About registration
Deciding to educate your child at home can be a major decision. There are a number of areas you should think about, investigate and research before making a balanced decision to educate your child at home. These would include:
- your child's individual needs, abilities and special interests
- the demands on your time and energy
- an awareness of what a high quality education would look like based on state and national standards
- the resources you will need to support the learning experiences and their availability.
You must complete a form called: Registration for Home Education and provide the required documentation with the application. Information about the documents required can be found in the application form. This form can be obtained online from the Parents and Carers section on the DET website or will be posted to you from the Home Education Unit. An application for registration can be made any time throughout the year.
Every application for registration is issued a provisional registration. This is issued as an interim measure to give your child a legal status while the application is being processed and any negotiations in regard to the program you have presented are finalised. It expires as soon as registration is issued.
A registration date is recorded on your child's registration certificate. The anniversary date is the same date one year later and is the date by which you will need to have completed the renewal process if your child is to continue with home education. For example: if a registration is started part way through a year on 8 May 2007 then completion of the continuing registration process (report and revised program) is due by 8 May 2008.
Registration once awarded is continuous — it does not expire. It is due for renewal through a reporting process before the anniversary date. If a parent fails to comply with the standard conditions of registration then the registration can be cancelled. It is required that the child be enrolled at a state or non-state school if they are no longer registered for home education.
Having completed your application form and attached all required documentation, you should lodge the application with the Home Education Unit.
Applications can take as little as two weeks to be processed. (This time depends on how complete your application is and how many applications are before us at the same time. As your application is being processed, you will be contacted by an education advisor who will speak with you and they, if necessary, may request further information.)
Yes. When the application process is complete a Certificate of Registration Home Education for your child will be forwarded to you. You are advised to retain this document, as it is formal proof of registration. This certificate is issued only once. Once registration is complete, you can request an ID Card for your child.
Yes. You would be advised in writing. However, every effort is made to resolve any issues which may surround your application and hence non-approvals are rare.
Before your child's registration anniversary date the Home Education Unit will send a letter inviting you to continue the registration. Included with this letter will be a renewal form for each child and a reminder about the reporting and assessment responsibilities you have. If you do not forward a report within the required time, the registration may be cancelled. We would contact you if this was about to happen.
You must advise the Home Education Unit within 28 days if your child changes address. You are required to return their Registration Certificate and a new certificate is issued. If you change your phone number and/or email address please contact the Home Education Unit to ensure your details are up to date so that any communications from the Unit reach you.
You must inform the Home Education Unit in writing within 14 days if your home education registration is no longer required and you need to return your child's registration certificate. You should also provide us with the name of the school that your child will attend.
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