Home education in Northern Ireland: what the law says

There is no register of home educated children you have to join. The EA only gets involved if a concern is raised, and you don't legally have to answer its first, informal questions, though it is sensible to.

Article 45 of the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 says a parent must make sure their child receives “efficient full-time education” suitable to their age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs, “either by regular attendance at school or otherwise”. The Department of Educationconfirms that “otherwise” includes elective home education.

1. 1Write to the principal. The EA's Guidelines for Elective Home Education say the notice must be in writing, signed, and give the date home education starts. Keep a copy. The legal basis is regulation 6 of the Registration and Attendance of Pupils Regulations (NI) 1974: a parent tells the principal before withdrawing the child.
2. 2The school fills in a form called an SA1, gives you a copy, takes your child off the register and sends the EA a copy. That is in DE's 2026 attendance circular.
3. 3Without your written notice your child stays on the register and is marked as an unauthorised absence, which is how families end up hearing from the Education Welfare Service. So don't skip the letter.

The school must tell you that it may not be possible to get your child back into the same school later. That matters most for grammar and oversubscribed schools.

Only the principal. The school's SA1 tells the EA. In February 2026 the Education Minister told the Assembly: “there is no legislation in Northern Ireland requiring home educating parents to register their child with the EA”. If your child has never been to school, there is no legal requirement to contact anyone.

The EA does keep a voluntary list and its home education team is happy to hear from you ([email protected]). That's up to you.

In Northern Ireland the EA's enquiries start when a concern is raised, not as routine. From the EA's Guidelines:

• “Parents are not legally required to respond to an informal request.” The EA may set a time limit, normally 14 days, and you can reply in whatever form you like: a written report, samples of work, a meeting at home or somewhere else, with or without your child.
• Not answering is a risk, because the EA can then move to a formal School Attendance Notice under Schedule 13, which gives you at least 14 days to satisfy it. That can lead to a school attendance order.
• Once you have satisfied the EA, the 1974 Regulations say that happens again at intervals of not less than 12 months. The EA reads that as no further requirements within the year.

The 1986 Order says “suitable education” means efficient full-time education suited to age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs, and stops there. The EA fills it in from court cases (English ones; we found no Northern Ireland ruling):

• Efficient:an education that “achieves that which it sets out to achieve”.
• Suitable:it equips your child for life in their community and modern society, helps them reach their potential, and doesn't close off their options later.
• Full-time: school is 22 to 25 hours a week for 38 weeks, but the EA says that measure of contact time may not be relevant to home education.

You don't have to teach the Northern Ireland Curriculum, keep a timetable or school hours, give formal lessons or be a qualified teacher. There is no public funding for home educators, and you pay for any exams.

Exams are a subject of their own, and we'll cover them separately.