Want to Homeschool? Where to Start....and FAQs

The interest in homeschooling (aka Home Education) is on the rise, and folks have a lot of questions about what they need to do to get started. This post is a starting point, where I will briefly explain the required steps, and try to answer the most commonly asked questions. (Also visit the Information Index for a list of other topics/articles) 

If your child is less than 6 years old....

You are free to begin homeschooling right away. If they are 5 and currently enrolled in school, you will need to get them removed from the school roll. For more on that process and why it matters, read my article on removing 5yos from school. 

​However, prior to your child turning 6 years old, you will need to obtain a certificate of exemption, as explained below. Applications may be submitted any time after the child's 5th birthday, and will be processed and approved, but the start date of your exemption will be the child's 6th birthday, as before then there is nothing to be exempt from.

If you wish to find out about curriculum ideas and resources right away, you may find my manual called Planning Your Home Education Programme helpful, and you can also find ideas and resources at www.nchenz.org.nz. 

6-15 year olds need an Exemption

The law requires that all children in NZ (who have domestic student status*) from their 6th birthday until their 16th birthday are required to be enrolled in and attending a school, unless they are exempt. 

To gain a long term exemption from enrolment so you can homeschool, you must apply to the Ministry of Education, demonstrating in your application your intention to "teach your child at least as regularly and well as in a registered school." This is known as a "homeschooling exemption."

There is one other kind of exemption, but it applies ONLY to 15yo students who meet certain other conditions - it is called an Early Leaving Exemption (ELX) and is primarily for 15 yos who can gain no further benefit from school and have a job or alternative training course to move onto. This kind of exemption is not the focus of this article. 

* All NZ and Australian citizens and NZ residents have domestic student status. For more on who else that applies to, or what happens if you are a foreigner living in NZ, read THIS article. 

Where to find the application forms

The Ministry of Education has a page on their website on homeschooling, HERE. Do have a read through the page, as it covers quite a lot of information. At the bottom of the page is a downloadable, form-fillable pdf application form. There is also a second download, which gives some additional guidance regarding the content of the application form. 

Things to note:

• Section One of the form is the data section - name, date of birth, address etc and a legal declaration. You do need to use this section of the official form. 
• The rest of the form is optional - you need to cover all the information required, but you do NOT have to use the Ministry's document to do it in. If you prefer, you can use a Word document or similar to write up your information, and for most folk this is much easier to do and safer in terms of saving the data than the MoE's form. You would then attach this separate document to your email when you submit the application, along with the official form with just Section One completed. 
• Many folk who are new to homeschooling find the Ministry's form confusing, which is why I have created a Guide to Homeschooling Exemptions which will walk you through the requirements and help you write your application. It includes a template Word document you can use to write your application in, if you wish. 

Before completing the application you have decisions to make

In your exemption application, you need to outline the first 12 months of your intended programme of learning for your child, including WHAT you will teach, and HOW, and what, if any, specific curriculum resources you will use to support this. It is not sufficient to say you will figure this out later; that will not satisfy the Ministry. 

The whole point of the exemption application is to "satisfy" the Ministry as to "as regularly and well.." - in order to do so, you show them your plan for the first year, whereby they can see that what you propose to teach is suitable to the child's age and needs, sufficiently broad, and that you have sufficient planned topics, resources etc to enable you to carry this out. So first, you need to do some research and make some decisions about what your programme will look like. 

I get asked a lot about resources and what to choose, so to help with that I have put together a manual on Planning Your Home Education Programme which outlines many resources for all ages and subjects, as well as additional ideas on teaching each subject. You may find this very helpful. 

The website www.nchenz.org.nz also lists some resource ideas, and has selected discounted resources available to members. And, of course, there is lots of info available online. 

I've also created a free video about exemption applications, which includes an overview of what is required. Watch it HERE

Need more help with your application?

,Depending what help you need, here are some options:

• There are lots of Facebook groups for NZ homeschoolers/home educators. Many are general groups, but there are also special interest ones such as for families with ASD children, those who wish to unschool, folk using some (various) specific curriculums, Christian home educators and so on. These groups can be a great place to ask questions, see what others are using, and in some cases view examples of applications folk have chosen to share. Just hop onto Facebook and use the search to look for "homeschooling" or "home education" and then look for specifically NZ groups in the results. 
• You may be able to connect with some local home educators through the regional support groups. For a list of these, see https://www.nchenz.org.nz/support-groups/
• Don't forget to check out my guide to exemptions and my programme planning manual. 
• Once you've written your application, getting it looked over by an experienced home educator can be helpful. I offer this service for a fee. See HERE. 
• I also offer a service writing applications - I only do this for families who have chosen suitable curriculum resources for English, Math, Science and Social Studies, and are also able to provide me with information about the rest of their programme by filling in a questionnaire. I put together the information and wording to ensure it meets the requirements, but can only do so based on information you have provided (or in regards to the curriculum resources, that I can access online). I cannot make up your programme for you. For more on this service see HERE. 

I'm doing multiple applications - can they be similar?

I've written two articles that address related parts of this question. 
To read about how similar/different applications can/must be, see HERE.
To read about the possibility of combining information for children in one application, read HERE

Submitting your application

Once your application is completed, it needs to be sent to the Ministry of Education for processing. There are 10 regional Ministry offices that process applications and deal with homeschooling matters - your application must go to the one of these whose geographical region you fall within. You can post or email your application - email is recommended. For a list of the regional offices and contact details see HERE. 

When you submit your application, you need to include:

• Section One of the Ministry's form, including all the required information. There is a declaration at the end of this section; you need to check the box to acknowledge it. You do not have to physically sign the form (though can if you wish) so long as you check the box and also include one parent's first and last names in the email to which you attach it (if emailing - if you're posting, then you'll need to print this out and physically sign it). Only one parent need apply or be named on the application. 
• Sections 2-4 of the form, either in the same document of the official forms, OR in your own format, such as written up in Word etc, as discussed above. 
• A copy of your child's birth certificate, even if not born in NZ (this shows that you the child's parent/s and so can legally apply for an exemption). If  the child was born in NZ or Australia, it also shows domestic student status. 
• If you are not the child's parent, then you need to include documents which show your legal guardianship - only parents or legal guardians can apply for exemptions. This does not mean, however, that only parents/guardians can do the day to day homeschooling of the child. In foster situations, for example, the application can be done mostly by the foster parent who will be homeschooling, with the Section One form signed by a legal guardian. These kinds of cases are a bit special, so Contact Me for more info or help around these. 
• If the child was not born in NZ, then you also need to include a copy of their passport/visa or residency/citizenship paperwork to show they have domestic student status. If their DSS is attached to the parent having a work visa, then you'll need to send a copy of that too. 

​​NOTE: do not send original birth certificate/passport/visa etc documents - just a scan or photocopy. They do not have to be notorised. 

What happens next?

When you submit your application, the first step for the Ministry is to check they have all of the above components, and to enter your application into the system. At this point they will also do two things - send you an email or letter acknowledging receipt of the application, and also notify the child's school principal (if applicable) that they have the application, "inviting relevant comment." Two things to know:

• The acknowledgement of receipt will include a reminder that if your child is between 6 and 16 they need to remain enrolled in/attending school during the application process. If you are considering not having them in school during this time, read THIS. 
• The purpose of inviting comment from the school principal is to find out about the child's progress, so that they have something from which to gauge whether the content of your application is appropriate to the child's needs. Some principals choose to comment beyond that. Keep in mind, that the Ministry are aware that some principals are hostile towards home education, and to consider their comments accordingly, and that if anything is raised that the Ministry considers relevant, then they should inform you of it and give you the opportunity to respond. A school principal (or other staff member) cannot prevent you getting an exemption just because they don't think homeschooling is a good idea for your child. 

The next step after the initial admin will be for the application to be passed to the staff member (Senior Advisor) who will be reading/reviewing your application and making the initial assessment as to whether it meets the "as regularly and well" requirements. In some regions, there is one person who does this for all applications, while in others, there are various staff members who may be called upon to assess your application. If the Senior Advisor thinks that your application does not yet meet the requirements, they will contact you and let you know what areas are lacking - you then have up to 4 weeks to provide additional information accordingly. 

