Homeschooling in Scotland:

Homeschooling in Scotland is growing

Across Europe, more and more families are choosing to educate their children from home — for the flexibility, for travel, for wellbeing, or simply because it fits their child better than a traditional classroom.

In Scotland, educating your child from home — known locally as Home education (also called elective home education, EHE) — comes with its own rules, which we walk through below. Increasingly, families meet them by enrolling in an accredited online school, so their child still gets live teaching, structure, and real friendships.

If you’re exploring your options, here’s what you need to know — and how bina can help if you’d rather not figure it all out on your own.

Is schooling from home legal in Scotland?

Yes. Home education is a long-recognised, legal choice in Scotland under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980. Parents have a legitimate right to educate their child at home, you do not need teaching qualifications, and you do not have to give the council a reason for your decision.

There is one important step if your child is currently on the roll at a state (public) school: under section 35 you must ask your local authority for consent to withdraw, and the council must not unreasonably withhold it (it should aim to decide within about six weeks). Consent is not needed if your child has never attended a public school in that authority's area, is leaving an independent school, is between finishing primary and starting secondary, the school has closed, or is not yet of school age. Note that consent is about leaving the school roll, not permission to home educate.

Once you are home educating, there is no Curriculum for Excellence requirement, no compulsory inspections, and no exams you are forced to enter. The council's only ongoing duty is to act if it is not satisfied an efficient, suitable education is being provided. Enrolling in an accredited online school such as bina gives that education a clear, structured, evidenced form, which makes any conversation with your local authority straightforward.

What are the steps to school from home in Scotland?

1. Check whether you need council consent — If your child is currently on the roll at a state (public) school, you must request your local authority's consent to withdraw under section 35 of the 1980 Act. If your child has never attended a public school in that area, is leaving an independent school, or is between primary and secondary, no consent is needed.
2. Request withdrawal in writing (if required) — Write to your local authority asking for consent to remove your child from the school roll. You do not need to give a reason, and the council should aim to respond within around six weeks and cannot unreasonably refuse.
3. Notify your local authority (recommended) — Where consent is not required there is no legal duty to inform the council, but the Scottish Government's January 2025 guidance strongly encourages you to let them know you are home educating so your child's status is clear on record.
4. Enrol with an accredited online school like bina — Joining bina gives your child live teachers, a full international curriculum for ages 4 to 15, and a structured timetable from home, which provides clear evidence of an efficient and suitable education if the council ever asks.
5. Plan for qualifications when the time comes — Scottish National Qualifications (such as National 5 and Highers, awarded via SQA / Qualifications Scotland) can be sat as a private candidate through an approved presenting centre, and bina supports families in mapping a route to recognised qualifications as your child grows.

An accredited online school like bina makes much of this simpler: we provide the curriculum, the live teaching, and the progress records your authority may ask to see — so you can focus on being the parent.