In December last year, I posted THIS article about the big spike in homeschooling exemption application numbers, which continued through until March this year (I added Feb updates to that article). This post is to provide some further data about numbers of applications since, from what is currently available. 

The next official statistics (to end of June 2022) won't be released on Education Counts until later this year - likely December - so any data in the meantime comes from OIA request results that have been shared, often by journalists who have been following this situation with interest. 

May 2022: The chart below was provided by a BOP reporter, who received it from the MoE as part of an information release.
In the complete document, they said that in 2021, they had received 3,833 applications, of which 3,440 had been approved (that year - some were not yet processed), and in 2022 from 1/2-30/4 they had received 2,328 applications, of which 1,500 had been approved so far when the data was extracted on 5th May 2022. 

June 2022: An article was published under the headline "Homeschool requests dip now COVID, mask rules have relaxed."
It essentially quotes the same data above, finishing with: "Nationally there were 781 applications in January, 744 in February, 548 in March and 255 in April." 

While this is a dip from those big numbers in Oct-Feb, that still places applications at about "twice normal" compared to previous years, a trend that doesn't look likely to end any time soon. 

Since the above, there have not been further articles so far with useful data in them - the focus in the media has turned to the huge absenteeism situation etc. Should more come in, I will add them to this post as updates.

Anecdotally, though, comments from Ministry staff indicate that application numbers, while more settled, are still consistently above previous norms. One region, which would normally average about 70 applications per month, told me recently they'd received 70 applications in the previous fortnight, which is consistent with the "twice average" indicators. I don't know for certain all regions are still seeing higher then normal numbers, but it seems likely, though there will be small dips and surges. 

The Ministry of Education normally receives about 200 applications per month for exemptions. Since September 2021, they have been receiving around 800 applications per month. That four-fold increase is resulting in applications often taking longer than the usual 4-6 weeks to process, though that does vary from region to region.

Meanwhile parents who have chosen to home educate may be in various stages - application submitted some time ago and awaiting the outcome, application only recently submitted, or application not submitted yet. Those who submitted applications well before Christmas may understandably feel that it's not fair if they are expected to send their kids to school for the beginning of this term when they did their part in a timely manner, and it's the Ministry who are taking a long time. Parents who more recently submitted applications, or have not done so yet, can of course not have reasonably expected to have exemptions before the school term started, in most cases. 

Regardless of the timing, there are a wide range of reasons why parents may not want to send their kids to school right now, including:

• They are all set up and ready to start homeschooling; want to get on with it, not disrupt the children's learning by putting them into school and then pull them back out again within a few days/week. 
• Reluctance to expose their children to possible COVID in the school setting, with the country at Red, and Omicron starting to move through the country. In some cases, this may be because of medically vulnerable family members. 
• Concern over vaccine mandates or mask mandates.
• All the other many reasons why parents want to choose homeschooling in the first place, and may not see any benefit or sense in sending the kids back to school while awaiting the exemption.

The surge in homeschooling applications has been attracting a lot of media attention recently. Schools have also in some cases not been sure how to handle things as the term begins. The Ministry of Education puts out a regular bulletin to school leaders on COVID-related matters. This week's bulletin, on 1st Feb, included the following section regarding home education applications:

​"Applications for home education

Since September there has been a significant increase in enquiries from parents about home education.
Information about home education and the application process is on our website for parents and whānau.
 
Here are some key messages about home education you can use if parents and whānau inquire.

• Home education is not a short-term solution. To home educate well, parents need to thoroughly research and plan their approach.
• If parents are concerned about their children attending school during the pandemic, they should first talk with their children’s teachers and principal about alternative learning options that the school may be able to support.
• Parents must apply for an exemption to home educate their children and they must demonstrate in their application that they can teach their children as regularly and as well as in a registered school.
• Applications are reviewed and assessed by our Ministry regional staff and exemptions are approved/declined at the regional level.
• We are currently assessing a large number of home education applications and decisions are taking longer than usual – on average more than six weeks. While families wait for their application to be assessed, legally all children aged over six years must be enrolled at and attending school (children can enrol at age five and then they must attend)."

I've seen already several schools tell families they have had "advice from the Ministry that students must remain enrolled in/attending school until they receive their exemptions" and so insist that the students go to school. While it is true that the law requires students 6-15 to be enrolled/attend until/unless exempt, this has always been the case. The Ministry's statement above is simply repeating the facts. It's not new or a harder line. 

What is missing from this statement is the fact that 5 year olds can be removed from school without an exemption. For more on that see HERE

Because the law only states, in effect, two things around this subject, it does not leave specific space for transition. Those two things are:

• ​All students aged 6-15 must be enrolled in and attend school
• Parents can apply for and be granted an exemption from the above for their student

The law, does, however, include some specific statements around reasons why a school/principal/the Secretary might excuse a student from attending. These include:

• Attending suitable alternative tuition
• A transition plan to ease a student into full time attendance due to age, medical or psychological needs
• The student lives significant walking distance from the school (varies by age)
• Short term "justified absence"  or "because it is sensible to do so" - however these are limited to 5 & 7 days respectively. 

For more info on these, see the relevant sections of THIS article. 

Though it is not specifically stated in law, a medical practitioner can also, when appropriate, write a medical certificate excusing a student from attendance for a period of time, which the school must accept.  

So where does commonsense come in? Are there some circumstances in which it might be sensible not to send kids to school while waiting on the exemption certificate? Most people would likely say yes, there are. And they may well be right. However, the law, as we've seen, does not explicitly allow for those things; it comes down to people using commonsense, hopefully in agreement with one another where more than one party is involved. Here are some examples that might be appropriate:

• A parent has submitted exemption applications more than 6 weeks ago, but the Ministry has not yet finished processing them. This family was anticipating being approved and beginning homeschooling from the beginning of Term 1. They've got all the books and everything set up ready to go. If they send their kids back to school, then it may only be literally days, or a couple more weeks, before they are approved, and would be taken back out of school. Sending them seems disruptive both to the student and to the school (as well as unnecessarily expensive if new school uniforms/stationery/fees are needed). Perhaps the family can discuss this with the school, and the school may be supportive of this, either marking this as acceptable alternative tuition as discussed in my truancy article linked above, or marking them as unjustified absence, but with no intention to refer the family to attendance services as long as the exemptions come through in the near future.
• A family has a medically vulnerable person and has genuine concerns about COVID, not wanting to send their kids to school until things settle down. According to the Ministry bulletin quoted above, schools may be able to provide alternative learning options for them. This could be instead of transitioning to homeschooling, or while transitioning to homeschooling if they plan to keep them at home in the longer term. 
• A family has not yet submitted exemption applications; they recognise that it will take some time before they have the exemptions, and decide to send their children to school until they are received. This is sensible and appropriate unless there are reasons they cannot or should not be at school, such as health and safety reasons, mental well being issues etc, in which case they should likely talk to their doctor about a medical certificate in the meantime.
• A family has submitted applications recently; it may be a while until they receive the exemptions, but they believe they have genuine reasons for not sending the children to school in the meantime. Depending on the circumstances, they may be able to discuss this with the school, or a medical professional and come to some agreement. 
• A family strongly feels that, though they need to wait upon the exemptions, that their duty of care to their children's wellbeing and best interests means that they are not able to send them to school in the interim. Despite the school being unsupportive of this, they make this choice, knowing that they may be followed up by attendance services, and could potentially face prosecution, though this usually only occurs in extreme or long-running situations. (For more on how that works, see HERE). This family would, if they have not already, get their exemption applications completed and submitted asap. Attendance Services, if they become involved, may apply commonsense by seeing that the family is genuinely working on/awaiting the application process, and has made this decision based upon what they believe is best for their children, and therefore taking no further action other than ensuring the exemption was approved in due course, so they can close their file. 

These are just some examples of how commonsense may be applied. They are all genuine examples that have occurred in one form or another, but this does not guarantee they will work out that way for any given family. 

The bottom line is, every family should do their best to remain within the letter of the law if at all possible. However, sometimes circumstances result in a wee bit of colouring outside of the lines during a transition phase. If that occurs, it should be kept to the shortest time possible, and reasonable communication should be maintained with others involved, such as the school, Attendance Services or whomever. It is very unlikely that the Ministry will be rushing to prosecute anyone who is genuinely transitioning from school to home education. However, if families take their kids out of school for long periods without gaining an exemption, that would be a completely different situation. 

A lot of conflicting advice is floating around about this. Families are asking "Do I have to send my kids to school at Red level?" The government's position on this has been clear: schools are open and students should attend at red level. This is in fact simply the law; the law requires students who are enrolled to attend whenever the school is open. So, except where there are health orders that require a school to close, or require students to not attend (eg due to close contact situations), then the standard laws are operating and all students are legally require to attend. 
However, as noted in the Ministry's bulletin to school leaders quoted above, schools may be able to offer alternative learning options if parents are concerned about their children attending during the pandemic.  

• You can choose to hire tutors/teachers for certain aspects of your child's programme if you wish, but must remain in control of how and what they are being taught. 
• If you do want to hire teachers etc, there are some things to think about first
• People come and go from homeschooling for different reasons and over different periods of time. We welcome you while you're here, but ask you to be mindful of how what you do and say reflects upon the entire community.​

​Let's explore these points and more further.....

The law is very clear on two things: you as parent have the right to decide how and where your child will be taught (including at home if you wish), and your child has a right to an education. Because of the child's right to an education, it is your responsibility as parent to ensure they receive an education - either by ensuring they attend a suitable school, or by providing them with a suitable alternative form of education. If you choose to remove them from the school system and educate them at home, you need to apply for an exemption; in the exemption application you must satisfactorily demonstrate that your child will be "taught at least as regularly and well as in a registered school." As evidence of this, you are required to lay out the details of your first year's intended learning programme, including what subjects and topics you will cover, how, and using what resources. 

