You can ask us if your child can be educated at home instead of at a school. If you do this you must be able to provide a standard of education suitable for their age and abilities.
How to withdraw your child from school
If you want to withdraw your child from school so you can home educate them, you must request our consent. The easiest way to do this is using our online form.
Request to home educate your child
If you do not want to use the online form, you can send us a letter, to:
Chief Education Officer, Militia House, 109/111 English Street, Dumfries, DG1 2HR
Make sure you include your contact details and your child's:
- full name
- date of birth
- current school
What happens next
We will contact you to acknowledge your request to withdraw your child from Dumfries and Galloway Education.
You will then be contacted by an officer and asked to share how you intend to provide an efficient and suitable education for your child. Following the review process, you will get a letter telling you if your request has been granted or that we need further information before we make a decision.
If consent is granted, we will contact the school, asking for the child's name to be removed from the school roll.
If consent is not granted
If consent is not granted, we will be clear about why the request has been refused. You will be given the opportunity to discuss this with the relevant officer and address why it has been refused. You can also resubmit your request if this is appropriate.
When you do not need to request consent
You do not need to request consent if your child:
- has never attended a public school
- has never attended a public school in Dumfries and Galloway
- is being withdrawn from an independent school
- has finished primary education in one school but has not started secondary education in another
- has been attending a school that has closed
Formal qualifications
There is no legal requirement for children to sit any particular set of examinations. If you want your child to take a qualification you should investigate thoroughly if, and how easily, your child is able to access examination and assessment arrangements.
You can arrangement for your child to sit formal exams, for example, through their local college. You are responsible for any costs associated with this.
Children with additional support needs
If your child has additional support needs, we will ask you how you will cover these needs if you home educate them.
We do not have a legal duty to provide financial or other support for children with additional support needs who are home educated.
Contact us
For further information: