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:
- Addressing key learning areas
- Registering to home school
- Partial Enrolment for Registered Home Schooling Students
- The Home Schooling Advisory Committee
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:
- The Arts
- English
- Health and Physical Education (including Sport)
- Languages other than English
- Mathematics
- Science
- Studies of Society and Environment
- Technology
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…:
- Students registered for home schooling, and their parents, will be eligible to partially enrol at their neighbourhood Government school for specific activities, as agreed by the school and parent."
The Department has developed guidelines regarding this commitment.
For more information, see:
- Partial Enrolment for Registered Home Schooling Students Guidelines (PDF - 237Kb)
- Frequently Asked Questions
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.