Why should I register my child for home education?
In Queensland, a child must be engaged in an educational option if they're at least 6 years and 6 months old until they turn 16, or they complete Year 10 (whichever comes first). This is called compulsory school age.
As a parent, you can meet your legal responsibility by educating your child at home, but you must apply to be registered for home education.
The department's Home Education Unit manages home education registrations and assists you to comply with these legislative procedures. We process your applications, review your annual reports to maintain your child’s registration, and provide some additional resources and information you can use as a guide when preparing your educational program and reporting on your child's educational progress.
Is home education the most suitable option for my child?
Home education is one of several educational options you may choose for your child in Queensland.
Other options include:
- state schools
- non-state schools
- schools of distance education
Home education means that the child’s parent takes on responsibility for educating them at home, and the parent provides the education program. It can be a rewarding option for families that have the capacity to provide high-quality education in the home environment.
When you apply to register your child for home education, you should consider their individual needs and the kind of learning opportunities and outcomes you can provide in your home.
If you're unsure whether home education is the most suitable option for your child, please
contact the Home Education Unit.
What's the difference between home education and distance education?
Home education means that you provide education to your child at home. You can also engage a registered teacher to deliver the home education program. Either you or a registered teacher will plan, deliver, monitor your child’s learning from one year to the next. Parents must provide an annual report on their child’s educational progress. As the registered parent, you will need to provide an annual report on your child’s educational progress.
Distance education means that you enrol your child at a school of distance education and the school provides their educational program. Your child’s teacher will monitor their learning and report on their educational progress in Terms 2 and 4. With distance education, you supervise your child at home, but you are not responsible for delivering their educational program.
What documents do I need to provide with my application form?
When you apply to register your child for home education, you will need to provide evidence that they're the right age and that you have parental responsibility for them.
Usually, a birth certificate will show your child’s age and confirm that you are their parent. The birth certificate must be an official certificate, not a commemorative certificate.
Sometimes, you will need to provide extra documentation.
If your name is different from the name on your child’s birth certificate, for example, you can provide a marriage certificate or change-of-name document to show that you have legally changed your name.
Documents that show you have parental responsibility for your child may include:
- a Medicare card with both your names on it
- a Health Care Card with both your names on it
- a court order document.
If any court order documents are in place that relate to your child, you must provide them when you apply to register your child for home education.
You will also need to sign a declaration as part of the application form.
Can I get an extension on my annual report?
Extensions are not available on annual reports.
The annual report date corresponds with your child’s date of home education registration.
What happens after I submit my annual report?
When the Home Education Unit receives a complete annual report, an officer will review the report and supporting documentation to determine whether your child has engaged in a high-quality education and made sufficient educational progress.
They will also assess your summary of the coming year's educational program to make sure it meets the standard conditions of registration, particularly that your child will receive a high-quality education.
If any of your documentation is incomplete, or if the officer reviewing your report needs any additional information, they will contact you by phone or email.
Please note that the Home Education Unit experiences a peak period between October and March each year. This is when we receive a higher number of annual reports.
You can expect that it may take longer for your report to be reviewed during this peak period.
You will receive a letter from the Home Education Unit to confirm that your child's registration will continue.
How does the Home Education Unit make decisions on applications and reports?
The Home Education Unit is a regulatory unit that's part of Registration Services in the Queensland Department of Education.
We make decisions on applications and reports according to the home education provisions in the
Education (General Provisions) Act 2006. We often call this Act the 'EGPA' for short.
These provisions in the EGPA:
- outline the information and documentation parents must provide when applying to register their child for home education and report annually on their educational progress
- set out parents' obligations while they are educating a child at home
- describe ways for the Home Education Unit to seek extra information, when it's needed
- provide timeframes for decision-making and review processes
- give Home Education Officers the authority to make decisions—including granting, refusing and cancelling registrations and sending regulatory notices.
The EGPA is freely available for anyone to read.
