A History of Home Education in Scotland?

Is there a history of home education in Scotland? What information is available and to what extent does it serve to tell a full historical story about how home education in Scotland has evolved? This paper seeks to begin ‘historical’ work on Scottish home education as it seems that no academic work on this subject (which specific reference to Scotland) has been attempted before, either historical in nature or otherwise. However, as is made clear in this paper, the history of home-based education in Scotland is recent for a variety of reasons. A consideration of the legislative history is made. Public profile and visibility will be looked at in the context of issues around the possibility of discovery of the possibility in law to not send one’s child to school. Some speculative and initial comments will be made in particular about the autonomous form of home education in Scotland being ‘acceptable’ to Scottish education and society.