S.I. No. 758/2024 - Education (Welfare) Act 2000 (Prescribed Form) (Section 14) (Amendment) Regulations 2024

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 21st February, 2025.

I, HELEN MCENTEE, Minister for Education, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 14 of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 (No. 22 of 2000) and the Education Welfare (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2020 ( S.I. No. 588 of 2020 ) hereby make the following regulations:

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 (Prescribed Form) (Section 14) (Amendment) Regulations 2024.

2. The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 (Prescribed Form) (Section 14) Regulations 2020 ( S.I. No. 330 of 2020 ) are amended by the substitution of the Schedule to these Regulations for the Schedule to those Regulations.

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GIVEN under my Official Seal,

19 February, 2025.

HELEN MCENTEE,

Minister for Education.

SCHEDULE

Form R1

Application Form for Registration

Registration of Children Receiving Education in Places other than a Recognised School under Section 14 of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000

The functions and services of the National Educational Welfare Board transferred to the Child and Family Agency on 1 January 2014 under the Child and Family Agency Act 2013 . Under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 every child being educated in a place other than a recognised school must be registered with Tusla - Child and Family Agency (the Agency). The process of registration involves a written application form and assessment by the Agency of the education that is being provided to the child.

Privacy Statement

Your personal data will be processed in compliance with all relevant data protection legislation and the other legal requirements to which Tusla – Child and Family Agency is obliged to adhere. Full details of Tusla’s Privacy Policy (setting out how we will use your personal data as well as information regarding your rights as a data subject) are available in the About Us (data protection) section of www.tusla.ie

Notes for Applicant

Eligibility to make an application: This form is for parents and guardians of children who are aged between 6 and 16 years only, or where the child or children have attended post-primary education but has not completed three years of education there *. (Please see below)

Duration of Registration:

Children will remain on the register until their 16^th birthday except where they have not completed three years of post-primary education (**confirmed attendance of the child at a post-primary school). Children will be removed from the register automatically thereafter.

Application for an Independent School: Please be advised that if you wish to apply for your child to be educated in an Independent School (a school not recognised by the Minister for Education under Section 10 of the Education Act 1998), this application form must be submitted to Tusla prior to placing the child in the school or as soon as practicable thereafter.

Application for Home Education (including online schools and programmes): Please be advised that if you wish for apply for your child to be home-educated, once you have received communication to confirm that this application has been received and processed, you can then commence to home-educate.

Declaration: The Declaration must be signed by both legal guardians. There may be circumstances pursuant to family law and guardianship provision where exemptions may exist.Where you are residing in the state under the EU Temporary Protection Directive (2001/55 EC) or under International Protection, and where it is not possible to provide the signature of both legal guardians, one signature may be acceptable. The agency will make determination based on the particulars of your circumstances and may seek supporting documentation to assist its deliberations.

Valid Application: Only completed applications can be processed by the agency. All fields must be fully completed. Incomplete applications received will not be deemed valid.

Accompanying Documents

A certified copy of the child’s birth certificate is required to accompany the application. Where a birth certificate is not available, a certified copy of valid passport or a temporary protection residence card can be provided.

Registration of Children Receiving Education in Places other than a Recognised School under Section 14 of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000

Place where child will receive the education –

1) □ Independent School setting;

2) □ Their home

3) □ Their home and another setting.

PART A

1. Details of child

Surname (as on birth cert)	First name(s) (as on birth cert)	Date of birth	Gender
Home address			Eircode
PPSN :

2. Details of parent(s)

Throughout this document the term “parent,” in line with the use of the word in the Education Act 1998, section 2 and the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 , should be taken to mean parent, guardian, foster-parent, a person acting in loco parentis who has a child in his/her care subject to any statutory power or court order, or a person who has adopted a child.

Parent/Legal Guardian 1

Title	First Name(s)	Surname
Home address (if different to above)
Telephone (include local code)	Mobile	E-mail

Parent/Legal Guardian 2

Title	First Name(s)	Surname
Home address (if different to above)
Telephone (include local code)	Mobile	E-mail

3. Details of guardian(s)/foster parent(s) (if appropriate)

Surname	First Name(s)	Relationship to Child
Home address (if different to above)
Telephone (include local code)	Mobile	E-mail

4. Additional information

Have you previously applied to the Section 14 Register for this child?

Yes □ No □

Are any sibling(s) of this child currently on the Section 14 Register, or have you applied for any sibling(s) of this child?

Yes □ No □

If yes, please supply details:

5. Previous education history – Please tick one of the following

□ New application for child who has recently turned 6 years old.

□ Previously home educated.

Dates of home education: ________________________________

□ Previously educated in a school (recognised by Department of Education, Independent School or school in another jurisdiction)

If the child has attended any school(s) please give details of the last school attended

Full name of school
School Type (primary or post-primary)
Principal
Address
Telephone (include local code)	E-mail
Date child was enrolled in the school, and year level (if applicable).	Date on which child left the school, and year level (if applicable).
Has child competed 3 years’ post-primary education ? (please see notes for applicant)	Yes ___ No ____

6. Additional Learning and Support Needs

Does your child have any learning needs or additional support needs?

