What is homeschooling?
6 min read · updated 2026-09-02
Homeschooling, usually called elective home education in the UK, means parents taking responsibility for their child's education instead of sending them to school. It is legal in all three of our main regions, growing fast, and it raises one question above all others: who actually teaches the hard subjects?
The legal position
In England and Wales, parents already carry the legal duty to ensure their child receives an efficient full-time education, and that duty can be discharged at home. To start, parents of a child at a mainstream school give written notice to the headteacher, and the school removes the child from roll. The local council may make informal enquiries about the education being provided, but there is no requirement to follow the national curriculum, keep school hours or hold formal qualifications.
In the United States, homeschooling is regulated state by state: some states require only notification, others require assessments, approved curricula or parent qualifications. In Australia, home education must be registered with the state authority, which typically reviews a learning plan. Wherever you are, the practical advice is the same: put your plan in writing before you start, and keep records as you go.
How qualifications work
Home-educated students take the same GCSEs and iGCSEs as school students, entering as private candidates at exam centres that accept external candidates (booking fees apply per subject). iGCSEs are popular with home educators because coursework components are minimal or absent. A-Levels are also available to private candidates. The planning that matters is booking exam centres a year ahead and matching the syllabus to the exams, not the other way round.
Where tutors fit
Most homeschooling parents cover primary-level subjects confidently and bring in subject tutors as content gets specialist: secondary maths and sciences, exam technique for GCSE years, and modern foreign languages are the common hand-offs. A weekly one-to-one tutor also provides something home education can lack by design: an external adult who sets targets, tracks progress and gives the child accountability beyond the parent-child dynamic.
FAQs
How many hours a day does homeschooling need?＋
Far fewer than a school day. One-to-one and small-group learning is denser than classroom teaching, and most home educators find two to three focused hours of formal work a day at secondary level, with reading and projects on top, comfortably covers the ground.
Will homeschooled children get into university?＋
Yes, with exam results. Universities assess GCSE, iGCSE and A-Level (or local equivalent) grades, and admissions teams are used to private candidates. A portfolio of documented projects helps but the grades do the work.
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