So long as your overall programme is appropriate to the child's needs, and is suitably broad (with a decent literacy and numeracy component), what your child's education will look like at home is up to you. If you want to model it on the NZ curriculum, you can. If you want to follow a child-led learning approach, you can. If you want to teach Swahili or how to juggle while hanging upside down from an elephant, you can. If you want to purchase textbooks from overseas, you can. If you want to arrange your "school year" on the same or a completely different schedule to that in schools, you can. If you want to hire a teacher or tutor to teach certain subjects, you can. Use a desk? Have no desks? Teach at the beach, in a hole, with a goat or dig your own moat - yes you can, Sam I am. But just because you CAN do something, doesn't necessarily mean you SHOULD. 

At the end of the day, and this is my main point of this segment, YOU as parent are taking full responsibility for your child's education, if you choose to get an exemption and homeschool. Even if you hire help (with the exemption, or with the delivery of the programme), YOU are still fully and completely responsible. Therefore you must remain engaged and aware of what your child is being taught, how and by whom, at all times. And therefore you need to take the time to personally investigate and make decisions around what your programme of learning will include, and how it will be delivered, both in order to write the exemption application, and on an on-going basis. This is indeed a responsibility, but it's also a privilege to be fully involved in your child's education, to see the light bulb come on, to build a close relationship with them, to BE THERE, and it's your right to choose this pathway for your family. 

The short version: there's isn't one right way.

I've been in this sector for over a quarter of a century and met or talked to thousands of home educators. While many of them will intersect in having various common factors, each family is unique - what matters to them, how they view education, their individual needs and passions, their access to resources etc, all come together in unique combinations that result in each individual homeschool being a bit different. And that's one of the great beauties of it!

Homeschoolers can also be very passionate people. We CARE about our children and their education, and we care about the homeschooling community as a whole. This passion can result in folk sharing their own ideas with great enthusiasm, and sometimes seeming to imply that their way is the best way. It may or may not be best for you and your family - do explore things that sound good to you, and do be willing to listen to seasoned home educators who have trod the road before you and have much wisdom to impart. But don't jump on the latest fad or feel you must try everything being put out there - take time to figure out what's right for you and your family. Start small, with the basics, and add other things later. 

Because at the end of the day, the "right way" to home educate is the way that works for you - suits your family, your children's needs, delivers them a reasonable education, and is sustainable. And you won't actually know what that is until you've given it a go for a while, and see first hand what's working and what isn't. One of the most common mistakes newbies make is to spend a lot of money on curriculum etc in the first year, and then find it wasn't a good fit. 

The exemption application process can seem very daunting to a new family. However, it is a useful process, because it forces you to think through how and what you want to teach your children, to the point you can articulate it, so that when you start you have a reasonable plan to get you under way and through most of the first year. (You're free to make any needed changes as you go along, but do need to start out with a plan you  feel will work for you). 

Sometimes families want help with this process, and that's ok. There are various helps available, and you can make use of the ones that work best for you. Just remember, though, that the application needs to reflect YOUR plans and intentions, things YOU have decided. Do not expect someone else to just come up with it all for you. If anyone offers to, tempting though it may be, walk away. This is NOT just about "getting the tick" from the Ministry. It's about your children's education and wellbeing, for which you are responsible. 

Helps you might want:

• I have a guide to exemptions, and a manual on planning your programme, which can help you figure out what you want to do, understand the exemption process, and write up your own application. 
• Experienced home educators whom you know or in your local area or on the online forums might offer to help you figure out what you want to do and how to put your application together or read over when you're written and make suggestions. If they're doing this without cost, have recent application experience, and are providing support that is useful to you, go for it. They are, in essence, parents who have walked this road before you and are helping to light the way. Most homeschooling parents, though, are very busy with their own families' needs, so don't ask more of them than they are willing to offer. 
• A few folk who have a great deal of experience in both home education and helping with applications, supporting families who have issues with the Ministry etc provide professional (paid) help with applications - this might include coaching around what your programme will look like, reviewing and giving feedback on your application, in some cases helping write it for you (reflecting your decisions and based on information you provide), and/or supporting you through any bumps in the road with the Ministry. This is what I do nearly full time, and there are a small core group of others in this space too, to whom I can refer folk if needed. When you engage the services of one of us, you can be confident that we understand the current application requirements, know what it is like to actually homeschool over many years, and will be there to follow through if you need additional support around any issues that arise during your application process. We want you to succeed - not just in getting the exemption, but in effectively educating your children.

