Home education - A parent's choice - Perth & Kinross Council

Home education - A parent's choice

English as an Additional Language (EAL) service

Supports available within Education and Learning Services in Perth and Kinross

Child's right to an education

Every school-age child has a right to be provided with school education (Standards in Scotland's Schools etc Act 2000, Section 1).

Parents' responsibility to provide education

It is the duty of the parent of every child of school age to provide efficient education for them, suitable to their age, ability and aptitude, either by arranging for them to attend a local authority school regularly or 'by other means'. (Education (Scotland) Act 1980, Section 30)

Home education is one such 'other means'. If parents are providing a home education experience for their child it must be suitable to the age, ability and aptitude of the child. It must also take account of any additional support needs that the child may have.

Providing home education for a child can be a very rewarding experience for both parents and children. Providing home education on a permanent basis is a significant commitment as it means removing the child from the local authority school system and taking full responsibility for the child's education. If you are considering providing home education for your child, you might find it helpful to discuss your plan with others who know your child's learning needs. This might be the Headteacher at your child's school or other parents who already home educate. Alternatively, you can request an informal discussion with a member of the Council service who are responsible for home education by emailing HomeEducation@pkc.gov.uk.

Flexi-schooling

Flexi-schooling is an opportunity for a child to experience learning in a school setting 4 days per week and spending 1 day per week learning at home. Families must be aware that there will be termly planning which may lead to gaps in learning and it is a parental choice to flexi-school your child 1 day per week. Attendance outwith flexi-school days must continue to meet local authority guidance and it is expected that the child will have a continuous flexi-school day and this will not change or be flexible with attending school on this day without prior agreement from the school.

When a parent requests to flexi-school their child, they are asked to share their plans on how they will provide an efficient and suitable education for their child on the non-school day. This can be done by completing the Initial Education Proposal Form (opens new window). We may ask for more information from the parents if the plan is not felt to be efficient and suitable.

Withdrawing a child from school

Where a child has been attending a local authority school, before starting to provide home education, a parent must apply to the local authority for consent to withdraw their child from school. The local authority must not withhold that consent unreasonably.

When a parent requests to remove their child from the school role to provide home education, they are asked to share their plans on how they will provide an efficient and suitable education for their child. This can be done by completing the Initial Education Proposal Form (opens new window). We may ask for more information from the parents if the plan is not felt to be efficient and suitable.

Parents do not have to give a reason for choosing to home educate when requesting to withdraw their child from school. In Perth and Kinross, the Initial Education Proposal Form does have a section for reasons, but you are not obliged to give any. It can be helpful for the local authority to know if the reasons are dissatisfaction with the school or problems such as bullying so that these can be addressed even if your child becomes home educated. Any reason given will have no bearing on whether consent is given. The local authority's interest is in how the parents intend to meet their child's learning and wellbeing needs.

In addition to finding out about the parent's home education plan, the local authority has a responsibility to gather information from our its own education records and those of other services and agencies to identify if there is any reason to why consent should be refused. Consent may not be able to be granted immediately in some situations, including where a child is subject to a compulsory supervision order, is on the child protection register or referred to social work or the police for child protection reasons and this is under investigation.

Any information or gap in information which may lead to a delay in a decision on whether to consent to a child being withdrawn from school will be discussed with the parent in the first instance.

Whilst your request is being considered, your child must continue to attend school.

We try to ensure that decisions are made within 6 weeks of receipt of your application. Occasionally decisions will take longer. If this is the case, we will inform you of this before the due date you are given.

View the Scottish Government's 'Home education guidance'.

GDPR for home education - how we share and use your information

Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure that every child receives an efficient and suitable education, whether at school or through home education. This duty is set out in:

Education (Scotland) Act 1980, Section 30 - parents must provide efficient education, either by school attendance or other means
Standards in Scotland's Schools etc. Act 2000, Section 14 - local authorities must support and regulate educational provision

In addition to finding out about your home education plan, the local authority has a responsibility to gather information from its own education records and, where appropriate, from other services and agencies. This is to identify if there is any reason why consent to withdraw from school should be refused. The updated Scottish Government Home Education Guidance (2025), paragraph 3.21, specifically states that local authorities should look at information from their own records and other services/agencies. Not doing this would be a concern, as it could compromise safeguarding and robust decision-making. The Scottish Government Guidance is statutory guidance made under the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc Act 2000 and local authorities must have due regard to this guidance.

We are transparent about this process and will always explain what information we are requesting, why it is necessary, and how it will be used.

Under the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, processing personal data is lawful when:

Article 6(1)(c) - It is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation
Article 6(1)(e) - It is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority

Our information gathering in relation to requests to withdraw a child from school to home educate falls under these lawful bases. Therefore, your consent is not required for us to request or process this information.

The Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) approach and national safeguarding guidance emphasise that local authorities must act fairly, proportionately, and transparently. We will always: