The 'Children Not in School' register: what you'll give the council and how to prepare your records now

If you home-educate your children in the UK — perhaps blending Quran, Arabic and the core subjects at home — you have probably heard nervous talk about a new “register”. It’s understandable to feel anxious when the law changes around something as personal as your children’s education and faith. This guide is deliberately calm and factual. It explains what the “Children Not in School” register is, what the council is likely to ask you for, and — most usefully — how to start preparing simple records now so that you feel ready rather than caught out.

One thing to hold onto before we begin: home education itself remains lawful. The register is a record-keeping duty for local authorities, not a ban on educating your child at home.

What is the ‘Children Not in School’ register?

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. Among many other measures, it provides for statutory “Children Not in School” registers, to be maintained by local authorities (councils) in England. The stated policy aim is to help councils know which children in their area are not attending a school, so that they can offer support and check that children are receiving a suitable education and are safe.

In practice, this means each council is expected to keep a list of children of compulsory school age in its area who are not registered pupils at a mainstream school — which includes children who are electively home-educated. If your child is home-educated, you can reasonably expect that they will need to be recorded on your local authority’s register once the relevant provisions are in force.

It’s worth understanding this alongside the wider picture of the Act. Our sibling explainer, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 for Muslim home educators, walks through what the Act does more broadly and why it matters for families teaching Quran and Arabic at home.

Is home education still legal in the UK?

Yes. The legal foundation of home education has not changed. Parents in England and Wales have a duty to cause their child to receive an efficient, full-time education suitable to their age, ability and aptitude — “either by regular attendance at school or otherwise”. That phrase — or otherwise — is what makes elective home education (EHE) lawful, and the 2026 Act does not remove it.

What the register changes is visibility, not legality. Councils will hold more information about home-educated children than before, but you are still permitted to educate your child at home in the way that suits your family and your faith. If you want the fuller legal grounding, see is home schooling legal in the UK for Muslim families. And if you are still at school and considering the move, how to deregister your child from school in England explains the steps.

This section is general information, not legal advice.

What information will the council ask you for?

The precise data fields are being set by regulations and statutory guidance, some of which were still being finalised at the time of writing. So treat the following as the likely shape of what you’ll be asked, and confirm the exact requirements with your own local authority when the time comes. Based on the Act’s information duty, parents should be ready to provide:

• The child’s details — full name, date of birth, and home address.
• The parents’ or carers’ details — names and contact information.
• A description of the education being provided — broadly, what and how your child is learning.
• Information about who provides that education and for how much of the time — including details of any education provided outside the home, such as settings, groups or classes your child attends.

That last point is the one families ask about most: does this mean I must name my child’s private Quran or Arabic tutor? The Act’s information duty already requires you to describe who provides your child’s education and for how much time, and to give details of any other education providers — so out-of-home provision such as tutoring is squarely within the enacted framework. What the regulations settle is the precise granularity: exactly which fields you complete, and how far individual providers must be identified by name. The sensible approach is to keep a clear internal note of who teaches your child what and for how long, so that you can answer accurately if asked, while checking the current statutory guidance and your council’s own forms for the exact detail required.

This section is general information, not legal advice.

When does the register start, and how quickly must I respond?

Here it’s important to separate what is settled from what is still to commence. Although the Act has Royal Assent, many of its provisions come into force through later commencement regulations, and the register is expected to be phased in rather than switched on everywhere overnight. At the time of writing, a single settled “go-live” date for the registers was not something to rely on as fixed fact. The honest guidance is: the register is expected to commence via regulations, and you should watch the official gov.uk elective home education pages and your local authority for the timeline that applies to you.

The timescale for notifying the council is, however, written into the legislation itself. The Act sets a 15-day window: broadly, you provide the required information within 15 days of your child becoming eligible for registration, and again within 15 days of a relevant change in circumstances — for example, if you move house or your child’s provision changes. The uncertainty is not the 15-day figure but the commencement: this duty is not yet in force and will come into effect through regulations, so check current gov.uk guidance for exactly when it starts to apply to you.

The reassuring takeaway: the duty hasn’t commenced yet, so there is no live deadline hanging over you today. You can quietly get your records in order now, which is the one thing that will make any future request straightforward when the window does apply.

This section is general information, not legal advice.

