What is ‘compulsory school age’?
The law requires a child to be educated from the start of the school term following their fifth birthday until the last Friday in June in the school year in which a child reaches sixteen. If, when you decide to home educate, your child is registered at a state school you should inform the Headteacher, in writing, that you are Home Educating and he/she will inform the LEA.
The law requires a child to be educated from the age of five to sixteen. A child whose fifth birthday occurs on or before the first day of a school term must by law receive full-time education from the beginning of that term. Circular 11/97 from the Department of Education and Employment gives the school leaving date for all children whether at school or otherwise as the last Friday in June in the school year in which a child reaches age sixteen. If your child is under five years of age you do not need to do anything. However it is helpful for the School Admissions Section if you write to let them know if you are intending to educate your child at home from a particular date.*** The address is listed at the end of the booklet.
