Home Education
Every child has a right to an education, and it is the duty of the parent of every school age child to provide that education, either by sending the child to school, or by other means. The following information is for parents/carers who may wish to consider home education.
The following guidance and resources are available from the Related Sites section of this page:
- Scottish Government Home Education Guidance sets out the legislative position and provides advice on the roles and responsibilities of local authorities and parents in relation to children who are home educated.
- The Home Education Scotland charity also offers support and advice for parents and carers considering home education.
- Further resources for home educators in Scotland are available from the Scottish Home Education Forum.
The reasons parents/carers may wish to consider home education for their children are extremely varied. Some parents/carers make a philosophical planned decision to home educate their children and research the area in depth.
Home education is a key aspect of parental choice and Orkney Islands Council is committed to working with all parents in an open, consistent and fair manner. Parents are advised that the Council has a legal requirement to ensure that education provided at home is suitable and efficient.
Sometimes parents may turn to home education as a reaction to a school-based dissatisfaction with a school environment. If this may be the case, the Councils complaints procedure can be followed. Further information on this procedure is available from the Related Links section of this page.
Contact
For further information or a discussion about Home Education in Orkney, please contact Peter Diamond (Head of Education):
Address: Education, Leisure and Housing, School Place, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NY.
Telephone: 01856873535 extension 2436.
Email: Head of Education.