Also happening now, is that teachers who have recently lost their jobs are offering to help plan programmes and write applications. Before you consider engaging the services of any of these folk here are some questions you should consider asking them:

• Have they ever homeschooled? For how long?
• How much experience do they have with exemption applications? How many have they helped with, over what period of time? And was this since 2016 (when requirements changed)?
• If it's programme planning you want help with, is the style and approach they are expert in what you want for your children at home? We do not have to emulate schools at home (and there are a lot of good reasons not to, especially in the first year), but, as discussed above, you are free to choose the approach you want. Teachers who choose to homeschool often say they have to "unlearn" teaching in order to be effective home educators. Teachers who have never home educated may not understand how different home learning is, and what works best there.  
• How much knowledge do they have of readily available resources for homeschoolers?  Do they know the courses and products available sufficiently to make recommendations?
• If they are offering their own "style" of homeschooling or resources they are creating, will they be there for you in the long run? If the C-19 situation changes, will they go back to their teaching jobs, or continue in this new direction?
• If they help put your application together, and then the Ministry asks for additional information because they are not satisfied with what has been presented, will this person be there to support you through that process with no additional cost?
• How does what they are charging compare to what the seasoned professional homeschoolers are charging? 

Please don't misunderstand me - I totally understand (and support) folk, including teachers, who have suddenly found themselves in this position, wanting to use what they know and the skills they have to serve others and also earn an income. Many of them are trying to figure out their way forward and what they can do. I personally would not hesitate to hire someone with skills to do something I need done, where their skills and approach are a reasonably good fit for the service I need. I've also had a number of conversations with lovely teachers about their skills and passions and what they could bring to the table to serve within the home education space. However, my role right here is to look out for the families who are entering homeschooling, who need help, but don't know the kind of help they actually need, because they're also navigating in the dark. This is not a good place for the blind to be leading the blind. 

Again, this is not about "getting the tick" from the Ministry, but investigating and choosing an approach to educating YOUR children that seems, as best as you can discern, like a good fit for YOUR family, and sustainable going forward, and then outlining that in the exemption application, and, if you feel the need, working with someone with the experience and expertise to help you relay that in the exemption application. 

The entire historic premise of home education, or homeschooling, is that families choose to take their children out of school and provide for their education at home. This, in the vast majority of cases, has always meant that at least one parent is predominantly at home and focused on the needs and education of the child. This can look different in different situations as families juggle work commitments and other matters, but it is fundamentally different to the "just send the kids to school where the teachers will take care of their education" mindset. 

Many families have, over the years, hired experts to teach some things to their kids - this might be music teachers, a math tutor, an art teacher, sports coaches or whatever. Often in areas where they themselves lack expertise, or where their child has a particular gifting or interest they want to support the development of beyond the level at which they can personally guide. This is appropriate and in scope for home education - parents are responsible for their child's education, and that includes providing resources to ensure that the child's needs are met, whether those resources are books and stationery, or an expert guide. This also applies where a child has additional needs that  the family feel are best supported with the help of those with particular expertise. 

What is currently occurring, though, is a lot of teachers offering to teach home educated kids, and/or a number of parents wanting to take their kids out of school and hire teachers to teach them. This is not necessarily wrong per se, but there are some things that should be considered before diving into this:

Remember, YOU are the parent, and if you choose to homeschool, then you are and must remain responsible for your child's education. You can choose to hire teachers and tutors if you wish, but there is an expectation that you will know what is being taught and keep up to date on their progress. In fact, the Ministry's expectation is that the people you delegate responsibility to will actually only be teaching that which you plan and direct them to teach. It's not enough to say "I hired an English teacher, therefore I assume my child is being taught English properly." The child's teaching programme, progress and outcomes remain YOUR responsibility, legally and morally. 

As I've already said, there's no one right way to homeschool, and if you want your child to continue with, essentially, the same programme of learning as they would have in school, only delivered in a home setting, that is your choice and right to decide. If your only consideration is to take your children out of school because of the Covid situation, then maybe that is what you want. But if you dream of closer relationships with your kids, a more enjoyable or meaningful approach to learning, or have noticed that the school system has not served your child well (either educationally or emotionally) then I'd suggest that bringing the same system into your home may not be a wise move. 

In case you don't know this, home educators are NOT required to use, adhere to or emulate the school system or the NZ curriculum. Many would argue that there are many, many way better ways to educate a child. It's also important to understand about deschooling - that is, the process of giving your child time to "let go" of the school system, and adjust to being at home. Jumping from one system to another full on system at home is often also not wise, without allowing some transition space between. There's a lot to be said with taking things slow in your first year - not overinvesting in expensive resources, but spending TIME with your kids, exploring the world, building your relationships, supporting their interests, guiding them in building on basic skills, and finding out who they are and what they need most. 

