How to write a home education report for your local authority

If your local authority (LA) contacts you about your child's home education, they will usually ask for information about the education you are providing. Many parents respond with a written report. This guide explains what a good home education report looks like in the UK, what to include, and how to keep it straightforward — for you and for the person reading it.

Do I have to write a report?

In England and Wales, home education (sometimes called elective home education or EHE) is legal, and you do not need permission to educate your child at home. Local authorities can make informal enquiries to find out whether a child is receiving a suitable education, and most parents choose to respond in writing. A clear, well-organised report is usually the easiest way to do that. You are not required to follow a school curriculum, use a timetable, or have your child assessed — and your report does not need to pretend otherwise.

What "suitable education" means

The legal test is that the education is suitable to your child's age, ability and aptitude, and to any special educational needs they may have. "Suitable" does not mean "like school". A suitable education can be structured or child-led, project-based, interest-led, experiential, outdoors, online, or a mixture of all of these. Your report's job is to describe what your child actually does and learns — not to justify your approach against a school model.

What to include

A clear report for a local authority typically covers, in this order:

• Your educational philosophy — why you home educate and the approach you take, in your own words.
• Style of education and how it is full time — how learning happens in your family. Home education does not follow school hours; learning woven through everyday life, conversations, hobbies and outings all count.
• Numeracy — what your child has been learning, the level they are working at, and how much support they need.
• Literacy — reading, writing and communication, again with the level and the support they need.
• Other subjects — science, history, geography, languages, art, music, computing and anything else your child learns.
• Special educational needs — only if your child has SEN: their needs and how you support them, kept practical and simple.
• Other learning — clubs, groups, sports, volunteering, work experience and community activities.
• How the education is suitable — a short statement linking what you have described back to your child's age, ability and aptitude.
• Progress — how your child has developed over the period, with a few concrete examples.
• Social and physical activities — how your child sees other children and stays active.
• Resources used — books, websites, apps, memberships, equipment and places you visit.

Practical tips

• Keep it short. One to three pages is usually enough. A concise, specific report reads better than a long diary.
• Summarise, don't list. Describe patterns — "throughout the year", "regularly", "increasingly independently" — rather than listing every activity with dates.
• Describe the level, not a grade. Say what your child is working on (for example, "long multiplication and fractions") and why it suits their age and ability. You do not need to use school grades or levels.
• Say who helps. Note whether your child works alone, with you, with a tutor, or in a group.
• Use "home education". Avoid "home schooling", which means something different in the UK.
• Leave out what isn't asked for. You don't need to include timetables, hours per subject, photographs, or your future plans.

How KidsHome helps

Writing a report is much easier when the learning is already recorded. KidsHome lets you jot down learning as it happens — a sentence or two, with optional photos — and then turns those records into a structured draft report following the headings above, for any period up to a year. The draft is grounded only in your own records: it never invents activities, and it is yours to review, edit and personalise before you share it with anyone. Reports are informational drafts to support you — they are not assessments, and they should not be sent as they stand.

Start your 14-day free trial to see how it works.