Guide to Home Education Registration in South Australia (SA)

 

If you are considering home education for your child in South Australia, this guide provides a comprehensive overview of the registration process—in South Australia known as the home education exemption process—from eligibility to annual renewal. It highlights key components, including the learning plan and annual progress report, which are crucial for ensuring compliance with the Department for Education’s requirements.

1. Eligibility

 

  • Your child must be between 6 and 17 years old. If your child has already attended school from age five, the Home Education Unit South Australia may be able to assist with an early exemption.

  • The application to home educate is made directly through the Department of Education’s Home Education Unit. The child must be enrolled in school in order to be exempted from attending school for the purposes of home education.

  • Contact the nearest government school: In South Australia, the child must be enrolled in school. Contact your nearest government school to request the child be enrolled, if they are not already enrolled in a school. You will need to include their child’s full name, residential address and a copy (image) of the child’s birth certificate.

  • Write on the front of the enrolment form that the enrolment is for the purpose of exemption from home education.

  • Do this at the same time as completing Step 3. Apply for an Exemption to Home Educate.

  • Start the application process by filling out an initial request form on this page. You will receive a link to the application form which can be filled out online.

  • Submit your home education application to the Home Education Unit within the Department of Education. The principal of the school may be contacted by the HEU for a report on the child’s welfare if the child is being withdrawn from school, and this report may be included in the HEU’s assessment of the application.

  • To complete the Home Education Application Form, the form requires:

    • Information about parents/guardians.

    • Details about the child, including their age and current educational status.

    • A comprehensive learning plan outlining how education will be delivered at home.

  • Meeting: Be prepared to attend a meeting with home education staff to discuss your application and answer any questions they may have. The meeting is generally held in the family home, so that the learning environment can be assessed as suitable, and the child ‘sighted’. It is possible to arrange for the interview to be held elsewhere, though the HEU do want to ‘sight’ the child.

The learning plan is a critical document that outlines how you will deliver your child’s education at home. It provides an overview of how you intend to cover the required learning areas, implement strategies, and track progress throughout the year. This plan will be reviewed by the Department for Education to ensure that the educational requirements are being met.

Key Requirements

Your learning plan must address the eight learning areas (defined by the Australian Curriculum):

  • English

  • Mathematics

  • Science

  • Humanities and Social Sciences

  • The Arts

  • Health and Physical Education

  • Technologies

  • Languages

You are not required to follow the Australian Curriculum and can adapt your approach to suit your child’s needs, but you must ensure that your approach meets the goals of the Australian Curriculum (or similar).

 

Building Your Learning Plan

  1. Learning Goals

    • Specify educational objectives for each subject area.

    • Example: For English, a learning goal might be, “To improve reading comprehension and vocabulary by engaging with a variety of texts, including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.”

    • Tip: Encourage your child to set personal goals alongside yours. For instance, if they love space, they may aim to explore books and documentaries about astronomy.

 

  1. Learning Strategies

    • Describe the methods you will use to achieve the learning goals. You are not required to actually provide lesson plans in the application, just state what methods and resources you will use. These could include structured lessons, project-based learning, field trips, or online courses.

    • Examples:

      • Structured Learning: Use a mix of workbook exercises, real-world problem-solving (e.g., budgeting), and interactive online games for Mathematics.

      • Project-Based Learning: If your child is passionate about dinosaurs, their Science project could involve researching species, creating a model, and presenting findings.

      • Field Trips: Visits to botanical gardens could tie into Science (plant biology) and Art (sketching).

    • Tip: Tailor strategies to your child’s interests. For animal lovers, consider trips to sanctuaries or zoos to study animal care.

 

  1. Resources

    • List the materials and tools that will support learning, such as books, apps, and community programs.

    • Examples:

      • Books: Historical novels for Humanities or textbooks for Mathematics.

      • Websites and Apps: Khan Academy for general subjects or Duolingo for Languages.

      • Community Activities: Homeschool co-ops, library programs, or museum visits.

    • Tip: Ask your child what resources they enjoy. If they prefer video content, incorporate YouTube channels or documentaries.

 

  1. Monitoring Progress

The Department of Education requires you to detail what strategies and tools you will use to monitor your child’s progress and to assess their learning. This evidence will demonstrate their successful engagement in their home education program and can be used to support future home education exemptions. The emphasis is on your child’s educational needs being met.

 Monitoring Methods:

  • Informal: These could include:

    • Ongoing observations: Keeping a journal of your child’s learning milestones as well as learning opportunities.

    • Work samples and portfolios: Examples of your child’s written work, artwork, or projects.

    • Discussions: Regular check-ins to discuss what they’ve learned and areas of interest.