At no point are you required to meet with or be interviewed by staff. You may, however, be contacted by phone in the first instance if more info is needed - you can ask for the questions to be emailed to you, and take the time to consider your response - you don't have to just answer over the phone, unless you are comfortable doing so. You may also be offered the option of meeting with them in person to discuss your application, but it is your choice whether or not to do so. 

Once the Senior Advisor is finished assessing your application (including, if applicable, any additional information you have provided) they will recommend it be approved (or declined), and then pass it to another staff member to peer review before having it signed off by the manager. At that point the certificate of exemption is issued, and sent to you by email or post, and the school are also advised it has been approved. 

If the exemption is declined, they must have it peer reviewed by a different regional office before officially declining. 

The processing of an application normally takes 4-6 weeks. However, it varies greatly by region and by what is going on - sometimes they are turned around very quickly by some offices, and at other times they can take much longer.

How often are applications declined? What can I do?

Most exemption applications are approved. However, if you have not met the "as regularly and well requirements" even after being given the opportunity to provide additional information, or in limited other circumstances, it may be declined. That does not mean the end of the road though - you can appeal, or reapply. For full information on how many applications are declined, and the next steps if this happens, read THIS article. 

If I get approved, do I have to start right away?

One of the questions in Section One of the application is your intended start date. If you wish to submit an application but start at a later date, just state your intended start date in the form - the exemption will be post-dated and your child can remain in school until that date. If you later change your mind and wish to start sooner, then once it's approved you can contact the Ministry and ask them to reissue it with the earlier start date. 

Otherwise, once your exemption is approved with an immediate date on it, the Ministry will advise the school the child is now exempt, and to remove them from the roll, as an exemption and an enrolment are mutually exclusive under the law - they cannot both exist at the same time.

My child has special needs - is it harder to get approved?

No, it's not more difficult to get an exemption for a child with special needs, though some additional information is usually required. The law requires that for a child who is otherwise likely to need special education, you must show that "they will be taught at least as regularly and well as they would be in a specialist school or special service." In your application, you will need to outline what your child's special needs are, how this affects their learning, and what you will do at home to meet these additional needs. 

The Ministry may also suggest a conversation with Learning Support staff around the child's needs and whether they can provide any additional support to you. It is up to you whether or not to do this. 

Support available at home that is funded by the Ministry is limited in that you cannot access funded teacher aid hours and similar in-school supports. You can however, access certain other things like SLT, OT, assistive technology etc. For more details on this, see HERE. 

Can I use Te Kura, the Correspondence School?

Te Kura is the NZ correspondence school. In order to enroll your student in Te Kura, they must qualify under one of the gateways - some of which are funded, and some are not. 

Funded gateways include geographical isolation, itineracy, elite athletes, and psycho-social needs. If your child qualifies under one of these gateways, they will be fully funded and enrolled full time in Te Kura as their registered school - you do not need a homeschooling exemption, but do need to follow the enrolment criteria and process. For details about these funded gateways, see the enrolment policy HERE. 

If your child does not meet the criteria for funded access, and you still wish to use Te Kura for one or more subjects, you can choose to pay for this, after you get the exemption. To enroll in Te Kura as a fee-paying student, your child must be exempt. The fees are around $1800 per subject per year (for the fee schedule see HERE). Most homeschoolers do not wish to pay for Te Kura, and there are certainly many other programme choices. 

However, Te Kura is free for 16-19 year olds who are not enrolled in school - some home educators may choose to enroll their students at 16, so that they can complete NCEA qualifications if they wish to. 

Can my child gain high school qualifications or U.E?

It is possible for home educated students to gain high school qualifications, including University Entrance, through various options. Very briefly, the most accessible U.E options for home educators are:

• Doing NCEA via Te Kura as mentioned above. 
• Doing Cambridge Exams - the student studies at home using appropriate course materials, and then sits the exams as a Private Candidate at specific exam centres. THIS Facebook group is a good place to find out more, or visit the website HERE. 
• Completing the CENZ (Christian) Academic Certificate Level 3 - for more on this, visit Homeschooling NZ - www.homeschoolingnz.org. 
• Completing a GED/SAT combo. For more see HERE

​These are not the only ways to access university - they are simply the most common qualification options. And if your child does not need to get into university - perhaps they're aiming for polytech or an apprenticeship or to go straight into employment - then there are additional options that may suit better. Whatever your child is ultimately aiming for, the best advice is always to contact the prospective course provider or employer and ask what they require for admittance/employment, and then to tailor your child's programme accordingly. 