You may notice that the home education provisions in the EGPA refer to the 'chief executive'. The chief executive of the Department of Education is the
Director-General.
The Director-General delegates (gives) power to officers in the Home Education Unit to make regulatory decisions on their behalf. The officers who are allowed to make decisions in the Home Education Unit include Senior Education Officers and their supervisors.
Our Senior Education Officers have education qualifications, and knowledge and understanding of the home education sector.
The Home Education Unit keeps records of all communication with parents, including emails, letters phone calls and other interactions.
You can read more about our processes in the
Home education in Queensland procedure.
Can my child be registered for home education and go to school at the same time?
In Queensland, your child can't be registered for home education and enrolled at a state or non-state school at the same time.
If your child is registered for home education, you must let your child’s school know that their enrolment has ended. If you have enrolled your child at a school, or are planning to, you will need to let the Home Education Unit know so they can end your child’s home education registration.
Providing this information is a requirement under section 228 of the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006.
Can I withdraw my child from school straight away after applying for home education registration?
You should let your child's school know that you have applied to register your child for home education.
A child cannot be enrolled at school and registered for home education at the same time.
You should start your child's home education program as soon as you have submitted an application, as they will be provisionally registered from the date we received your application.
What costs are associated with home education?
There's no fee to register your child for home education.
If you are applying to register your child for home education, you should consider:
- any possible impact on your employment when becoming a home educator
- your ability to pay for a variety of educational resources
- the cost of accessing specialist services or funding that may have been available at a school but is not available to you as a home-educating parent.
Can my child have an ID card?
You can request a photographic identification (ID) card for your child if they are registered for home education. The Home Education Unit processes your application for an ID card and sends it to you in the post.
Here is an example of what the ID card will look like. It includes your child’s name, date of birth and HEU Identification Number, as well as a passport-style photograph picture of your child.
This card will be valid for one year from the date of your child's registration.
Children aged 5 to 14 years fall under the child travel concession category. Students aged 15 years or older are eligible for secondary student concession fares.
The Home Education Unit will send out ID cards as quickly as possible. Our officers usually process ID cards within a week, but there can sometimes be delays.
To request an ID card, please send an email to the Home Education Unit at
homeeducation@qed.qld.gov.au. Your email must include:
- a current passport-style photograph of your child in electronic format (JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF or BMP)
- head and shoulders facing forwards (the child is allowed to smile)
- photo taken against a blank background—plain light grey, cream or white
- a statement saying
- this is a current picture of my child (full name)
- their date of birth is (day/month/year—for example, 21/11/2014)
- their current postal address is (address).
Find out more about concession fares by visiting the
Translink website.
Can my child get a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)?
A Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE), or a senior certificate, is a qualification awarded to young people when they complete the compulsory participation phase, usually at the end of Year 12. It is internationally recognised and provides evidence of senior schooling achievements.
To be eligible for a QCE, a child needs to accrue at least one credit of learning while enrolled at a Queensland school.
A home education program does not accrue credits towards the QCE.
To find out more about how your child can accrue credits and achieve a QCE, you should visit the
Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) website.
Can my child sit National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests?
Home education children can participate in NAPLAN, but they can't complete the tests at home.
If your child is registered for home education, you can usually arrange for testing supervision at a local state or non-state school. The principal of the school must confirm they are able to accommodate your child within the school's testing arrangements.
When the Home Education Unit receives your email confirming that you want your child to sit the tests, we will reply with a letter of introduction to a school principal. You will also receive a letter confirming your child's details to give the supervising teacher on the first day of testing.
Can my child receive the Textbook Resource Allowance?
Children registered for home education who are the same age as children in Years 7 to 12 at school may be eligible for the annual
Textbook and Resource Allowance (TRA).
The Home Education Unit will contact you if your child is eligible to receive the TRA and invite you to complete a form confirming your payment details.
The TRA is not available to children whose TRA was previously paid to a school when the child was enrolled earlier in the school year. Your child may be eligible for the TRA the following year.