  • Portfolios: A collection of your child’s work throughout the year can be used to showcase their progress. This could include essays, art projects, and photos of experiments, extracurricular activities, and excursions, as well as other social opportunities.

  • Self-Assessment: Encourage your child to reflect on their own learning and progress. This could be through written or verbal reflections on what they’ve learned.

Child-Centred Tip: Since assessment should be integrated into your child’s learning experience, it’s important to make it a natural part of their educational journey. Instead of focusing on formal tests, allow them to self-assess their growth and reflect on their interests. Avoid formal testing. Assessments should feel like natural check-ins that track growth and learning.

 

  1. Social Interaction

    • Plan opportunities for your child to engage with peers, as social development is essential. Online social interaction is acceptable to the department as well.

    • Examples:

      • Join local homeschool groups or co-ops.

      • Enroll in community sports or art classes.

      • Participate in volunteer work or attend workshops.

      • Join online groups, gaming clubs, or other social opportunities

    • Tip: Social interaction doesn’t have to be formal. Arrange playdates or small group activities based on shared interests. It does not have to be in person, it can be online.

 

  1. Child-Centred Learning:

    • Allow for flexibility: Your child’s interests and passions should guide the direction of their learning. This helps create a deeper connection with the material and fosters a love of learning. Ensure your plan can evolve as your child’s interests and needs change. Regularly review and adjust to keep learning relevant and engaging. The HEU SA do not expect you to follow your plan rigidly, they understand that you’ll be getting to know how your child learns best and adapt as needed.

    • Incorporate choice: Give your child some autonomy in choosing topics within each subject. For example, if the topic is “Science,” let your child pick a specific area to explore, like space, animals, or electricity.

    • Follow their curiosity: When your child shows interest in a subject, build upon that curiosity. If your child becomes fascinated with a topic like architecture, you could integrate it into mathematics (geometry), art (design), and history (historical buildings).

 

Summary of the Learning Plan Structure

  1. Learning Goals: Clearly state objectives for each subject area.

  2. Learning Strategies: Outline methods that cater to your child’s learning style.

  3. Resources: Identify tools and materials for support.

  4. Monitoring: Describe how you will record what and how the child has learned.

  5. Social Interaction: Detail plans for peer engagement.

  6. Flexibility: Include room for adjustments based on interests.

 

Note: Each subject area requires 200 characters minimum, this is only approximately 40 words or 3 sentences.

 

  • The application form is sourced directly from the Home Education Unit.

    • Send an initial email, to which HEU will reply with a link to the application form which can be filled out online.

    • Submit your completed application form, learning plan, and any supporting documents to the Home Education Unit for approval.

 

  • The Department for Education will review your application. If necessary, they may request additional information or modifications to your learning plan.

  • You will be contacted by an Officer from the HEU SA team to organise a home visit to discuss your plan and “sight” your child.

  • The Officer will then make a recommendation to accompany your application to the Director of the Unit.

  • Once approved, you will receive confirmation, and your child will be officially registered for home education.

  • You are required to submit a Review Report each year, which includes:

    • Updates on learning goals and achievements.

    • Evidence of educational and social activities.

    • Adjustments made to address any challenges.

  • The assessment process includes the parent sending a report towards the end of the registration period, and a home interview.

    • The report usually talks about what and how the children have been doing and learning in each learning area, a brief summary of the highlights of the year, and a brief statement about any changes intended for the coming year.

    • The home interview usually focuses on talking about what and how the kids have been learning and doing, parents can show HEU resources they’ve been using and examples of the children’s work. The interview is usually 1-2 hours long.

    • During the review meeting, you will need to provide evidence that an appropriately planned and resourced learning program has been regularly implemented during the period of exemption, according to the needs and abilities of the child.

 

What to Include in the Review Report

  1. Learning Goals

    • Summarize the goals you set in each subject area (e.g., work samples, photos, or project descriptions).

 

  1. Learning Strategies and Resources Used

    • Document the methods and resources that supported your child’s learning.

 

  1. Social Interaction

    • Highlight how your child engaged with peers and the community (e.g., co-ops, clubs, or group activities).

 

  1. Challenges and Adjustments

    • Discuss any difficulties encountered and the steps taken to address them.

 

  1. Plans for the Next Year

    • Outline new goals and strategies based on your child’s progress and interests. This can be brief, and only requires a couple of paragraphs for all of the children in the family.

 

  • Registration must be renewed annually by submitting an updated learning plan and review report.

  • You will receive an email from your HEU officer leading up to the expiration date on your exemption certificate, but it can be a good idea to start to compile your evidence and gather your thoughts on constructing your review leading up to this time.

For further details, visit:

The following video is a recording of the panel discussion and Q&A on how to write your application to home educate in South Australia.

Flyer about the webinar - a panel discussion and Q&A on how to write your application to home educate in South Australia