Homeschooling in Northern Ireland

Yes. Education is compulsory in Northern Ireland, but school attendance is not. Article 45 of the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 says parents must ensure their child of compulsory school age receives efficient full-time education suitable to their age, ability and aptitude, and to any special educational needs, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise. The Department of Education confirms that "otherwise" includes elective home education.

nidirect, the Northern Ireland government website, explains that home education is a parent's choice, you do not need to be a qualified teacher, and your child does not have to follow the Northern Ireland Curriculum or sit tests.

Compulsory school age normally runs from 4 to 16 – younger than in the rest of the UK.

• Never been to school. You do not need to apply or register. The Education Authority's Elective Home Education (EHE) team says families whose children have never been registered at a school can still contact it for advice and support.
• Leaving school. Write to the principal, saying you intend to home educate and asking for your child to be removed from the school register. The EA's guidelines say the notice should be in writing and give a start date for home education. The school then notifies the EA.
• Special schools. If your child is leaving a special school, you must notify the Education Authority.

Keep a copy of your letter. You do not need anyone's permission to home educate.

The Education Authority (EA) is the body responsible for education services across Northern Ireland, and it has an Elective Home Education team. Its guidelines, Moving Forward: Guidelines for Elective Home Education, set out how it works with families.

The EA can make informal enquiries to check that your child is receiving a suitable education. You can choose how to show this – for example a written report, samples of your child's work, or a meeting at home or somewhere else.

If the EA concludes that your child is not receiving a suitable education, it can serve a school attendance order requiring your child to attend a school. Always respond to formal letters from the EA.

You can home educate a child with special educational needs (SEN), including a child with a statement. The education you provide must be suitable for their needs.

The EA's guidelines say parents of a child with a statement who choose home education should speak to the relevant statementing officer at the EA. The deregistration process and your duties as a parent are otherwise the same as for any other child.

Where parents make their own arrangements, the statement can record that the parents have made suitable arrangements under Article 45. The EA must still review a statement at least once a year, and once a child is settled in home education it may decide the statement no longer needs to be maintained. Ask the EA what support, if any, would continue.

Home educated young people can sit GCSEs and A-levels – from CCEA, the Northern Ireland awarding body, or from other UK exam boards – as private candidates. You need a school, college or exam centre that accepts private candidates, and families usually pay the entry fees.

The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) has a search tool for UK centres that may accept private candidates. Confirm fees, deadlines and any coursework arrangements directly with the centre, well before the exam year.

nidirect says there are no funds directly available to parents who home educate in Northern Ireland, so plan for the costs of resources and exams.

The EA's Elective Home Education team can give advice whether or not your child has been at school. The Department of Education's elective home education page and nidirect's "Educating your child at home" are the main official sources.

Home Education Northern Ireland (HEdNI) and other parent groups offer peer support, but not legal advice.