ENGLAND

In the UK, it is a long-established legal right of parents and carers toeducate their children according to what they think is appropriate,including home schooling.

Around 50,000 children in the UK are home-educated, according to 2005estimates by the support group Home Education UK.

Parents in England do not need permission to home educate. But ifchildren already at school are not removed from the register, parentsrisk prosecution for failing to ensure their child attends school.

Parents or carers do not have to follow the National Curriculum, fixedhours or terms. There are no funds directly available from centralgovernment for home schooling.

SCOTLAND

Unlike in England and Wales, parents and carers wishing to educate theirchildren at home have to request consent from their education authorityor they will be guilty of an offence. But authorities should notunreasonably withhold consent.

Campaign groups have called for a no-permission-needed policy to beadopted as good practice in Scotland, but the Scottish Executive saysthere are no plans to change the current policy.

Parents do not have to seek consent if their child has never attended aschool or is in between primary and secondary schools. Home-educatingparents may be eligible for education maintenance allowances, which wereintroduced in Scotland in 2004.

WALES

There is no general requirement for parents to inform local educationauthorities (LEAs), other than to de-register their child. This makes ithard for LEAs to identify home-educated children who have never attendeda state school.

Welsh guidance recommends LEAs share information about home-educatedchildren with local partners such as Careers Wales, health organisationsand social services. They should also participate in nationaldata-sharing exercises such as the Lost Pupils' Database.

There is no legal framework for an LEA to monitor home educationprovision. But education authorities should build relationships withhome-educators and have someone who can liaise with the family.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Article 45 (1) of the Education and Libraries (NI) Order 1986 says everychild of compulsory school age should receive efficient full-timeeducation, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise. Parentsare able to home educate.

There is no requirement in law for parents to advise the educationboards or the Department of Education that they have decided to homeeducate. However, the boards will be aware of pupils who have beenregistered with a school and subsequently withdrawn to be educated athome. These cases are followed up initially by the Education WelfareService and then by board officers who monitor the quality of homeprovision.