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Deregistration letter template UK

Fill-in-the-blanks letter to send the school. England-specific by default, with optional clauses for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Cites Section 7 and the 2006 Regulations so you do not have to look anything up.

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Pages
1
Format
A4 Word
Updated
10 May 2026

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About this template

What this template does

You have been drafting the same email in your head for days, maybe weeks. Every version gets longer. You add a reason, then delete it. You attach a plan, then wonder if it is the right plan. You write "we would be happy to meet" and then lie awake asking yourself whether you meant it.

It is a short, factual letter addressed to your head teacher, citing Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 (the law placing the duty on parents to provide a suitable education, at school or otherwise) and the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 (the regulations that require the school to remove a child from the admission register once a parent gives written notice). You fill in four pieces of information, send it, and the school does the rest.

The letter deliberately leaves out everything you do not need to include: reasons, curricula, apologies, offers to meet. The Regulations do not ask for any of them, and adding them creates surface area for follow-up questions you are not obliged to answer. For the full step-by-step process, including what happens between pressing send and the school confirming removal, see how to deregister your child from school in the UK.

Most families with an EHCP can use this letter as normal. The caveat applies only if your child is on the roll of a special school and the EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan, the document that sets out a child's special educational needs and the provision to meet them) names that school. In that situation the standard letter should not be sent until the local authority gives written consent. The template flags this prominently on the instructions page, and we have a separate guide on deregistering with an EHCP at a special school.

Frequently asked.

Do I need to give a reason?
No. The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 do not require one. Most families give none. "I am removing my child to home educate" is a complete sentence in legal terms.
Will the school refuse to accept it?
In England, the head teacher has no power to refuse. Once you give written notice that your child is being educated otherwise than at school, the school is required to remove the child's name from the admission register. If a head teacher says they need to "approve" it, they are mistaken.
What if my child has an EHCP?
Most families with an EHCP can deregister in the normal way. The caveat applies only if your child is on the roll of a special school and the EHCP names that school. In that case, you need the local authority's written consent before sending the letter.
Does it matter if I send by email or post?
Email is fine and gives you a sent-copy timestamp automatically. If you prefer post, keep a photocopy or a photograph of the signed letter before you seal the envelope. Either way, save a copy.

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