Yes □ No □

If yes, outline summary of need below:

Has the learning/support need has been formally assessed? Yes □ No □

Is child currently engaged with support services? Please provide details.

7. Location where the delivery of the education will occur - Please complete the relevant section.

7. Details of the delivery of education

a) Independent School– please provide the details of the school providing or planning to provide the delivery of the education provision.

Independent School Name	Principal/Director
Date child commenced/due to commence at school	Date child due to leave school
Postal address	Eircode
Telephone (include local code)	Mobile	E-mail

b) Home Education – please provide the address of the location where the education will be provided. Please include details of the person/s who will be providing the delivery of the education provision.

Address:
Person 1 Education Provider
Title	First Name(s)	Surname
Telephone (include local code)	Mobile	Email	Relationship to child
Person 2 if applicable
Title	First Name(s)	Surname
Telephone (include local code)	Mobile	E-mail	Relationship to child

c) Online Education programme (accessed in the child’s home or in another location)

Address(es) where the child accesses the online education programme:

Name and location of education provider:

Webpage if applicable:

Number of hours per week that the child will be registered for tuition:

PART B

(Home Education Applicants only)

8. Time devoted to education of child / Time proposed to be spent on education of child

The informal or semi-informal nature of home-based education may make it difficult to estimate accurately the amount of time allocated to learning. However, some information under the headings below may be useful in establishing the general pattern of the educational provision. If possible, please supply information on:

•the time allocated/to be allocated to the education of the child.

•whether learning is provided for in an open-ended manner, or whether

•learning activities are scheduled, or partly scheduled, using a timetable following a daily/ weekly/ monthly pattern.

•the estimated number of days during the year on which education is/will be provided.

•if any records are/will be maintained of the time/periods/days devoted to education.

•where child is engaged in an online programme, as detailed under 7(c) above, estimate the number of hours per day the child will engage in online education.

9. Equipment and materials

Please provide brief details of some of the main items/publications/materials used to support the child’s learning. These may include curriculum documents, specialised educational equipment, reference materials/textbooks, or everyday objects and materials including books, magazines, toys, videos etc.

10. Educational activities

Please give a brief account of the educational provision made /to be made for the child’s learning including:

• Provision for the development of literacy and numeracy skills; physical skills; social, emotional and moral.

• What are the main areas of learning for which provision is/will be made?

• What type of education is being/will be provided? Do any particular principles or philosophies inform the education?

• What approaches or methods are/will be used to facilitate learning? (e.g. autonomous learning, semi-structured approaches, structured learning, a mixture of these)

• If the education provided is based on any published curricula or learning programmes, please give details.

NOTE: Meeting the requirements of a ‘certain minimum education’ does not mean that a child must follow any particular curriculum delivered in a school setting. However, if a child were to return to a formal school-based education at primary or post-primary level at any stage, parents/guardians, in planning a home education programme for their children, should be conscious of the curriculum requirements, and teaching and learning structures to which they may return.

11. Monitoring Progress

Please give a brief account of how the child’s progress is /will be monitored.

Some points to consider may be:

• How is/will the child’s progress be monitored/assessed?

• Are/will any records be maintained of the child’s progress?

• What consideration has been given to how the learning needs of the child are/will be met over a period of time and whether plans are/will be recorded?

12. Declaration

Please read carefully.

The deliberate provision of false or misleading information or statements in support of this application will render the application invalid. If it later comes to the attention of the agency that your child was placed on the register on the premise of false or incorrect information, your child’s name may be removed from the register.

I/We declare that:

• The information provided on this application form is true and accurate.

• That both legal guardians where applicable have provided their personal details and contact information and have signed this application form.

I/We understand:

• That in considering this application for registration, the Agency will arrange for an assessment to determine whether the education provision in place or proposed for the child, satisfies the requirements of a certain minimum education [s.14(5)(a,b,c) Education (Welfare) Act 2000].

Pursuant to Part 2, Section 9 (4) of the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013 the assessor will speak to your child in order to ascertain their views as part of the assessment process.

• That in order to ensure that the child continues to receive a “certain minimum education”, the Agency will carry out further assessments, and these assessments will be notified in advance [s.14 (7) Education (Welfare) Act 2000].

• That if, on receipt of the assessment report, the agency is unable to determine that a certain minimum education is being provided or likely to be provided, the agency may proceed to a further assessment [s.14(5)(i,ii,iii) Education (Welfare) Act 2000].

• That all assessment(s) will be conducted in accordance with any guidelines issued under Section 14,15 and 16 of the Education Welfare Act 2000.

• That I/We will offer every assistance to an authorised person (assessor) in assessing the education provision in place or proposed for the child.

I/We consent:

• For the Agency to have an authorised person conduct assessment(s) of the education in place or proposed for the child who is the subject of this application.

• For the Agency to verify any information provided on this application form.

Signature Guardian 1___________________________ Date ___________

(Print Name Here)

Signature Guardian 2 ___________________________ Date ___________

(Print Name Here)

Tá leagan Gaeilge den fhoirm seo ar fáil ach é a iarraidh.

Registration of Children Receiving Education in Places other than a Recognised School under Section 14 of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000