Withdrawal is only a right in certain subjects
In state-funded schools, parents have an automatic right to withdraw their child from:
- Religious education (RE)
- Some aspects of relationships and sex education (RSE) *
As for other subjects:
- In maintained schools, it's up to you to decide whether to grant a request for withdrawal
- In academies, check your funding agreement before deciding whether to grant a request for withdrawal
In independent schools, there's no automatic right to withdraw pupils from any subject. You can decide how to deal with withdrawal requests.
For more information on the rules, read our article on withdrawing pupils from subjects.
* Parents can withdraw their children from sex education, apart from the aspects covered by the science curriculum. They can't withdraw their children from relationships or health education. Find out more about parents' right to withdraw their children from relationships, sex and health education (RSHE).
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