What does "suitable" actually mean, if the Act does not say?
The Education Act 1996 introduces the word and leaves the work to case law. Section 7 says a parent must cause their child to receive "efficient full-time education suitable (a) to his age, ability and aptitude, and (b) to any special educational needs he may have". The Act does not define suitable, efficient or full-time; the courts have, over decades.
The leading case is Harrison and Harrison v Stevenson (1981). The Harrison family home-educated their children and were challenged by the local education authority. The High Court held that an education is suitable if it "prepares the child for life in the community to which they belong and does not foreclose the reasonable options open to them when they grow up." That sentence is the working definition every LA in England has used since, and it is the sentence your one-page reply can stand on.
Three things fall out of that definition in practice. First, the test is about the child, not about resemblance to school. A home education that looks nothing like a Year 3 classroom can be entirely suitable if it prepares your child for their life. Second, the test is about preparation, not perfection. You do not have to be doing brilliantly; you have to be doing something that reasonably leads somewhere. Third, the test is about future options, not about matching a national average on a given Friday. A child a bit ahead in reading and a bit behind in maths is normal and lawful.
What do you not have to do?
A long list. None of the following is a legal requirement for home-educated children in England:
- Follow the National Curriculum.
- Have a timetable.
- Cover every subject every term.
- Sit SATs, GCSEs or any other exam at any particular point.
- Register as a home educator (though registration duties are changing under the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2025; see the dedicated article linked below).
- Work school hours or school days.
- Teach in a separate room.
- Have printed worksheets, a whiteboard or a curriculum package.
- Hand in work for marking.
- Produce reports of any fixed format.
- Prove a year-group level.
- Match any school's approach.
What you do have to do, under Section 7, is provide a suitable education. Everything else on the list above is optional and choosing not to do it is lawful.
What is the LA actually looking for?
A coherent account, not a performance. The LA's job, under Section 436A of the Education Act 1996, is to identify children not receiving a suitable education. They do this by reading what home-educating families write to them. What satisfies an LA officer, in the median case, is a short, specific description that answers four underlying questions.
Question one: what is your approach and why does it suit this child? One or two sentences, in plain English, with the chosen approach named.
Question two: what does a typical week look like? Two or three sentences, describing an ordinary week rather than a best week. "We tend to" is more credible than "we always".
Question three: what is your child actually doing? Three or four sentences giving concrete recent examples: a book finished, a project under way, a trip taken, a skill newly practised.
Question four: what are you alert to and how will you know if something is not working? One sentence, honestly, flagging the area you are watching closely and what you would do if it slipped.
That is roughly a one-page statement, which is what most LAs want in practice. Longer is not better. A four-page appendix signals defensiveness and invites follow-up questions; a one-page note signals a family with a clear sense of what they are doing.
The one-page educational-provision statement
That is the whole template. One page if you keep the sentences tight; two pages if a specific situation needs it; never more than three.
A real family's provision statement
A mum we will call Aisha received a Section 436A enquiry three months after deregistering her Year 3 son. Her one-page statement took an afternoon to write and closed the case at the first round. It said, in essence:
"We follow a broadly Montessori-inspired approach. It suits Yusuf because he thrives with hands-on, concrete work and finds the demands of a classroom overwhelming at his age. A typical week: three mornings of sit-down work (reading, writing, maths) at the kitchen table; two mornings at the weekly home-ed co-op and forest school; afternoons mixed between outings, practical-life work at home and free time. This term we have covered: in literacy, daily reading aloud and starting short independent writing; in maths, addition and subtraction with concrete materials and moving towards abstract notation; in science, the life cycle of the butterflies we are raising in the kitchen; in humanities, a small project on the Romans in our local area. Recent specific examples: finished Charlotte's Web, can count in tens to a hundred, identified six local tree species on a nature walk. We are watching his handwriting, which is behind his reading, and are working on short daily practice. Happy to answer further written enquiries."
Six paragraphs. One page. Every paragraph is specific. The LA wrote back three weeks later noting the provision as satisfactory and closing the enquiry.
What if the LA asks for more?
Answer the specific question, briefly, in writing. If they ask for samples of work, send two or three pieces; you do not need to send a portfolio. If they ask to meet, see the dedicated article on home-visit rights in the related reading. If they ask for something that sounds like "proof" of matching the National Curriculum, a polite reminder in writing that the National Curriculum does not apply to home-educated children is usually enough; the 2019 DfE guidance is clear on this point.
If the correspondence becomes circular (the LA asks for the same thing in different words; you have answered twice and are being asked again), ring Education Otherwise. They will help you read the tone.
This article is information, not legal advice. If the LA has escalated to a Section 437 Notice or a School Attendance Order, ring one of the helplines above or contact a solicitor.
Frequently asked.
- Is there a statutory definition of 'suitable education'?
- No. Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 uses the word but does not define it. The working definition comes from case law, primarily Harrison and Harrison v Stevenson (1981).
- Do I have to follow the National Curriculum?
- No. There is no legal requirement for a home-educated child's education to follow the National Curriculum, map to Key Stages or be recognisable as school work.
- Do I have to 'cover' every subject every term?
- No. 'Suitable' is judged over time, not term by term. Breadth and balance over a year or more is the usual frame. A term where you focused mostly on reading and maths does not make the provision unsuitable.
- What if I am 'unschooling' or doing a fully child-led approach?
- Unschooling is lawful. The test is not the approach but the outcome: is this preparing the child for their future life? A clear written account of how the approach works, with specific examples, usually satisfies LAs.
- What if my child is behind age-grade expectations in one area?
- That is normal and not disqualifying. Every child has uneven development. The question is whether you are aware of it and are providing appropriate provision, not whether the child matches a national average on a specific date.