independent information, peer support, advocacy and training
Founded in 1999, the year our Scottish Parliament was reconvened, we are a long established online network with a strong track record in providing independent information, peer support and advocacy for home educating families and those considering the option.
Having several decades of elective home educating experience between us, our admin team have encountered most issues affecting home educators in Scotland. We recognise that families home educate for a wide variety of reasons and respect the diverse range of approaches they choose to adopt.
We hope you will find our website of interest and that you might consider joining our friendly and vibrant community.
Read more about us here.
We have published a new piece of research in collaboration with Home Education Scotland, focusing on Local Authorities’ data protection policies and practices in relation to the withdrawal of children from school for elective home education.
Read more here.
We have polled our new and previously ‘undecided’ members in advance of schools re-opening in mid-August. The majority of ‘lockdown’ parent-educators will opt for full-time home education or flexischooling, and only 8% intend to send their children back.
Read more here.
The Coronavirus Act, which was passed on 26 March 2020 as emergency UK legislation, has enabled the government to make ‘educational closure directions’, whereby some of the legal duties that apply to local authorities have been temporarily suspended.
The parental duty (under Section 30 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980) to provide education for school-age children, whether by sending them to school or ‘by other means’ (including home education), is also in effect suspended due to the lack of access to educational establishments, activities, resources and facilities which have been closed or become unavailable.
However, Local Authorities should meanwhile process withdrawal from school requests as normal, since there is nothing to prevent completion of a purely administrative task remotely while schools remain closed.
Read more here.
