Home Schooling

In Victoria, home schooling your child during their compulsory schooling years is a recognised alternative to attending government or registered non-government schools.

When you decide to educate your child from a home base, you assume overall responsibility for the planning, implementation and assessment of your child’s education.

The Government of Victoria recognises that home schooling can occur across a broad range of styles, from informal learning approaches to formal curriculum programs, and as such, does not mandate curriculum or reading materials for families who have chosen to home school.

See the following topics for more information about homeschooling:

Parents may also find the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) useful as a reference point, see: VELS (http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au).

Addressing key learning areas

There are eight key learning areas that need to be taken into consideration when planning your child’s home schooling program and must be delivered in a manner that is consistent with the principles and practice of Australian democracy.

The eight learning areas are:

These learning areas are outlined in the Education and Training Reform Act 2006.

Registering to home school

Those parents wishing to home school their child must register their intentions with the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA), a statutory authority responsible for the registration and accreditation of all education and training providers, except established universities.

For information regarding registration, contact the VRQA on 9637 3386 or visit the VRQA's Home Schooling (http://www.vrqa.vic.gov.au/homeschool/default.htm) website.

Partial Enrolment for Registered Home Schooling Students

The Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (the ‘Act’) requires that all children of compulsory school age (6 to 16 years) are enrolled in a school, or registered for home schooling.

As part of the introduction of legislative registration requirements for home schoolers, the Victorian Government committed to making various support mechanisms available to the home schooling community. In a document circulated in the Victorian Parliament in March 2006 it was stated:

"The following support would be made available to registered home schoolers…:

The Department has developed guidelines regarding this commitment.

For more information, see:

The Home Schooling Advisory Committee

The commitment to create a Home Schooling Advisory Committee was made during the development of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 as a means of ensuring that the Victorian Government continues to consult with key stakeholders and interest groups on issues that impact on the community.

For more information see Victorian Government’s Home Schooling Advisory Committee.