being refused.

It’s the admin too. So much fu***ng admin.
Many of us parents are a bit spicy ourselves, so admin isn’t always our strength. The constant emails, the chasing, the DLA forms, the referrals, chasing reviews, EHCP applications, working documents, tribunal appeals.

It’s having to become your child’s teacher, advocate, researcher, therapist, caseworker and lawyer all at once when all you ever wanted to be was mum and dad. It’s learning laws and systems you never expected to understand, just to make sure your child isn’t left behind.

Parents literally lose their jobs to support their children! Some children cannot attend school at all because it makes them so sick. And some parents slowly lose parts of themselves too-identity, friendships, health, the spark they once had - all in the name of advocacy.

For some families, the parenting itself can feel incredibly hard too because raising children without the right support around you is exhausting. But we do it because we have to. Because no one else will fight for our children the way we will.

Sometimes it’s important for parents to take a step back and really see their children -not just the meetings, paperwork and the systems around them.
It’s easy to become consumed by the fight for support end understanding, But our children are still just children. Funny, brilliant, unique perfect little humans who deserve to be seen for exactly who they are ❤️