Home education is the term used to describe the practice by which parents or carers decide to educate their children outside of the school system.

That is, education is compulsory, schooling is not. Home education is different from home schooling or home learning through school closure, with parents electing to ensure that they will provide full-time education to their child. This does not require following the National Curriculum.

For those considering elective home education, there is guidance available. The guidance from the government in England called Educating Your Child at Home is available at: www.gov.uk/home-education. In addition, there is a further document – Elective Home Education: Guidance for Parents – available at: www.gov.uk/ government/publications/elective-home-education.

Scotland's national home education support charity, Schoolhouse (www.schoolhouse.org.uk), offers information, support and advice, as well as links to a range of educational resources. It also has a recommended reading list on educating children at home, which is invaluable reading for parents.

The Welsh government provides information on elective home education with a guidance leaflet for parents and carers who are considering educating their child at home: www.gov.wales/elective-home-education.

The Education Authority in Northern Ireland provides Guidelines for Elective Home Education for parents at: www.eani.org.uk/services/elective-home-education.

There is further advice and support for home-educating families in England and Wales from Education Otherwise (www.educationotherwise.org). This also offers an excellent factsheet for parents to understand what home-educating is, along with factsheets for teachers, legal professionals, the public, local authorities and others. In addition, it has links to educational resources useful for home-educating.