How to start preparing your records now

This is the genuinely useful part. Whatever the final regulations say, a calm, organised record of the education you provide will serve you well — both for the register and for any future contact with your council’s home education service. You do not need a school-style scheme of work, ticked boxes or formal assessments. You need an honest, dated picture of a suitable, full-time education. Here is a simple LA-ready portfolio you can build:

• A one-page education statement. A short, plain-English description of your family’s approach — your philosophy, the subjects you cover, and how learning happens day to day. This is often the single most useful document.
• A term-by-term overview. A simple table or list showing what was covered each term across the main areas: English, maths, and the wider curriculum, alongside Quran and Arabic. Dates matter more than detail.
• A short list of resources and provision. Note the books, curricula, groups, classes or tutors you use, and roughly how much time each takes — enough that you can describe your child’s education accurately if asked.
• A small sample of work. A handful of dated examples — a piece of writing, some maths, a memorised surah recorded, an Arabic worksheet — kept in a folder or a phone album. A few good samples beat a mountain of paper.
• A brief log of milestones. Short dated notes: “completed Noorani Qaida”, “started juz ‘Amma”, “reading fluently”. This shows progress over time.

Keep it in whatever form you’ll actually maintain — a notebook, a document, or a shared folder. If you’re building your wider plan, the Islamic homeschooling UK guide and the homeschool Quran and Arabic roadmap by age can help you sketch what “each term’s overview” should contain for your children’s ages.

How do I show Quran and Arabic in a home education record?

Quran and Arabic are a real, structured part of your child’s education, and they belong in your records just like any other subject — described plainly and honestly. You don’t need to justify them; you simply need to describe them clearly. A few practical ideas:

• Quran / tajweed. Note the stage your child is at — for example, working through Noorani Qaida, beginning short surahs, or building tajweed. A short recording or a page reference is enough evidence of progress.
• Arabic. Whether it’s the alphabet, Quranic vocabulary or grammar, describe what’s being learned and with what resource. Many families find one-to-one online lessons keep this consistent.
• Tutoring or classes. If a tutor supports your child’s Quran or Arabic, keep a simple note of what they cover and for how long each week. This makes it easy to describe your provision accurately, whatever the final register rules turn out to require.

If online lessons help you keep this part of the education organised and consistent, you can browse isnad-verified teachers and arrange a short trial through our find-a-tutor page. A regular one-to-one lesson naturally produces the kind of steady, describable progress that sits neatly in a home education record.

Frequently asked questions

Is the ‘Children Not in School’ register the same as home education becoming illegal?

No. Home education remains fully lawful in the UK. Parents still have the legal duty to educate, and may do so at school or “otherwise”. The register is a record-keeping measure for local authorities under the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, not a ban. Always check current gov.uk guidance for the latest detail. General information, not legal advice.

What information is the council likely to ask me for?

Based on the Act and the guidance being developed at the time of writing, this is expected to include the child’s name, date of birth and home address, the parents’ names and contact details, and a description of the education being provided — including who provides it and for how much of the time. The exact data fields are being set by regulations, so confirm the current requirements with your own local authority.

Do I have to name my child’s private Quran or Arabic tutor?

The Act’s information duty already covers describing who provides your child’s education and for how much time, so out-of-home provision such as tutoring is within the framework. Whether an individual private tutor must be named — and in exactly what detail — is set by the regulations, which were still being confirmed at the time of writing. Keep a clear note of who teaches your child what, and check the current statutory guidance and ask your local authority directly.

How quickly will I need to tell the council about changes?

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 sets a 15-day window — you provide the required information within 15 days of your child becoming eligible for registration, and within 15 days of a relevant change in circumstances. This duty is not yet in force and commences via regulations, so check current gov.uk guidance for when it applies to you.

What records should I keep to be ready for the register?

A simple, dated portfolio works well: a short description of your educational approach, a term-by-term overview of subjects covered (including Quran, Arabic, English and maths), and a few samples of your child’s work. You don’t need a school-style scheme, just an honest, organised picture of the education provided.

Where can I get reliable, up-to-date information?

Start with the official gov.uk elective home education pages and your own local authority’s home education service. Established UK home education support organisations can also help. For anything with legal consequences, consider taking your own independent legal advice.

The change feels big, but the response is calm and practical: keep home educating, keep simple dated records, and check the official guidance as the regulations settle. If a steady, well-documented Quran and Arabic routine would help — the kind that quietly builds a clear record of progress — you can find an isnad-verified teacher and book a short trial on our find-a-tutor page. This article is general information, not legal advice.