Home education

Every child has a right to an education, and it is the duty of the parent of every school age child to provide that education.

Home education is a key aspect of parental choice and is an equally valid choice alongside the option to send a child to school.

You must seek our consent before withdrawing your child from school.

Write, or email, to inform us of your decision to home educate your child and request consent to withdraw them from school.

Include initial proposals of how you intend to provide an efficient and suitable education for your child. Proposals do not need to be detailed, but must give an indication of educational objectives and proposed resources.

Apply for consent in advance of the date that you wish your child to stop attending school.

Many families choose to write to us at the end of a school term. This allows the process to take place over the holidays. We understand that this is not always possible. We will always take a reasonable approach in such circumstances.

We will:

• acknowledge receipt of your letter
• review your proposals and contact you regarding these if necessary
• check if there is anything in your child’s record to cause concern

If your request is successful, we should be able to grant written consent within six weeks from receipt of your letter, or email.

At this point, you will be provided with a named contact from the education authority who is familiar with home education.

Once you have received our written consent, you can immediately start your provision of home education.

We like to meet families, either at your home or elsewhere.

This gives you the opportunity to meet your named contact and to informally discuss any issues that you might have about home education. This meeting is entirely optional.

Alternatively, you can advise us that you wish your contact with us to be by phone, letter or email.

Home education resources:

• Scottish Government
• Scottish Home Education Forum
• Mygov Home Education