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Home education is a constitutional right in Ireland. Parents apply to Tusla to register their child, and an assessor checks that the child is receiving a certain minimum education.
This guide covers the law, how Tusla registration and assessment work, the Leaving Certificate and A Levels, costs, and the routes to Irish and UK universities.
Yes. The Constitution names the family as the child's primary educator, and the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 sets out how home education is registered.
| Law or guidance | What it says |
|---|---|
| Constitution, Article 42.1 and 42.2 | The family is the primary and natural educator of the child, and parents are free to provide that education in their homes |
| Constitution, Article 42.3.2° | The State must require that children receive a certain minimum education, moral, intellectual and social |
| Education (Welfare) Act 2000, section 14 | Tusla keeps a register of children educated outside recognised schools, and parents must apply to register a child they educate at home |
| Education (Welfare) Act 2000, section 17 | Parents must send children to a recognised school unless the child is registered, or an application or appeal is still being decided |
| Education (Welfare) Act 2000, section 15 | Parents can appeal a refusal, a registration with conditions or a removal from the register to the Minister within 21 days |
| Guidelines on the Assessment of Education in Places Other Than Recognised Schools, 2003 | Set out how Tusla assessors judge whether a child is receiving a certain minimum education |
There is no legal definition of a certain minimum education. Tusla looks at intellectual development, including literacy and numeracy, social, emotional and moral development, and physical development. Families don't have to follow the national curriculum.
A child can only be on one register at a time, so home education can't be combined with part-time attendance at school.
Registration isn't automatic. You apply to Tusla's Alternative Education Assessment and Registration Service (AEARS).
Tusla's home education pageSend AEARS the application form with a certified copy of your child's birth certificate or passport, and the signed consent of every legal guardian. You can start home education once AEARS confirms in writing that your application is valid.
AEARS tells your child's school once the application is valid. The school keeps your child on its register until Tusla confirms that the child is on the Section 14 Register.
An assessor arranges a structured interview of about two hours about the education you provide, the materials you use and the time spent. The assessor meets your child, and you get a draft report to check. AEARS works through a waiting list, so the assessment can come within weeks or take up to 12 months.
Your child may be registered, registered with conditions that are reviewed within six months, or refused. If the preliminary assessment can't settle it, a comprehensive assessment follows, with the assessor observing your child learning where they're educated.
Your child stays on the register until their 16th birthday, and Tusla carries out review assessments of their progress along the way.
