Home‐schooling in the Republic of Ireland

Abstract

Internationally, there continues to be a rise in the popularity of home‐schooling. Although the growth in the numbers of families choosing this alternative approach was evident prior to the Covid‐19 Pandemic school closures, it appears to have impacted on the decision for some to home‐school permanently. Using a scoping review of the literature, this paper considers the research evidence around home‐schooling in the United Kingdom and Europe. It then focuses on home‐schooling in the Republic of Ireland to assess the change and development of home‐schooling over time. In line with trends internationally, Irish administrative data show an increase in the numbers of families engaging in home‐schooling in recent years, particularly for students with disabilities. The paper situates these findings within the context of ongoing debates on inclusive and special education in Ireland and the capacity of mainstream schools to educate and include every student.

Implementation of Home-Schooling: Parents’ Practices and Processes

“…This involves greater inclusion of learners with disabilities and ALNs in regular schools and classrooms. Although data in this research do not attempt to identify a causal link between this and home-schooling, the increased interest internationally in home-schooling for learners with special needs [6] raises an issue that needs further attention. The data reported here about implementation of home-schooling included responses from parents of 32% of learners who were identified as having a disability, and a further 19% with ALNs, thus accounting for approximately half of the cohort.…”

“…Other factors for structuring the learning included the child's interests, resources available, the parent's experience, faith (God comes first), family reasons (i.e., job commitments), and their child's special needs (i.e., behavior or therapy). International trends have specifically seen an increase in the number of families choosing to home-school their child if they have a disability or special learning needs [6]. One edited book contains numerous descriptions written by home-schooling (or unschooling, or wild-schooling, or road-schooling) families [11].…”

“…In countries where home-schooling is legal, there are a range of different moderating procedures in place which are generally referred to in the national legislation [6]. In Western Australia, where the research was conducted, the educational programs used by parents are evaluated by home education moderators who are appointed by the CEO of the Department of Education [13].…”

“…Home-schooling is becoming more sought after in many countries, such as the UK, USA, and Australia, with increasing numbers of parents choosing to home-school, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic [6,7]. Nevertheless, home-schooling is illegal or is restricted in some countries, such as Germany, Sweden, China, and Brazil [7].…”