If you are considering hiring a teacher to deliver a significant part of your child's educational programme, do also consider the matter of when "homeschoolers might be operating as a school"- as this has significant ramifications, if it applies. Also, consider asking that teacher some questions similar to what is outlined above under hiring help with exemptions - you need to know what their areas of expertise and experience are, what your children will be taught, how you will be kept appraised of their progress, whether the methodology employed is a good fit with how you want to see your children learning, and whether this person will be there for the longer haul if things change, as well as how much it will cost and whether that fits your budget. 

If what a teacher is offering does gel with what you want, need, and can afford, then you have the right to choose this option if you want. And also the right to change your mind if you see it's not working well down the track (beware of any contracts you might be asked to sign). 

Home educators have always been an incredibly diverse bunch of people - with different ideas, beliefs, approaches, philosophies, interests and families. It's very, very hard to get such a diverse bunch moving in the same direction about anything. But there have been pivotal moments in homeschool history when we DID come together to take action to help ensure our rights and freedoms to teach our children at home with minimal state interference are protected. The very fact that you are reading this article and able to consider homeschooling your children is built upon the foundation laid by those who came before you. 

Those who choose to home educate do generally all have one significant thing in common - we CARE about our kids and want what is best for them! We want them to succeed in life, and want to provide them with the skills and education they need to do so. We also want to remain free to make this choice for our children.

​Some of us homeschool for many, many years. Others come and go for short periods of time. Every year, there are both a significant number of folk who enter homeschooling, and a significant number who exit. Last year, there were over 1800 who gained exemptions, and over 1300 who ceased homeschooling. Over 30% of those had held exemptions for less than a year. 

Home educators are also generally a very friendly and welcoming bunch. We open our arms and hearts to new families - some come and go in a short time, and others become life-long friends. However long you rest in this space, we welcome you. Remember, though, we are also all human. The world right now has basically tilted off it's axis. As a result, a lot of people are scared, frustrated, angry etc. That applies to some who are coming into homeschooling, and also to some who are already there. This can make for some less-than-tactful statements, misunderstandings, and issues. Please, be patient with each other, and willing to forgive. We are not the enemies of each other. Rather we are caring parents sharing a bit of common ground, despite our differences. Those who are passionate about home education and know they are likely to live in this space long after most of the newbies have gone again, may be concerned about the damage that can be done if folk enter homeschooling in a way that brings disrepute on the wider community. And those with a lot of experience may be concerned about folk with no experience trying to come into this space and represent themselves as "experts" and whether or not that will bring harm to new families and how they experience homeschooling. Likewise, newbie families often cannot think past the need to get the exemption asap, and are feeling pressured and panicky, ready to grab the first rope tossed their way. They're not in the headspace to see the bigger picture very clearly yet, and don't know what they don't know. Again, let's all be patient and kind to one another. 

If you're new to homeschooling, hard as it may be, please do slow down, take the time to think about what you want your children's learning to look like and how best to implement it. Don't rashly run this way or that, and please, please, set aside your anger (no matter how justified, and no matter the cause), and focus on what your plan is going forward. If more experienced folk express concern about something, hear them out. Take from that what is good and useful to you, and what is wise in terms of protecting the reputation and rights of your family AND the wider homeschooling community, and let go of the rest. Know that you have the right to decide what and how your children will be taught, and don't have to follow anyone else's ideas and plan. 

All we ask is that you don't come into this space assuming you know best for anyone other than your own family, or acting in a way that can bring disrepute on homeschoolers in general. We will try to support and encourage you on your journey, and hope you discover, as most of us did, that it's the best thing you ever did for your kids and yourself! :

There is a rumour circulating on social media. The wording varies a wee bit depending who is passing it on, but basically it goes something like this:

"Homeschooling applications being closed for 2 years from the end of October. This is to enable them to jab your child.." Apparently told to someone's neighbour by the homeschooling team. (Chinese whispers anyone?)

This is complete nonsense! Since I first wrote this, there have been various other rumours circulating, some sadly perpetuated by people in positions who should know better but shall not be named. Regardless of where you hear any such rumour from, there are NO changes to application processes, and there are no deadlines or cut offs. Nor are school principals involved in reviewing applications. 

The right to home educate your child is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is entrenched in at least 2 sets of laws:
The Care of Children Act 2004
The Education and Training Act 2020

To change that, the government would have to amend both of them. There is no evidence of any bills or amendments targeted at the relevant sections of those Acts. 

There is also nothing to suggest, in any of the accessible Ministry websites, newsletters, or other information that there are any changes being made around home education. 

While on rare occasions in the past someone from the Ministry might have given incorrect information about various things related to home education to people making inquiries, this one is way out in left field in terms of credibility. I can't begin to imagine what the true foundation or motivation behind this nonsense is, but please, don't spread this rumour. It's only causing unnecessary stress to people, and there's enough stress going on in the world right now.

Update 19th Oct - this just in from Janine Moss, Manager, Provider Services at the Ministry (this is the senior staff member in over-all charge of home education as part of her broader portfolios):

"....about the information circulating which is stating that Ministry home education applications are closing at the end of this month for two years. We have been hearing this through our regional education advisors too.
 
