In Portugal, a child of compulsory school age can learn at home, outside a school, as long as they are enrolled in and followed by a school. The rules are set out in Decreto-Lei n.º 70/2021, which defines two arrangements: ensino doméstico (home education) and ensino individual (individual tuition).
Home education and individual tuition
| Home education (ensino doméstico) | Individual tuition (ensino individual) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who teaches | A relative of the student or a person who lives with them | A qualified teacher, to a single student |
| Where | At the student's home | Outside a school |
| Qualification of whoever teaches | At least a bachelor's degree (licenciatura) | A teaching qualification |
| Who decides on enrolment | The school's head | The director-general of School Establishments, after the school's opinion |
The law says these arrangements serve families who, for strictly personal reasons or because of work-related mobility, want to take on greater responsibility for their children's education. They apply to general basic education (ensino básico) and to the general academic (científico-humanísticos) secondary courses.
How to enrol
- The parent or guardian submits an application to the head of the school in the student's area of residence that offers the required provision (or, in private and cooperative education, to the chosen school).
- The application identifies the parent or guardian, the person responsible for the teaching (responsável educativo), the student, the school year and the arrangement, and sets out the reasons for the request. It comes with the certificate of qualifications of the person responsible for the teaching and, for individual tuition, a criminal record certificate.
- The school interviews the student and the parent or guardian, to get to know the student and their educational plan.
- For home education, the head decides within 15 working days.
- Enrolment only becomes effective once a collaboration agreement (protocolo de colaboração) is signed between the parent or guardian and the school.
The request can be refused if the person responsible for the teaching cannot deliver the curriculum in person, does not hold the required qualification or, for home education, is neither a relative of the student nor lives with them.
The collaboration agreement and the tutor teacher
The collaboration agreement usually lasts one school year and sets out the family's and the school's responsibilities in organising the student's path. The school appoints a tutor teacher (professor-tutor) who follows the student.
Follow-up is done through a portfolio: a record of evidence of the student's work and learning. The parent or guardian presents it at the school as often as the agreement sets out, and the tutor teacher discusses it in a meeting with the student and the family.
What is studied
The curriculum is based on the curriculum documents in force, namely the Aprendizagens Essenciais (official syllabus) for each cycle of basic education and each subject of the general academic courses, plus the compulsory themes of Cidadania e Desenvolvimento (Citizenship and Development). The language of schooling is Portuguese; in a bilingual plan, proficiency in the foreign language used must be shown.
Tests and exams
To complete each cycle or level, students sit the provas de equivalência à frequência (equivalence exams) at the school where they are enrolled, in the final years. Where there is a final basic-education test (prova final) or a national final exam, these replace the equivalence exams.
It is the parent or guardian's job to register the student, within the legal deadlines, for the provas de aferição (diagnostic tests), the final basic-education tests, the equivalence exams and the national final exams, and to make sure they attend.
Where tutoring fits in
In home education, the person responsible for the teaching delivers the curriculum. Tutoring does not replace them, but it can support the student in the most demanding subjects, such as maths and science, and in preparing for tests and exams, always based on the Aprendizagens Essenciais that the enrolling school follows.
Common questions
Is homeschooling legal in Portugal?
Yes. It is regulated by Decreto-Lei n.º 70/2021, which requires enrolment in a school, a collaboration agreement and follow-up by a tutor teacher.
Who can provide home education?
A relative of the student or a person who lives with them, holding at least a bachelor's degree.
How is it different from individual tuition?
In individual tuition the student is taught by a qualified teacher, outside a school; in home education, by a relative or someone who lives with them, at home.
Do homeschooled students sit exams?
Yes. They sit the equivalence exams in the final years, replaced by the final basic-education tests or the national exams where these exist.
Can tutoring replace the person responsible for the teaching?
No. In home education the curriculum is delivered by the person responsible for the teaching; tutoring supports the student.
