Protecting the right to home educate
News
Home Education Rights Ireland (HERI) was established in August 2025 to promote and protect the constitutional right to home educate, as enshrined in Article 42 of the Irish Constitution. The organisation also provides assistance and support to families engaged in home education.
Home Education Resources
Click below for exam information, curriculum specifications, information on applying to sit the Leaving Certificate as an external candidate etc.
The Right to Home Educate is Enshrined in Article 42 of the Irish Constitution
Article 42:
1 . The State acknowledges that the primary and natural educator of the child is the Family and guarantees to respect the inalienable right and duty of parents to provide, according to their means, for the religious and moral, intellectual, physical and social education of their children.
2. Parents shall be free to provide this education in their homes or in private schools or in schools recognised or established by the State.
3.1° The State shall not oblige parents in violation of their conscience and lawful preference to send their children to schools established by the State, or to any particular type of school designated by the State.
3.2° The State shall, however, as guardian of the common good, require in view of actual conditions that the children receive a certain minimum education, moral, intellectual and social.
Home educated students should not be negatively impacted by Senior Cycle Reform
Home-educated and out-of-school students risk exclusion from the reformed Leaving Certificate examination process in Ireland due to the new Additional Assessment Components which are worth 40% of the final grade and must be completed under teacher supervision.
Get in touch
To contact Home Education Rights Ireland, visit the page below.