Want to homeschool your child rather than send them to school in Denmark? The good news is: you can! Here, families have the right to homeschool regardless of the age of the child. The situation is not the same across Europe: homeschooling is not legal at present in a range of countries, including Germany, Sweden, France, Finland, Greece, and Belgium. In Norway, under-12s cannot be homeschooled, and in Austria, young people over 15 years of age must attend school.
Homeschooling is still quite unusual in Denmark compared to the US and the UK. In Vejle Municipality, for example, only 44 young people are currently being homeschooled out of the area’s 12,000 school-age young people. This can make it more challenging to find resources and local groups compared to other countries where homeschooling is more common. However, Danish municipalities are seeing a notable rise in homeschooling requests post-pandemic. There can be many reasons why families seek to homeschool, including anxieties in young people about attending school, other mental wellbeing concerns, or religious or cultural reasons. Homeschooling can also provide continuity for families who travel frequently, meaning children are not having to attend multiple schools for short periods of time or be absent from school. Families may seek to homeschool permanently or for a fixed period of time, after which the child may return to school.
Home schooling in Denmark: basic principles
Homeschooling is supervised by the municipality. Each municipality may vary slightly in their approach, but the broad principles below will apply.
- If you wish to teach your child yourself, you must request this in writing from the municipality. Each municipality will have details of who to contact on their website.
- You as the parent are responsible for organising the teaching of your child at home and providing resources. There is no funding available from the municipality for this. Some families choose to use private tutors or online schools rather than teach themselves, but these can be expensive options.
- You decide how your child’s teaching is to be organised and the teaching aids to be used. It is not a requirement to include teaching in all subjects in primary and lower secondary school or to follow a timetable such as a school would.
- However, homeschooling must give your child the same opportunities for all-round personal development and knowledge acquisition as they would have in a school.
- Danish, mathematics, and English must be taught as part of your child’s education plan.
- Other broad curricular areas, such as the humanities and sciences, must be covered. The municipality will provide general advice on this.
- Homeschooling must also prepare your child to live in a society like Denmark, including knowledge of and respect for basic freedoms and human rights, including equality between the sexes.
- You are responsible for keeping a portfolio of evidence of your child’s learning and progress, which can include pictures and videos as well as written forms. Evidencing progress is key. There is no requirement for young people to sit formal exams for qualifications (either Danish or International Baccalaureate). However, some municipalities may ask your child to do assessments as evidence of the progress they are making, particularly if they have any concerns about this. You may want to check with your municipality what standard practice is for them.
What happens once you apply to home school?
- Once you have contacted the municipality requesting homeschooling, you will be contacted, usually by the district school principal or a municipality representative. Normally, they will meet with you to discuss your plans for your child’s education at home. Together, you will agree on your expectations and a final framework for what this will look like.
- Municipalities are likely to pay particular attention to how your child will learn Danish if you are an international planning to homeschool, so consider this in your plan.
- If your child has special educational needs, your plan must detail how your child’s needs will be met.
- Once a year, a report will be provided to the municipality on your child’s progress, based on discussion with you and review of evidence of your child’s learning and progress. This may be done through a home visit – each municipality may have different approaches to this.
- The municipality can, in exceptional cases, refuse your right to homeschool your child if they judge that the education being provided at home is not suitable for your child to make progress.
Helpful resources
- The municipality can provide general advice and point towards resources, for example, homeschooling groups that meet in your area, online tutoring services, and other resources.
Home-schooling: some international perspectives
Maria
Maria homeschooled her two children for five years in Denmark. Prior to that, they were homeschooled in the UK and US. Her children then entered the Danish school system to prepare for gymnasium exams.
“Compared to the US and the UK, it was quite tough, as homeschooling can have a bit of a stigma in Danish communities. The belief can be that either the parents are in conflict with the education system or the kids have problems.
We found the Kommune supportive, but it was difficult to find resources. We bought a comprehensive resource from the UK that even included science experiments, math videos, and all the books you would need. It was hard to find resources here as everything is in Danish. When we started, there was no homeschooling group in the area, though one exists now. Groups like this are really important. It is very important for you and your children to have a network. The social element is key for the children.
You also need to consider how your children will learn Danish if they aren’t in school. We found a woman who lived locally, and she came to us once a week to read and speak to my children in Danish to help them develop their language learning. We also got them into Danish Scouts straight away so they could also be exposed to Danish there.
When the Kommune representatives came to visit, we put out all of my children’s school books and talked them through the evidence and education plan. They were really happy with everything.”
Clair
Clair, originally from the US, has always homeschooled both of her two children, now 16 and 13. They have lived in Denmark for 5 years. Her older child now attends a Danish efterskole.
“We love to travel, so for us, homeschooling opened up the freedom to be able to do that without disrupting their education. That was the major factor that motivated us to homeschool. It has been a really positive experience for us as a family.
Resource-wise, we have used materials from the US, as it’s difficult to find resources in English here. However, we found the Kommune very supportive. They will check in with us at the start and end of each school year, and any questions we’ve asked have always been answered. I know that if we needed anything, they would help.
In terms of social networks, we have always been really involved in the local community – for example, gymnastics and musical activities. I would say to people considering homeschooling that community involvement is really important. In the beginning, we also found a local homeschooling group really helpful. It helps your kids to know there are other homeschooled kids out there, and it’s not just them. There are also Facebook groups that can really help with questions you have as a homeschooling parent.
My 16-year-old now attends a Danish efterskole, and this has been really successful. It was a huge transition for him to go from never attending school to a full-time boarding school, but he really loves it.”
