Home education in Surrey

Covers Surrey County Council's area, England. General information, not legal advice. Checked against the council's own pages on 2 November 2026.

After you deregister

Surrey's registration page tells you to write to the head teacher asking for your child's name to come off the register. If your child has never been to school, you don't need to tell anyone. Our guide to deregistering from school covers the general process.

After the school gets your letter, an officer contacts you to arrange a meeting at school or at home. The council's policy, updated in April 2026, aims for that within 10 school days. The registration page says the head removes your child's name after that meeting, but going is your choice: the policy itself says the school should remove your child once it has your written notice and your child has stopped attending. It also suggests schools allow a 10-school-day "cooling off" period afterwards, though only as good practice, so don't count on the place being held.

Then comes a welcome email, and the offer of a visit six to eight weeks later to talk about your plans and see some sign that home education has started. It lasts about 45 minutes, at home or somewhere you agree, such as a library or children's centre. In the policy's words, "Parents are not obliged to accept a visit."

If your child has an EHC plan, tell your SEND case officer. Surrey asks for an EHE plan showing how you'll meet the needs in it. A child at a special school can't come off the roll until the council's Education Governance Board agrees; from a mainstream school, you don't go through that board. The EHC plan is still reviewed every year. More in SEND and home education.

When the council gets in touch

The policy says the team will contact you at least once a year for examples of learning that show your child's progress, either through an arranged home visit or by asking for a written report. Every family is offered an annual visit. The suitable education page gives examples of evidence, from a timetable or curriculum plan to photographs, workbooks and dated work, and says records "can take any form".

A written reply is a real option. The DfE's guidance for parents says you don't have to agree to a meeting or produce specific evidence, and Surrey's policy says parents may refuse it access to "the home, the child or the child's work". One thing to know before you decline: if your child hasn't been seen by the team for 12 months or more, the policy says it checks other council records, and refers to children's services only where something there suggests they should be involved. What to look for in a council policy and how to reply to the council go into both.

If the team thinks the education isn't suitable, it first agrees a timescale with you, in writing, to put things right. Only then does a formal notice follow, giving you 15 days plus two for first-class post. If the team can't reach a family at all, the children are recorded as missing education.

Exams

Surrey doesn't arrange exams. Its policy says families who home educate pay for them, as they do for tutors and courses. Exam centres for private candidates explains how to find a centre and what it costs.

Support the council lists

• The Local Offer's home education page lists national home education charities and SEND Advice Surrey, which runs a confidential helpline on 01737 737 300.
• Home education for children with special educational needs, and the wider Surrey Local Offer.
• A list of resources comes with the welcome email. The team will send another copy if you ask.
• In the September after your child turns 16, the team sends a short survey about their plans before taking them off its list.

Contacting the home education team

Phone 01737 737 777 or email electivehome.education@surreycc.gov.uk. By post: Surrey Elective Home Education Team, Dakota, 11 De Havilland Drive, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 0YP. The council's main page is Educating your child at home.

Surrey County Council and the borough and district councils are due to be replaced by East Surrey Council and West Surrey Council on 1 April 2027, so check these details after that date.