Home education timetable examples by age and stage

Parents choosing to educate their child at home, or otherwise than at school, instead of full-time school attendance. See Department for Education for England’s parent guidance.

A planning aid for arranging learning, rest, movement, activities and family commitments. It is not automatically a legal requirement or a school-day copy.

Official wording used in home-education guidance. It does not mean a fixed number of school-style hours in England; suitability depends on the child and circumstances.

A more planned approach, often using regular subject blocks, resources, goals and review points.

A responsive approach where learning follows the child’s interests and questions. Welsh Government explicitly includes autonomous or child-led education within the range of home-education approaches.

A learner who takes an exam through an approved centre without being taught by that centre in the usual way. See JCQ private candidates and AQA private candidates for exam-planning cautions.

Coursework, practical, spoken, fieldwork or portfolio-style assessment that is not simply a written exam. Private candidates need to check whether their chosen centre can support it.

Exam arrangements based on evidence of need and the learner’s normal way of working. For private candidates, discuss needs with the centre early; see JCQ private-candidate access arrangements.

England terminology for special educational needs and education, health and care plans. Duties and wording differ elsewhere in the UK.

Wales terminology: additional learning needs, additional learning provision and an individual development plan. See Welsh Government.

Scotland terminology for learners needing extra support to benefit from education. See Scottish Government.

Morning stories, songs and counting games; outdoor play; snack; messy or sensory play; lunch; nap or quiet time; household jobs, construction toys, drawing and conversation.

Follow the child’s play, add books and talk throughout the day, use errands and cooking for language and number, and protect sleep, snacks and movement.

Do not make this look like formal lessons. NHS guidance supports active, play-rich days with movement spread through the day; this is wellbeing context, not a home-education rule.

Reading or narration; short maths practice; break and outdoor movement; writing, spelling or handwriting; lunch; project work, practical science, art, music, clubs or local visits.

Choose two to four anchors for the day, such as reading, maths, movement and a project. Let the rest flex around energy, siblings and outside activities.

A useful primary routine usually has variety. Official guidance supports flexibility, and NHS guidance supports breaking up sedentary time.

Weekly planning with the young person; independent reading or research; maths or English; break; science, languages or humanities; lunch; project work, exercise, social activity and a short review.

Use a morning anchor for core skills, then let projects run longer. Build in choice, planning conversations and time to practise working independently.

Welsh Government supports subject-by-subject variation, and official guidance in England and Scotland also recognises the child’s views as relevant.

Subject block one; subject block two; past-paper or mock-review time; break and movement; practical or NEA-related work if relevant; centre, entry or access-arrangement admin; independent revision.

Keep regular weekly subject targets, but rotate heavier days, add catch-up space and protect review time. A tutor session can sit inside the routine for a difficult subject or exam technique.

Qualification planning becomes more concrete. JCQ private candidates and AQA private candidates both support checking subjects, specifications, centres and assessment components early.

Plan the week, reading, maths and a short writing task.

Choose project questions, library books or resources for the week.

Core subject block and practical science, art, music or technology.

Outdoor time, sport, club or shared learning with another family.

Longer project day, local visit, museum, nature study or fieldwork-style learning.

Photos, sketches, notes or a short voice note for the learning record.

Independent work, reading and a harder subject that needs quiet concentration.

Tutor session, catch-up space or extra movement if attention is low.

Review what worked, finish loose ends and choose next week’s anchors.

Social time, sports, cooking, volunteering, family admin or a slower afternoon.

Department for Education guidance supports the no-timetable, no-fixed-hours and no-National-Curriculum points for England.

Special-school placements arranged by the local authority and EHC plan duties need careful, situation-specific wording.

Scottish Government recognises both fixed timetables and more informal provision.

Scottish Government says parents normally need local authority consent to withdraw a child from a public school, and the authority should not unreasonably withhold it.

Welsh Government supports a range from structured schedules to autonomous learning, with approaches varying over time and by subject.

Welsh Government uses ALN, ALP and IDP terminology. Wales guidance also includes a caution around some pooled full-time provision for multiple learners.

Do not assume the England, Scotland or Wales wording automatically applies.

This timetable page does not set out a Northern Ireland withdrawal or local-authority process. Use the routine examples as planning ideas, not as process guidance.