My Dyslexic Child is Refusing School: Home Education Legal Options

Yes, you can legally choose to home school your child if they are refusing to go to school. In England, education is compulsory, but school is not. As a parent, you have the legal right to provide an efficient, full-time education suitable to your child's age, ability, and aptitude, either by attendance at school or otherwise.

Choosing to educate your child at home is officially known as Elective Home Education (EHE). You do not need anyone's permission to do this if your child attends a mainstream school, and you do not need to be a qualified teacher. You can make this decision calmly, safely, and legally to protect your child's mental health and reading journey.

Understanding School Avoidance: It is Not Bad Behaviour

When a child cries, hides, or becomes physically ill on a school morning, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Many parents face intense pressure from school attendance policies. You might worry about fines or feel judged by school staff.

It is vital to understand that school refusal is almost never bad behaviour. For a dyslexic child, it is often a survival response to severe reading distress. Sitting in a classroom where you cannot read the board or keep up with your peers causes deep, constant anxiety.

Over time, this anxiety builds up. The child's brain associates the school building with failure and fear. If you want to understand more about how these emotional barriers develop, you can read our guide on school absence and reading difficulties.

You are not alone in facing this challenge. According to the Department for Education's official statistics, Elective home education: Autumn term 2026/27, thousands of families across England choose home education every term. Many of these families make the transition because the traditional school system cannot meet their child's specific learning needs.

What the Law Says: Your Right to Choose Elective Home Education

Under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996, the responsibility for a child's education rests with the parent. You are legally required to ensure they receive an education, but you have the right to decide how that happens.

Here are the key legal facts you need to know:

• No qualifications needed: You do not need to be a teacher or have any formal qualifications to home educate.
• No set curriculum: You do not have to follow the National Curriculum. You do not have to replicate a school day, school hours, or school subjects.
• Mainstream school de-registration: If your child is currently registered at a mainstream school, you can withdraw them at any point in the school year. You do not need the school's permission.
• Special school exception: If your child is registered at a special school under an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, you will need the local authority's consent to remove their name from the register. This is to ensure their specialist needs continue to be met.

Choosing EHE is a positive, legal step. It is not "truancy" or "unauthorised absence."

How the Process Works: De-registering Safely and Calmly

To move from school attendance to elective home education, you must follow a simple, formal process. Do not just stop sending your child to school, as this can trigger attendance fines.

1. Write a de-registration letter: Write a formal letter or email to the headteacher of your child's school. State clearly that you are withdrawing your child under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996, and that you are taking full responsibility for their elective home education. Ask them to remove your child's name from the school roll.
2. Wait for confirmation: The school must accept this notification. They cannot refuse it. They must inform the local authority that your child has been de-registered.
3. Expect contact from the Local Authority: Your local council will contact you, usually within a few weeks or months. They will ask for informal details about how you plan to provide an education. You do not need to have a perfect, detailed curriculum ready immediately. A simple, calm written summary of your educational approach is usually enough.

If you are currently trying to work with your school before making this final decision, you might find our article on reading struggles and anxiety in young teens helpful for finding temporary classroom adjustments.

Structuring Your Home Learning: Multisensory Approaches

Once your child is home, the pressure is off. You do not need to buy expensive textbooks or sit at a desk for six hours a day. In fact, doing so can often trigger the same anxiety your child felt at school.

Instead, focus on multisensory learning. This means using sight, sound, touch, and movement to help your child process information.

• Talk and listen: Read aloud to your child. Listen to audiobooks together. This keeps their vocabulary and comprehension growing even if they are currently avoiding print.
• Use real-life maths: Bake together, build things, or manage a small budget. These activities teach practical maths without worksheets.
• Follow their interests: If your child loves space, dinosaurs, or art, build your learning around those topics. When a child is interested, their motivation to read naturally returns.

If you want to introduce structured, low-stress reading practice at home, you can try our app, Lexy. Lexy uses a multisensory, Orton-Gillingham informed approach to build phonics skills and reading fluency. It is designed to be gentle, supportive, and stress-free for home use. It is not a formal diagnosis or a replacement for a specialist teacher, but it is a helpful tool for daily, independent practice.

Rebuilding Confidence: Transitioning from School Panic

When a child has refused school, they are often in a state of chronic stress. Your first and most important task as a home educator is not academic instruction. It is healing.

Many home educators call this period "deschooling." It is a time to rest, lower cortisol levels, and rebuild the parent-child relationship.

Spend time outdoors, play games, and let your child sleep. When the fear of failure is removed, their natural curiosity will return. You can then slowly introduce gentle, structured literacy activities. For inspiration on how to make early reading practice feel like a discovery rather than a chore, read our post on making space for curiosity when phonics practice feels hard.

Taking your child out of school is a big step, but it is a legal and valid path. By choosing elective home education, you are not giving up on your child's future. You are giving them the safe space they need to learn at their own pace.