We call on the UK Government to provide practical, properly monitored support for home-educated children in England: food vouchers for children whose families meet the relevant low-income criteria, a free local bus pass for the child and one accompanying adult for educational trips, and help with the cost of public examinations. We also ask the Government to bring this issue to Parliament for debate.

Home education is a lawful way to provide a child’s education. Families choose it for many reasons, including when school is not meeting a child’s needs. But when a child is educated at home, families can face extra costs for learning resources, travel and exams, while some parents may have to reduce paid work to provide the support their child needs.

We are not asking for unrestricted cash payments. We are asking for practical help that can be checked and used for specific purposes.

 

Food support

Children who meet the relevant criteria can receive free school meals while attending an eligible school. From the 2026–27 academic year, the eligibility rules have expanded to include children in households receiving Universal Credit, but the meal itself is still provided through school.

A home-educated child with the same financial circumstances cannot use that school meal. We ask for eligible home-educated children to receive food vouchers or equivalent support, including access to appropriate holiday food provision. Existing holiday programmes already use systems such as vouchers and codes to manage access, with local authorities responsible for checking eligibility.

 

Travel for learning

Children learn outside the home as well as inside it. Museums, libraries, historic sites, science activities and community events can all support a child’s education, but public transport costs for a child and accompanying adult can make these trips unaffordable.

We ask for a free or subsidised local bus pass for a home-educated child and one accompanying adult, for educational journeys. This would especially help families who do not drive.

 

Exams and assessment

Home-educated children can sit GCSEs as external candidates, but families may have to arrange and pay for exam-centre costs themselves. We ask for public examination entry and centre fees to be covered, so home-educated children can work towards qualifications without cost being a barrier. We also ask for a practical route to appropriate assessment, including access to SATs where possible or an equivalent way to understand a child’s progress.

 

A fair and accountable approach

The latest Department for Education statistics estimate that total funding allocated to schools for pupils aged 5 to 16 is £8,580 per pupil in 2026–27. This is a national average of funding allocated to schools, not an individual budget for each child. We are not asking for that money to be handed to families. We are asking the Government to consider modest, targeted support for food, travel and exams—support that can be means-tested, monitored and evaluated.

Please sign this petition to show that home-educated children should not lose access to practical support simply because their education takes place outside school. We ask the Government to work with home-educating families and local authorities to develop and trial these measures, and to bring the issue to Parliament for debate.