Should parents need minimum qualifications, such as GCSE Maths and English, before they can home-school their children?
In England, parents who home educate need no qualifications, teaching experience or council approval. The law only requires them to secure an efficient, suitable full-time education for their child, under section 7 of the Education Act 1996. The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, which received Royal Assent in April 2026, creates mandatory registers of home-educated children and local authority powers such as home visits, but sets no parental qualification test.
6 Opinions
I home educated all my children, with no qualifications. The only subject, in law that has to be taught is religious instruction. Most home educators, have frequent contact with each other, week long get togethers, group days out. We didn't stop for 6 week School holidays. You keep a daily record of everything for the School Inspectors who come yearly, give advice. Welfare Officers come each term to check on the children's welfare. The only people who complain are teachers.
A parent without valid GCSE maths, English or science at, at least, a C grade is not competent enough to pass their knowledge on to their children through homeschooling.
Schooling is not the business of the government. They should have no say in education at all. We've seen the nonsense kids are taught these days.
Parents conducting home schooling should be able to demonstrate a capability in those teaching to achieve a standard in education for the child.
We are living in wonderful word of Internet and AIs - all the knowledge in the reach of hand. All you need to do is to be consistent and the results my exceed the state education. At least these kids will not be brainwashed by lefty teachers, and out of the dangers of modern schools.
A parent who cannot demonstrate basic competency in core subjects is not, in fact, capable of homeschooling.