These are false statements. There has been no change to the home education application process, there are no new deadlines for submitting applications, and no changes have been made to the Education and Training Act 2020.  
 
Parents and caregivers who want to home educate their child aged between 6 and 16 years can apply for an exemption for home education in accordance with section 38 of the Education and Training Act 2020. There are no deadlines or close off dates for applications.
 
Please feel free to share this [information] widely with your home education colleagues and families. If people want to discuss the false statements and the misinformation that is circulating they can email [email protected] and we will respond to their queries." 

Further update from Janine Moss 28th February 2022:

"There is no change to the home education application process. Parents can apply for an exemption to home educate their children at any time, there are no deadlines, close off dates or time frames.
 
When an application is received the Ministry does notify the principal of the enrolling school and requests any information relevant to the processing of the application. The application is definitively not sent to the school." 

Yesterday the government announced sweeping COVID-19 vaccine mandates for the health and education sectors. Included in the statement were "home-based educators" which has caused much confusion. This also happened a few years ago when the government introduced requirements for home-based educators to have a certain level of qualification. 

The confusion arises because since 2015, the Ministry of Education has referred to homeschoolers as "home educators" as requested by the home education community themselves during the 2013-2015 review of homeschooling. This term more accurately reflects the wider homeschooling community than "homeschoolers." It is, however, very close to the term "home-based educators" which refers to an entirely different sector of education.

Section 10 of the Education and Training Act 2020 defines a home-based educator:
Home-based education and care service--
(a) means the provision of education or care, for gain or reward, to children who are under the age of 5 years, or who are aged 5 years but not enrolled at school, in--

• (i) the children’s own home; or
• (ii) the home of the person providing the education or care; or
• (iii) any other home nominated by a parent of the children; and

(b)includes the provision of education or care to any child of the person providing the service who is--

• (i)under the age of 5 years; or
• (ii)aged 5 years but not enrolled at school

Clearly, this applies to people caring for other people's children ages 5 and under in a private home, for "gain or reward" (ie being paid). 

Home educators (aka homeschoolers) on the other hand are parents caring for and teaching their own children who are, if exempt, ages 6 and up (though their younger children, if any, are of course also there); they are not being paid for this. So by no means does the above definition apply to home educating parents, and we are therefore not included in the new mandate. 

Furthermore, I received an email today (12th October) from Janine Moss, Manager, Provider Services at the national office of the Ministry in which she said:
​
"I can confirm that the new requirements for testing and vaccination do not apply to parents who home educate their own children. If home educating families come together as a group (eg for trips or sports) then they are subject to the general health order (eg physical distancing, masks) for the alert level in their location."

To answer this fully, let me use the Covid-19 Vaccination Health Orders. They outline who is mandated to be vaccinated. For our purposes here we are focused only on the parts related to education. The order says that people in the following groups must be vaccinated:

Part 9: Groups in relation to affected education services
9.1 Workers over the age of 12 years who carry out work at or for an affected education service (including as a volunteer or an unpaid worker) and who--
(a) may have contact with children or students in the course of carrying out that work; or
(b) will be present at the affected education service at a time when children or students are also present
9.2 Providers of a home-based education and care service

NOTE: the words "affected education services" are important. They are defined in the Health Order:
affected education service means--
(a) a licensed early childhood service:
(b) a registered school:
(c) a hostel

The definitions of each of these three kinds of services are affirmed to be the same as in the Education and Training Act 2020. 

This means that the order (mandating the vaccine for educators) applies ONLY to those who are in contact with children at/in a (student) hostel, registered school or licensed ECE service (including home-based ones). 

Someone who happens to be a teacher or tutor who is in contact with children in a setting unrelated to the above three is NOT mandated to be vaccinated in order to carry out that teaching or tutoring. 

All of the mandates regarding education currently are directed at sections of the sector which, in a nutshell, are government funded. That is, registered schools and early childhood centres, and all the staff who work in them, as well as volunteers that spend time there, plus hostels which are used entirely or mostly for the accommodation of students at registered schools. 

They are not directed at private families or private teaching/tutoring settings not linked to an affected education service. 

Update 16th January 2022:
The above remains correct and current. There are NO mandates for homeschoolers to be vaccinated. The roll  out of vaccines for 5-11yos has no effect on this. There have been no new health orders passed that affect homeschoolers (home educators) in this regard. There is nothing on the Ministry's website to suggest otherwise. If you hear differently, it is just another one of the rumours flying around. Please disregard and don't spread it. If, however, at any time you come across something on a government website you think puts a different light on things, please contact me with the link. I will check into it and update this page if necessary (as well as let you know what I find). 

