According to the law, the education authority may not ‘unreasonably’ withhold its consent for the withdrawal of a pupil from a state school, but parents should be prepared to offer a reasonable amount of information about their education provision.

Ultimately, if the authority is ‘not satisfied’ as to the appropriateness of the education, it may initiate formal action and possibly seek a school attendance order under section 37 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980. For a comprehensive explanation of this process, you should refer to the statutory guidance issued by the Scottish Government in January 2008.