Legalities of homeschooling in Portugal

[iteles]

A playgroup past the age of 3 would be a complement to homeschooling OR a complement to a creche/other school environment.

In most countries there are legalities around being able to homeschool because children of a certain age legally have to be in school. If they are homeschooled, there must be some controls around this - things you have to enrol in, exams that have to be taken, proof you have to provide.

Anyone interested in our playgroup would also be interested in this so please research:

• Any information there is on the legalities of "ensino doméstico" in Portugal
• Add any information there is on the current homeschooling landscape in Portugal that you might come across to a separate issue

[Stephanymtr]

Based on my research, in Portugal, homeschooling is permitted under certain conditions as outlined in the Portuguese Constitution and the Education Act (Lei de Bases do Sistema Educativo). The constitution recognizes the right of parents to choose the education that best suits their children, including the option of homeschooling. However, this choice is not absolute and must conform to the principles and guidelines set forth in the Education Act.

To legally homeschool a child in Portugal, parents must adhere to a specific set of requirements:

Parents must notify the Ministry of Education of their intention to homeschool their child providing information about the curriculum they plan to follow and their qualifications to teach. Parents who choose to homeschool their children must demonstrate their qualifications to provide adequate education. This typically involves having a university degree. Enrollment could be at a public school - or at a private Portuguese school that offers homeschooling program. You can go to the nearest school and speak to the school secretary. Here is a basic list of the some of the main documents they may ask:

• Degree certificate of the parent. If this is not Portuguese, usually, a translated and notarized copy will be required. Additionally, for some schools, the degree should be recognized in Portugal;
• NIF numbers – child’s and parent’s
• Passports and passports copies
• Residence permits and copies
• Homeschool form, explaining the reasons and who will be the teacher
• Learning Project, describing the curriculum you will follow (basically copy it from the Portuguese curriculum with very small adaptations allowed), methods of teaching, how you will evaluate the work, record the progress (usually via a portfolio) etc.

Homeschooling parents are required to design a curriculum that complies with the educational standards and objectives established by the Portuguese government. This curriculum should cover a wide range of subjects:

Cabe ao responsável educativo assegurar o desenvolvimento do currículo em consonância com os princípios, visão, valores e áreas de competências do Perfil dos Alunos à Saída da Escolaridade Obrigatória, tendo como referência as aprendizagens essenciais para cada ciclo de escolaridade do ensino básico e das disciplinas dos cursos científico-humanísticos e os temas obrigatórios de Cidadania e Desenvolvimento, definidos na Estratégia Nacional de Educação para a Cidadania (n.º 3 do artigo 16.º).

- A assunção do português como língua de escolarização, sem prejuízo de partes do currículo poderem ser ministradas numa das línguas estrangeiras que integram o currículo nacional, através da abordagem bilingue, desde que se verifiquem os seguintes requisitos cumulativos: i) o responsável educativo apresente prova de proficiência linguística na respetiva língua estrangeira; ii) a escola de matrícula disponha dessa oferta educativa (alínea e) do n.º 2 do artigo 12.º). 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

They go in depth here:https://www.dge.mec.pt/ensino-individual-e-ensino-domestico

Evidence of Learning Progress

Homeschooled children in Portugal are subject to periodic evaluations by education authorities. These evaluations assess the child's academic progress and ensure that the education provided meets the required standards.

From: https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/decreto-lei/70-2021-168903099

It wasn't fully clear to me, but it seems that for younger children, the progress is evaluated through the student’s portfolio.

From: https://www.dge.mec.pt/ensino-individual-e-ensino-domestico

Whereas older children will take a national exam in Portuguese. Should the child fail, they can try again the following year. Falling a second time could rule out homeschooling as an option the following year.

The information above is just collection of what I think are the main points, but here are the government sites with more information:

https://www.dge.mec.pt/ensino-individual-e-ensino-domestico
https://www.madeira.gov.pt/dre/pesquisar/ctl/ReadInformcao/mid/2110/InformacaoId/147852/UnidadeOrganicaId/32/LiveSearch/domestico
https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/decreto-lei/70-2021-168903099

Links I also read:
https://www.ericeiraliving.com/homeschooling-portugal-frequently-asked-questions/
https://www.cgd.pt/Site/Saldo-Positivo/formacao-e-tecnologia/Pages/ensino-individual-e-ensino-domestico.aspx

[iteles]

Thanks for this Stephany!

I assume these legalities only kick in at the age of 6?

Was there anything at all you found on Braga specifically?

[Stephanymtr]

I think younger children will have their progress evaluated through the student’s portfolio. I wasn't able to get much information on what this portfolio structure should look like. It might be that you would still have to enroll the child at the school, so that the school's professor can evaluate this portfolio at the of the school year. I think it'd be worth scheduling an appt with a professor from a school nearby to inquire more about their requirements.

Children older than 6 will be evaluated through an exam. This is how they put it on the government website:

I didn't find any specific information on Braga regarding the legalities of homeschooling.