At School 5-18

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

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 see: Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority

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:

Home Schooling Roundtable

Minister Pike announces 2009 Home Schooling Roundtable to build on the achievements of the Home Schooling Advisory Committee. 

The Hon Bronwyn Pike, Minister for Education, attended the final meeting of the Home Schooling Advisory Committee (HSAC) on Tuesday 12 May 2009. Minister Pike congratulated the Committee on its achievements since the introduction of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006, which requires home schooled students to be registered with the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA).

During its two year term, the HSAC provided valuable advice to the Victorian Government regarding the requirement to register. The HSAC also informed the development of a range of supports for registered home schooling families, such as:

  • partial enrolment in a government school
  • public transport concessions
  • School Start Bonus payments
  • curriculum materials produced by the Distance Education Centre Victoria (DECV).

The Victorian Homeschooling Roundtable will be held on Thursday 19 November 2009 from 12 noon to 3.30 pm at the Hilton on the Park, East Melbourne.
Letters of Invitation and an Application Form have been sent to all registered home schooling families. Thirty participants for the roundtable will be selected in the order that their completed Application Forms are received.

More information

Queries about home schooling in Victoria can be made by contacting the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) or System Policy Division within the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD).

VRQA - (03) 9651 3293

DEECD - (03) 9637 2818

For further details regarding home schooling registration requirements, see: Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority