For families like yours
Learning without a curriculum
You stepped off the timetable, or you're thinking about it. Unschooling isn't the absence of learning. It's learning without the coercion. This is what it looks like, why it works, and what you tell the assessor.
What unschooling actually is
Unschooling is child-led, interest-driven learning, with no curriculum, no set subjects, and no timetable. The parent is a facilitator, not a teacher. Learning happens through ordinary life: conversations, projects, books chosen freely, skills pursued to mastery because the child wanted to master them.
It is not neglect. It is not chaos. It is a deliberate choice to trust that curiosity, when given space, produces real learning. That real learning doesn't need to look like school to count.
Where Sustenance fits
Unschooling families often struggle with evidence, not because learning isn't happening, but because it doesn't leave a paper trail. Sustenance gives you a place to record the ordinary moments that add up to a credible account.
Questions families ask
- Is unschooling legal in Ireland?
- Yes. Irish home education law does not require a specific curriculum or teaching method. Families must provide a certain minimum education, but what counts as that is broadly interpreted.
- How do I evidence learning to a home education assessor?
- Through observation records, photos, projects, conversations, and any other artefacts of learning. A specific, consistent log of what your child did and what they learned is generally well received. It doesn't need to look like school.