Homeschooling outside the US
Countries whose official pages we have read, with what each says and when we checked.
The UK governments' pages show home education is legal in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and parents must see that a child of school age gets a suitable full-time education. England and Wales have a new Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 that creates a register of children not in school, but it takes effect by regulations. Each country page names the government source it was read from.
Checked October 29, 2026.
This is a plain-words summary, not legal advice. Laws change: check your state's current law and its education department before you act.
Where we have read the official pages
England, Wales and Northern Ireland are below. Scotland, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada and Australia are still being checked and are not published yet, so we do not guess.
The countries
- Homeschooling in England: the law and the new register of children not in schoolWhat GOV.UK says parents must do, what a council can ask, and what the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 adds: a register of children not in school, brought in by regulations.
- Homeschooling in Wales: notice, the council's role and the 2026 ActWhat the Welsh Government's guidance says about leaving school, the parent's duty and the council's powers, and how the 2026 Act's register will reach Wales.
- Homeschooling in Northern Ireland: the parent's legal dutyWhat the Department of Education says: parents must arrange suitable full-time education, and home education is one way to do it. We did not find a registration rule on that page.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Home education (England) (checked October 29, 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk: Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 (2026 c. 21), contents (checked October 29, 2026)
- Welsh Government: Elective home education guidance (first published 12 May 2023, last updated 21 March 2025) (checked October 29, 2026)
- Department of Education Northern Ireland: Elective home education (checked October 29, 2026)