Finding home education groups and co-ops in the UK

Most areas have a mix of groups, and many families use more than one:

• Meetups and park days. Informal, regular get-togethers where children play and parents chat. Usually free or very low cost.
• Co-ops. Families share the work of running lessons or activities, often with parents taking turns to lead a session.
• Classes and workshops. Paid sessions run by tutors, instructors or small businesses for home-educated children, such as science, drama, sport or forest school, often during the school day.
• Online communities. Facebook groups, forums and messaging groups, both national and local. Often the quickest way to hear what's happening nearby.
• Faith-based and secular groups. Some groups are organised around a shared faith; many are secular and open to everyone. Others follow a particular approach, such as autonomous (child-led) or more structured learning, or focus on children with special educational needs.

It's fine to try several before settling on the ones that suit your family.

These organisations are run by or for home educators. Joining any of them is optional: home education is legal across the UK, and no group membership is needed.

• Education Otherwise (England and Wales). A long-standing home education charity. Its website has a Community Catalogue listing local home education groups by county and region. Some listings haven't been updated for several years, so check a group is still running.
• Home Education Advisory Service (HEAS). A national charity offering information, advice and publications for home-educating families, including a subscriber advice line and the Home Education Handbook.
• Schoolhouse Home Education Association (Scotland). A Scottish charity providing information on home education law and practice in Scotland, an enquiry service, and pages on each local authority's approach.
• HEdNI – Home Education Northern Ireland. A peer-support network of home-educating parents in Northern Ireland. It describes itself as inclusive and welcoming families of all backgrounds and beliefs, and points new families to its FAQs and Facebook group. It offers peer support rather than legal or professional advice.

Many groups are run by volunteer parents and don't advertise widely. Ways UK families commonly find them:

• Organisation directories. Start with the Education Otherwise Community Catalogue (England and Wales), or HEdNI's network in Northern Ireland.
• Social media. Education Otherwise suggests local and national social media groups are the quickest way to find people. Some are private and ask a few screening questions before letting you in.
• Your local authority. Some councils keep a list of local groups. If yours doesn't, Education Otherwise suggests asking the council's home education officer.
• Word of mouth. Once you meet one home-educating family, you'll usually hear about several more groups.

Before sharing personal details or photos of your children online, check who runs a group and read its rules.

Public spaces are natural meeting points for home educators, and some offer sessions that suit them:

• Libraries. Many run storytimes, code clubs, reading challenges and holiday activities. Staff may also know of home education groups that meet nearby.
• Museums, galleries and heritage sites. Some run learning sessions or workshops aimed at home-educated children, often on weekdays. Check each venue's learning or schools pages, and ask whether they take group bookings from home educators.
• Leisure centres and community centres. Daytime swimming, sport and arts sessions are often quieter during school hours.
• Youth organisations. Home-educated children can join Scouts (sections from Squirrels to Network) and Girlguiding units like any other child. Use each organisation's website to find a local group; some units have waiting lists.

If nothing nearby suits you, a small co-op can be simple to set up:

• Start small. Three to five families is enough to begin.
• Agree the purpose. Social, academic or a mix, which ages, and how often you'll meet.
• Find a venue. Parks, libraries, village and church halls and community centres are common choices. Ask what the venue needs from you, such as bookings, deposits or public liability insurance.
• Write a few simple ground rules. Cover who supervises which children, how costs are shared, how decisions are made, photos and privacy, and how to raise concerns.
• Keep records of what your child does. A co-op can be part of your child's education, but you remain responsible for it, so note what they cover there.
• Think about safety screening if adults will teach or supervise other people's children, or if you pay tutors (see below).

Criminal record checks in England and Wales are run by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). How they apply depends on the role:

• Personal arrangements between parents are not regulated activity. Government guidance says activities carried out as part of family or personal, non-commercial relationships are excluded. A group of friends taking turns to watch each other's children usually falls into this category.
• Organised roles may be different. If your group becomes an organisation that regularly provides teaching, supervision or care for children, some roles may be eligible for a standard or enhanced DBS check. Eligibility is set by law, and an organisation can only ask for the level of check a role qualifies for. The definition of regulated activity with children changed on 1 September 2026, so use the current guidance.
• Individuals can't request their own enhanced check. Standard and enhanced checks need a recruiting organisation and a registered body. Anyone can apply for a basic DBS check on themselves.
• Volunteers don't pay for standard or enhanced checks when the role is eligible and they meet the definition of a volunteer.
• Paid tutors and class providers. Ask whether they have a current check and a safeguarding policy.

• Scotland: the PVG scheme. Disclosure Scotland runs the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme. Since 1 April 2025, organisations must make sure people doing a regulated role with children, paid or voluntary, are PVG scheme members. Volunteers can get PVG membership free through a qualifying voluntary organisation. Volunteer Scotland Disclosure Services can help voluntary groups work out what they need.
• Northern Ireland: AccessNI. An individual can't apply for an enhanced check themselves; it must go through an AccessNI registered body or umbrella body. AccessNI provides checks free for eligible volunteers in non-profit organisations. Volunteers can apply for a basic check themselves. Northern Ireland guidance also gives looking after a friend's children for the day as an example of something that isn't regulated activity.

Whatever the rules say, good habits keep everyone safe:

• Agree on supervision. Many groups ask each parent to stay with and supervise their own children.
• Avoid one adult alone with a child who isn't their own, and use open, visible spaces.
• Agree on photos and social media, and on how to raise a concern.