Efficient, full-time and suitable
By law, the parent of every child of compulsory school age must make sure the child receives an education that is 'efficient, full-time and suitable'.
Efficient education
There is no legal definition of what is considered to be 'efficient'.
The government's Department for Education (DfE) suggests that this can be interpreted as meaning "education which achieves what it is intended to achieve".
Full-time education
Children who attend school for their education normally do so for between 22 and 25 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year. These periods do not apply to home education where:
- there is often almost continuous one-to-one contact
- education may take place outside normal school hours
- types of educational activity can be varied and flexible
There is no legal definition of what is considered of 'full-time'. You should be able to explain and show how much time your child is being educated.
Education that is clearly not filling a significant part of a child's life – allowing for holiday periods – is not likely not meet the legal requirement.
Suitable education
There is no legal definition of 'suitable' education. The law says education must be suitable to the child's age, ability, aptitudes, and any special educational needs they may have.
The DfE states: "This means that it must be age-appropriate, enable the child to make progress according to his or her particular level of ability, and should take account of any specific aptitudes (for example if a child is very good at mathematics, it might focus more on that than some other subjects)."
The DfE also states: "even if there is no specific link with the National Curriculum or other external curricula, there should be an appropriate minimum standard which is aimed at, and the education should aim at enabling the child, when grown-up, to function as an independent citizen in the UK – and furthermore, beyond the community in which he or she was brought up, if that is the choice made in later life by the child".
In addition, the DfE states: "education at home should not directly conflict with the Fundamental British Values as defined in government guidance".