First step to home education - Register with Tusla

 Firstly, Home schooling is completely legal in Ireland.  The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 was passed into law in July 2002 & the Act provides for the establishment of the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) which originally had the responsibility to ensure that each child aged six and upwards attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education.  That responsibility has since been transferred to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.

Home schooling is now officially recognised by the new legislation & the Parents constitutional right as the primary & natural educator of the child is acknowledged.

Your right to Home Educate is enshrined in Article 42 of the Irish Constitution, Bunreacht na hEireann. 

 To home-school, you must register your child with the TUSLA pursuant to Section 14 of the Act.

Firstly, write to the TUSLA, Block D, Park Gate Business Centre, Parkgate Street, Dublin 8, notifying them of your intention.

They will then forward an application form and a copy of the Guidelines on the Assessment of Education in Places Other Than Recognised Schools which is prepared and issued by the Department of Education and Science.

You must complete, sign and return the application form along with a certified copy of your Child's birth certificate.

On receipt of these documents, Tusla will write to you confirming same and their intention to contact you in the near future. 

 As soon as is possible you should receive notification from Tusla & subsequent contact to arrange an interview with the parents.

This is known as ‘a preliminary assessment’ & does not require children to be present.

The interview involves an assessment of:

• The education that is being provided or proposed
• The materials used or proposed to be used
• The time spent or proposed to be spent on education.
  

Following the conclusion of the interview the Authorised person will discuss his/her findings with the parents.

As soon as possible the Authorised Person will prepare an assessment report which is forwarded to a reviewer within Tusla who will then make the final decision.

If it is agreed that a ‘minimum education’ is being provided, then the child’s name will be put on the Register.

After a approximately two months a report will be issued for each child & a covering letter stating that the child is, in the opinion of Tusla, receiving a ‘certain minimum education & that the child’s name has now been added to the register.

If the ‘preliminary assessment’ is inconclusive or the child is deemed to be not receiving a ‘minimum education’, then a ‘comprehensive assessment’ will take place.

This will involve:

• Entering the place where the child is being educated and observing the child receiving the education that is being provided for him/her.
• Inspecting the premises, equipment and materials used in the provision of education to the child
• Carrying out an assessment of the child with regards to his/her intellectual, emotional and physical development, including an assessment of his/her knowledge and understanding of such subjects, and proficiency in such exercises and disciplines, as the Authorised Person considers appropriate.

Following the conclusion of the comprehensive assessment, the Authorised person will discuss his/her findings with the parents.

As soon as possible following completion of the Comprehensive Assessment, a draft Assessment report will be prepared.

The report will:

• Provide details of the child for whom education is being provided
• Provide details of the parent or other person providing the education
• Describe the evidence collected during the assessment and make an evaluation of the provision that exists for the child under headings such as:
  1. the learning environment (materials used & premises)
  2. the learning encounter
  3. provision for the child’s intellectual development (ie language skills, literacy, numeracy etc)
  4. physical development
  5. social and emotional development
  6. moral development
  7. arrangements for the monitoring and assessment of the child’s learning that are in place, if any

• provide a judgement as to whether the education being provided is a certain minimum education.

The report will be forwarded to TUSLA within twenty eight days of the assessment.

 Under Section 15 of the Education (Welfare) Act, there is provision for an appeal to be heard by a committee appointed by the Minister for Education and Science, in respect of a decision of TUSLA.