What does affect homeschoolers in the same way as any other member of the public is restrictions under red/orange settings regarding entry to locations that may require vaccine passes, whether because they are mandated to, or because local councils or venue/business owners have decided to require them. In such cases, homeschooled students aged 12 yrs and 3 mo or over cannot access these venues, even for educational purposes, without a vaccine pass. This is an issue that schools are also wrestling with where they can't take students who don't have the pass to EOTC facilities or camps etc. As the new school year unfolds, I will be watching to see what, if any, changes may occur in that space, that may or may be useful to home educators. 

At this time it is unclear whether children aged 5-11 will be issued with vaccine passports and/or require them to enter these venues in the future, as this has not been indicated in legislation or govt websites so far. Currently the government Covid website says only those age 12+ can get a vaccine pass, and that those aged under 12 do not need one. Whether this will change once 5-11yos have had two doses (about March), remains to be seen.

Updates 23/1/22
Some folk are expressing concern about the Vaccination Amendment Order 2022, specifically this section: 
5 Clause 8 amended (Duties of relevant PCBUs in relation to vaccinations)Replace clause 8(3) with:
(3) A relevant PCBU must not allow an affected person who provides a home-based education and care service to carry out certain work unless satisfied that every person who is--
(a)at least 12 years of age but under 18 years of age in the home where the home-based education and care service is provided is vaccinated; and
(b)18 years of age or older in the home where the home-based education and care service is provided is vaccinated and has received a booster dose.

This does NOT say home educators must be vaccinated! It once again applies only to "home-based education and care services" (ie paid ECE services) as defined in the Education and Training Act 2020 (see the start of this article above). The above clause is amending THIS clause of the Vaccination Health Order, and the only difference it makes is differentiating between 12-17yos in the home where the service is based needing 2 doses and 18yos plus needing a booster. Again, this has nothing to do with families who are (or will be) homeschooling with exemptions (unless one of the parents also happens to be running an Early Childhood service out of their home). 

All regional Ministry staff are working from home. They will be able to process exemption applications received via email (ie electronically), but not those that are sent by post, as they cannot access the mail until after the shutdown. 

As doing it this way is new to most of them, they are unsure about whether timeframes for processing will be affected. However I've had a number of reports back from families who have submitted applications during lockdown so far that they have been approved very swiftly. 

Regional staff will contact families to let them know that their application has been approved. At this point some regional offices are saying they will email the exemption certificate to families, others are saying they will have to wait until they are back in the office to access printers and will post them out. Some plan to do both.

This is the wording that the Ministry has added to their website on 2nd April:
"The Covid-19 lockdown has restricted how we process home-school applications and declarations. However, we will do our best to ensure no family who wishes to formally home-school their child, or children, is disadvantaged.
As our staff are having to work from home, local offices will only be able to process emailed applications.
If your application is approved you will receive your certificate of exemption by email.
If you have any queries please contact your local Ministry office."

The April declarations were mailed out before lockdown. Families are starting to receive them now. I have today (Monday 30th) spoken to Resourcing Division and here is the situation and advice:

The lovely staff member I spoke to, who like everyone was taken by surprise by the announcement of impending lockdown, hastily printed off all declarations, took them home with him, and personally stuffed envelopes and sent them out, so families would get them (big ups to Kenneth!)

He advises me that while families can send the declarations back, they have no way of processing them, regardles of whether they are posted or emailed. This is because the system they are working with is complex and antiquated, partly paper based, and significant parts cannot be done remotely. IF the lockdown ends of schedule, they hope to make the payment as intended in the week starting May 18th, but if it is extended, it may be June or so before payments can be made. 

Some families have already contacted the Ministry and emailed their forms. That is fine. HOWEVER, it would be much more helpful if the bulk of forms were posted to the Ministry, so they can work through them systematically as soon as they are able. 

We discussed various aspects, and the following are important recommendations:

1) If you can, please post your declarations back. BEFORE you do this, take a scan or clear picture of it as a back up so that if there are issues later, you can then email that back up copy to them. But if you're one of the efficient ones who already sent it back in without keeping a copy, then don't worry about it; if later it turns out we need to submit electronically then at that time you can ask for a new copy to be emailed to you. 
Note: this time around, for the first time ever, students NSNs are included in the declarations. You are going to want a copy so you have that info for the future too. See THIS for more. 

2) If you have no access to mail services at this time and/or have not received your declaration in a reasonable period of time (say the end of this week), then you can email [email protected] and ask for a copy to be sent to you electronically. They do have the capacity to send them out by email on request, but not to reprint any at this time. Please give it a bit of time first though - post is likely to be slow currently.

3) If you cannot access postal services to return your declaration, then you can also email the completed return to [email protected]. But again, only do this if you cannot post, as if we overwhelm their inbox, mistakes are more likely to be made than if they're working through a physical pile of paper in due course.

