Inspection of home education in European countries

In many European countries and in North America, home education is a viable alternative for education at school. Parents who want to home school their child are legally allowed to do so, although some countries impose rather strict conditions. This article concentrates on the way authorities supervise or inspect the quality of home education. A comparison is made of inspection regulations in 14 European countries. Substantial differences were found, regarding among other things the function of inspection, inspection methods and the outcomes. Most countries do not have data on the effectiveness of inspection. It is recommended that governments screen their procedures for the inspection of home education using criteria such as transparency, consistency, and efficiency.