Can I educate my child at home instead of sending them to school?

What is not allowed, what is required?

• Flanders: home education (huisonderwijs) meets compulsory education. Parents submit the 'declaration of rights and duties' (verklaring van rechten en plichten) to the Flemish Community by the 3rd school day of the school year at the latest and choose a CLB (Primary Education Decree art. 26bis/1; Codex SO art. 110/29). Families who move to Flanders or Brussels during the school year can submit it at any time.
• Flanders, primary: the child must be registered with the exam board (examencommissie) by the school year in which it turns 11 at the latest. If it does not come forward in time, or does not obtain the primary school certificate in at most two attempts and by the school year in which it turns 13 at the latest, the parents must enrol it in a school (Primary Education Decree art. 26bis/2).
• Flanders, secondary: the child must be registered with the secondary exam board by the school year in which it turns 15 at the latest. If it obtains no secondary certificate or diploma in the school year in which it turns 16, it must be enrolled in a school (Codex SO art. 110/30).
• The Flemish education inspectorate checks home education. If the check is refused or two consecutive checks are negative, the child must be enrolled in a school (art. 110/31).
• French-language part: for home education (enseignement à domicile), parents send a declaration to the Community services every year by 5 September at the latest (Education Code art. 1.7.1-12). If the child was enrolled in a school at the start of the school year, the deadline is 15 September. Checks can happen at any time; they take place at least in the years the child turns 8 and 10 (art. 1.7.1-16).
• The child is registered for the CEB exam by the school year in which it turns 12 at the latest (art. 1.7.1-19). The law provides the common core certificate exam (certificat du tronc commun) for the school year in which the child turns 15 (art. 1.7.1-20). Because the reform only reaches the 3rd year of secondary in 2028-2029, the old exam rules (CE1D) may apply until then; ask the Community services.
• If the child fails the CEB, it may retake it within one school year; two checks take place in that year (art. 1.7.1-19). If the CEB is still not obtained and the checks are negative, the child is enrolled in a school; if only one check is negative, the Commission decides (art. 1.7.1-21). If the common core certificate is not obtained, the child is also enrolled in a school. The child then stays at school for at least one full school year. A reasoned request for exemption and an appeal within 15 days are possible (art. 1.7.1-22 – 1.7.1-24).
• In Flanders, the school allowance (schooltoeslag) depends on enrolment in a recognised school; with home education, ask your Groeipakket paying body what this means for the allowance. The basic Groeipakket amount continues until the month the child turns 18.

Penalty and indirect consequences

Why does this rule exist?

Parents are free to choose education. The government must still guarantee that every child really receives basic education; the checks and exams are there for that.