Burke Home Education Advice
30 years home educating with success
• Advice and support for all aspects of home education, from
16/11/2020
It is of monumental importance how and where we develop the moral character of our children. They should learn their moral values from the home - not from the mainstream school system.
14/11/2020
➡️Useful Resources for Leaving Certificate preparation
14/11/2020
Advice for home-educated students who plan to take Leaving Certificate exams:
➡️Selecting Subjects
14/11/2020
14/11/2020
HIGH COURT WIN FOR HOME EDUCATION
In August 2020, Elijah Thomas Burke won his High Court case against the Department of Education, challenging his exclusion from the calculated grades process.
Elijah had been home educated all his life and was due to sit his Leaving Certificate exams in June 2020. When June exams were cancelled, Calculated Grades were introduced instead for 'all' Leaving Certificate student. However this process failed to make provision for students who were educated outside of the mainstream school setting, and thus home-schooled students, like Elijah, were excluded from Calculated Grades.
Elijah challenged this decision in the High Court, arguing that home education was protected in the Irish Constitution and that it was grossly discriminatory to exclude him from receiving a Leaving Cert, just because he didn't attend a mainstream school.
The challenge was successful.
In his judgment, Justice Charles Meenan said 'that the refusal to provide Elijah with a calculated grade in circumstances where the teen had been home schooled by a parent, and thus had a conflict of interest, was arbitrary unfair unreasonable and contrary to law'.
This was a hugely significant win for home education in Ireland.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/high-court/student-wins-court-challenge-over-exclusion-from-calculated-grades-1.4333948?fbclid=IwAR2x-m6PLrwxXK2BTjwaPXpqiosaIF2rrv7GqT9-WTYh9LPmGP5f1EG996Y
Student wins court challenge over exclusion from calculated grades Judge says excluding home-schooled student was ‘irrational, unreasonable and unlawful’
14/11/2020
Welcome to our advisory page! We are here to offer advice, support, ideas and resources to those home educating, and also to those who are considering this option for their children. If you have any queries or questions, get in touch and we will do our best to help.
Esther Burke