Record keeping.Preparing your written response.
What UK home-education law actually requires, what counts as suitable evidence, and how to capture the year as you go — without turning your home into an admin office.
The legal foundation
What the law
actually says
The anxiety around compliance is almost always disproportionate to what the law actually requires. Most families who dread the authority letter are already doing what’s needed.
England & Wales: Section 7 of the Education Act 1996
Scotland: Section 30 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980
Northern Ireland: Article 45(1) of the Education and Libraries (NI) Order 1986
The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause them to receive efficient full-time education suitable to their age, ability, aptitude, and to any special educational needs they may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.
That word “otherwise” is the entire legal basis for home education across the UK. It has been there since 1944. No curriculum. No timetable. No specified hours. No prescribed format for evidence. The law requires suitable education, not school-shaped education.
| The authority can | The authority cannot |
|---|---|
| Ask informally whether your child is receiving suitable education. | Enter your home without an explicit invitation — there is no right of access. |
| Request information about what your child is learning. | Insist on a home visit as a mandatory condition of being satisfied. |
| Issue a formal statutory notice or School Attendance Order if genuinely concerned. | Demand to see or test your child directly without consent. |
| Ask to meet with you (you are entirely free to agree or decline). | Require you to follow the National Curriculum or keep school-style timetables. |
| Offer support, advice, and signposts to local resources. | Presume your education is unsuitable without actual, concrete evidence. |
Capture as you go
Ways to
record learning
There is no prescribed format for written information anywhere in the UK. Almost anything that captures learning counts. The families who find compliance straightforward are the ones who capture as they go — in a format that takes minutes, not hours.
The LifeLearn Journal
Catch the learning as it happens — a conversation, a question, a breakthrough, a trip, a skill practised. Tag activities with subjects to see how everyday life naturally overlaps with standard topics. Over a year, small entries become a rich, authentic record. If the authority asks, you won’t face a blank page.
The notebook or diary
Two minutes at the end of the day. Bullet points, not essays. What they worked through, questions they asked, documentaries they watched, practical skills they practised. Over months, those quick scribbles become a solid timeline of the year.
Your phone
A photo a day of something your child did, learned, or made gives you 365 timestamped records automatically backed up. At the end of each month, select a few and write a sentence describing the learning. Private use only — never share with the authority.
Word documents or spreadsheets
A single open file on the desktop, updated weekly. Books read, maths topics covered, museum visits, podcasts in the car, milestones reached. When the authority gets in touch, copy and paste your best notes directly into your written response.
What counts
Real-world
examples
No prescribed format means almost anything that captures learning works. Here are five types of record that LAs and the EA consistently find credible.
Project write-ups
A description of what your child did and learned. Cross-curricular, personal, and hard to dismiss. One well-written write-up covers multiple curriculum areas simultaneously.
Reading logs
A simple record of books read, topics explored, and questions raised. Even a list with a brief note per entry shows intellectual engagement.
Creative output
Art, writing, music, models, baking, construction. Descriptions of creative output are valuable — especially with a brief note about what the child was exploring and learning.
Weekly summaries
Three or four sentences describing the week’s activities. Written as you go, these become a powerful longitudinal record over months and years.
When the letter arrives
When the authority
contacts you
Most families receive their first contact within the first year — usually triggered by deregistration from school. For most families, this is straightforward.
For complete guidance on how to handle the contact and structure your written response, see R-02 · Contact from the LA, Council or EA — which covers every method of contact, what to include, and what to leave out.
The takeaway
What to
remember
Record keeping — the essentials
- The law requires suitable, efficient, full-time education — not school-shaped education. No curriculum, timetable, or specified hours are legally required.
- There is no prescribed format for written information anywhere in the UK. Almost anything that captures learning counts.
- The families who find compliance straightforward capture as they go, not all at once when the authority asks.
- The LifeLearn Journal, a notebook, your phone camera, or a Word document — any of these, used consistently, gives you everything you need.
- Photographs are for your own records only. LifeLearn strongly recommends not sharing them with any authority.
- A response that covers literacy, numeracy, and several other areas across a year will satisfy most enquiries. You don’t need to cover everything every week.
- An informal enquiry is a routine request for information, not a legal proceeding. Most families who respond honestly receive no further contact.
Keep reading
Your next guides
R-01 is the foundation. Here’s where to go next.
Contact from the LA — England
Know your rights, set your boundaries, and get prepared before the LA gets in touch.
Read the guide → F-02 · FoundationsThe Great Reset
Why deschooling matters and how to build a structure that works without recreating school at home.
Read the guide → F-05 · FoundationsFinding Your Why
Choosing a home-education philosophy before you choose a curriculum.
Read the guide →Your village is here.
Come and find it.
LifeLearn is where UK home-educating families find vetted local providers, real-world projects, and a community of parents at every stage — including parents who’ve been exactly where you are right now. Dads too.