How much does homeschooling cost? Is there any funding?

How much homeschooling costs varies enormously, depending on how you choose to approach it, what resources you choose to use, and what you want to include. It can be done on a very limited budget using free resources (and a library card!) or you can spend a great deal of money, or anything in between. 

Once you have an exemption, you will be sent a declaration to sign every six months (more on that below) along with which will be a form asking if you wish to receive the Supervision Allowance, a small allowance paid by the govt to home educators, which you can use or spend in any way you wish. The annual amounts are as follows - they are paid in two installments in about June and late November:

• first child $743.00
• second child $632.00
• third child $521.00
• subsequent children $372.00

The forms are sent out in about April and September - if you gain an exemption after the print run is done, then EITHER they may send a part-period form out to you with your exemption or a few weeks later OR they may simply add the part period dates to the next declaration, and you will be entitled to a pro-rata amount for the part period. 

Once exempt, do they check up on us? How often?

Once exempt, you will be sent six monthly declarations to sign and return stating that you have been teaching your child "at least as regularly and well" for the current six month period, and intend to continue for the next six month period (or start/end dates). This is the main way that the Ministry follows up to ensure you're still home educating "as regularly and well." It is a simple form with just a couple of questions and tick boxes. Legally, they can't require you to submit these, so the allowance is the "carrot" for you to do so - if you don't return the declaration you can't get the allowance. However, if you don't return it, then they will follow up in other ways to ensure "as regularly and well." 

Additionally, there is the possibility of an ERO review. These used to be routine, but the government withdrew funding for routine reviews of all home educators some years ago; now they fund reviews for up to 35 students per year. These students are identified through a complaints basis, and even if someone does complain, there is a process of giving you an opportunity to update them on your child's programme before they decide whether or not to request a review. Most years currently only around 10 or so students end up with an ERO review. A review process may also be initiated if you don't return the six monthly declaration (or respond to the reminder). For more on this (including history and stats) see HERE. 

So, in general, apart from signing a form every six months, no, you won't be checked up on, other than the statistically very small chance of an ERO review. Unless, of course, future governments decide to re-fund routine reviews.

Update: I recently wrote an article specifically about how home education is monitored. Have a read of it HERE. 

How long does the exemption last? Do I have to reapply?

By law the exemption remains in force until either:

• The child turns 16 OR
• You enroll your child in a registered school OR
• Your exemption is revoked by the Ministry after an ERO review determines your child is not being taught as regularly and well 

...whichever comes first. There are no other circumstances in which, legally, an exemption can end, other than you as a parent telling the Ministry you want it to cease. 

What if I put them back in school and it doesn't work out?

There is an agreed policy in place whereby families can trial school for up to 10 weeks (not counting school holidays), and if they return to home education within that time, they can let the Ministry know and their exemption can be reinstated without a new application (unless there has been a "material change in circumstances" in which case they may want some updated details). 

Because under the law an exemption and a school enrolment are mutually exclusive, enrolling your child in school automatically ceases the exemption, but this policy allows families to trial school so they can explore the option of school and determine what is best for their child, without the concern that they'd automatically have to go through the whole exemption process again if after a few weeks at school they realise that home education is best. 

​If they are in school for longer than 10 weeks and you wish to return to home education, you will need to do a new exemption application. 

What if we go overseas?

Going overseas for any length of time does not void your exemption. However, if you are away for more than 28 days, you will not be entitled to the allowance for the time you are overseas. Also, because of the need to sign and return the six monthly declarations while in NZ, you do need to let the Ministry know if you're going overseas so they can technically "cease" your exemption to stop the generation of the declarations (and send you one by email for a part period you may have been in NZ). When you return to NZ, you just contact the regional office so they can reactivate the exemption. 

Conclusion

Home education can be very, very rewarding! You do, though, need to think through what you want to do and how  in order to complete the application. Hopefully the above has answered your initial questions, and linked you to further information where needed. If I missed anything, feel free to leave a comment below with further questions which I will endeavour to answer (or add to this post), or for more personal questions, feel free to Contact Me directly.