From the end of July 08 this website will no longer be updated but will remain online as an archive.
For current information about home education in Australia please visit the Home Education Association of Australia.
While there, please consider joining this vital support network that works hard to promote home education in Australia.

Home education is a legal alternative to school education in Australia. State governments are responsible for regulating home education.
Different states have different requirements, however homeschooling families are able to develop curriculum and learning programs
to suit the individual needs of their children.

© Beverley Paine

Homeschooling is the education of children, primarily by parents, in the family home setting. This definition falls far short of actual practice - homeschoolers regularly use the whole community, including materials, people, places and institutions to continuously expand their learning opportunities. Few homeschoolers restrict learning to home. With the world as their classroom, why should they?

Home education is not new or radical. It is the oldest form of education practiced by humanity. Families educate their children at home for all kinds of reasons. The pluralistic nature of home educating families reflects the diverse nature of Australian society. This diversity of educational approaches and values is shared and celebrated by homeschoolers via conferences, newsletters, camps, magazines and support groups. Families don't homeschool in isolation. There is a flourishing network system of sympathetic support groups willing to share a wealth of personal experience, information and research.

The vast majority of homeschooling families believe that the education of children is primarily the responsibility of parents. Parents are highly motivated individuals who are keenly interested in the education of their children. They take this role seriously and continuously update their own education and maintain high educational standards for their children.

Families choose from an abundance of readily available educational materials and approaches, selecting only those elements which suit their individual children's educational profiles and family values. Homeschooling doesn't have to be fancy or expensive - often cost, beyond a collection of inexpensive text books, is determined by the educational interests and passions within the family. Basic educational supplies can be found in almost any home and with a few well chosen curriculum aids, texts and materials a comprehensive learning program can be cheaply put together.

You may like to read a couple of frequently asked question responses Beverley wrote in reply to some emailed questions:

• FAQ: What is your homeschooling life like?
• FAQ: Does this stuff work? I don't dig this homeschooling idea at all and reckon that homeschooling leads to socially retarded kids...

If you want to know more about how Beverley and Robin homeschooled their children their book, Learning in the Absence of Education (a title picked by their then ten year old son) contains many essays on how their children learned to read, write, spell, how the family managed daily life, dealt with socialisation issues, etc.

Want to Read More?
Browse the Articles Index or the Curriculum Index