Ben and Claire deregistered their two children, then in Year 1 and Year 2, to travel full-time. Here’s exactly how that process worked, since school staff themselves weren’t familiar with it when they asked.
One of the more daunting parts of planning this trip was working out how to actually, legally, take our children out of mainstream UK education. What surprised us most was that the school itself wasn’t particularly familiar with the process, we ended up researching it ourselves.
What we actually did
1. Wrote formally to the school. A written letter or notice stating the date the children would be leaving is the key step. This is what starts the formal deregistration process.
2. The school deregisters with the local authority. Once notified, it’s the school’s responsibility to inform the local authority/council that the children have been deregistered, not something you need to chase separately.
3. Understand the education oversight rules. If a family settles in one place while home-educating, local authorities can require curriculum check-ins. Because we’re travelling between multiple countries rather than settling anywhere, we’re not bound by that UK home-education oversight.
What we didn’t realise going in
Returning to mainstream school later isn’t automatic. If and when we return to the UK and want to put our children back into school, we’ll need to reapply for a place, not simply resume their old spot in their old class. This is worth knowing and planning for in advance, particularly if timing around a specific school year matters to you.
What we’d tell another family considering this
Start the conversation with your school early, and don’t expect them to have all the answers, ours didn’t, and we ended up doing our own research into the correct process. Get the deregistration date in writing. And if there’s any chance you’ll want to return to mainstream schooling afterwards, look into your local authority’s admissions process before you leave, not after.
What else is possible when the education your children need doesn’t have to look like the one you had?
FAQ
Do you need the school’s permission to deregister your children? No, deregistering is a notification, not a request for permission, though a clear, written notice with a date makes the process smoother for everyone.
Will my local authority check up on us while travelling? If you’re travelling between countries rather than settling in one place, in our experience this hasn’t applied to us the way it would for a family staying and home-educating in the UK.
Can children go straight back into their old school place afterwards? Not automatically, be prepared to reapply for a place through the normal admissions process if and when you return.
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