Further wording the Ministry have added to their website re allowances on 2nd April:
"As stated, the Covid-19 lockdown has restricted how we process applications and declarations.
The date when declarations are due and allowances paid may be subject to change. We will seek to provide further advice over the coming weeks.
If you have any questions you can contact resourcing support at: [email protected]"

And for anyone looking for the postal address, it's:
Resourcing Division
Ministry of Education
PO Box 1666
​Wellington 6140

During these difficult and unprecedented times everyone is doing the best that they can, but disruptions are unavoidable. Let's be patient and kind to ourselves and each other. 

• Exemption applications can still be sent into regional Ministry offices, but should be emailed rather than posted, as only emailed applications can be processed at this time. ​
• Declarations can be signed and posted back in - they will be processed once lockdown ends, though if it is extended payment dates may be delayed. Emailing declarations will not speed up processing, and too many emailed declarations could cause issues and actually slow things down. Where needed, though, emailing is an option - see above for details.

​I phoned Resourcing today; the same diligent staff member who made sure declarations were sent out has had the boxes of received declarations delivered to his home, and is working on processing them. He will have another delivery in the next few days, to ensure that all declarations received by the cut-off date (last Friday, May 1st) are also processed. He has been working with the payments team and they believe they have come up with a way to ensure that payments can be processed remotely. At this time, therefore, they hope that all payments related to declarations received on time will be made on schedule, in the week of 18-22nd May. Note that this is an untested way of doing this, so they cannot yet guarantee success, but it is their intention to make it work.

Any declarations which were not received by the Ministry by the deadline will still be processed, but will have to wait until staff are able to return to the office; a date which is as yet unknown.

Today Resourcing confirmed that payments are being processed "as we speak" and everyone should have them by the end of the week. All declarations recieved by post or email by the May 1st cut off have been processed for payment.

Those who sent declarations in late can expect that they will be paid on a later cycle, as is usually the case. (The Ministry normally has payment cycles roughly every two weeks)

If you have not yet received a declaration, contact Resourcing at the email address above and ask for one to be emailed to you. 

If you think you've returned a declaration but are worried it has not been received or processed, you can call the Ministry to check. I suggest waiting to see if you get the payment this week first, so as to limit calls to just those who have not.

Let's start by defining what it means to be a homeschooler, also known as a "home educator." Parents in NZ who want to homeschool their children are required to apply for and gain an exemption from the law that says that all children age 6-16 are required to be enrolled in and attend (when it's open) a registered school. 

Homeschooling implies these things have occurred:

• Parental choice
• Forethought and planning
• Accessing suitable resources
• Submitting an exemption application, which requires outlining in some detail a complete plan for the first year of your child's home education
• Receiving a certificate of exemption from the Ministry of Education

For hundreds of thousands of parents around the country, they suddenly have their children at home, with the expectation that they will need to learn at home for the duration. However, as none of the above apply, they are not truly required to be homeschoolers, though of course we understand they may feel that way!

Along with closing all of the schools, the Ministry of Education announced that the school holidays would be brought forward, so that instead of running from April 14-24, they are now officially from March 28-April 14th. This is to buy the Ministry and schools some time to come up with a plan and access to resources for children to use at home. 

For affected families, I would suggest that, while they will be different from normal, that you do treat this time as school holidays. Put aside any pressure you are feeling to be your children's "teacher" and enjoy being their parents! Read stories, play games, build towers, make forts under the table with blankets, observe bugs in the backyard, watch movies and documentaries, have "tea time" with tea and some baking and talk about life or read poems or take turns telling stories, cook together in the kitchen or spend some time on your favourite (or new) crafts or hobbies, write letters to family and so on. (Pro tip - this is what a good chunk of actual "homeschooling"  looks like anyway :-)). 

By the end of the school holiday time, the Ministry and schools should have things in place so your children will be provided with resources and access to things to continue their regular (or modified) program of learning at home. Yes, you'll need to supervise them, and yes you'll need to support them as required. But the burden of planning and teaching and marking and putting together resources etc will not rest substantially with you. 

Even so, when things are available, keep in mind that these are not normal times. Your children may be anxious about all that is going on, but even if not, they will not be in their normal routines. Be kind and be patient, with them and yourselves. Above all, do not feel pressured to replicate the classroom at home. Children learning at home with a parent do not need 6 hours of "school" as they have normally.

When lessons become available, certainly make a plan to allocate regular time to them. How long they take will depend in part on how well your children are able to focus on them, but as a rule of thumb from the homeschooling world, children ages 5-7 only need about a hour of focussed academics per day. This will slowly increase with age to around 2-3 hours for 10-12 year olds. Highschoolers will usually have a fuller program - though this depends on the style of what they are doing. 3 hours is usually still plenty for Years 9-10 unless doing a particularly academic program, with more for students doing NCEA etc.

In these circumstances though, nothing is normal. If each day you spend a bit of time on the 3Rs (reading, writing, arithmatic), and some time in discussion or research about topics of interest, and some time doing something hands-on or practical (science experiments, cooking, gardening, sewing, construction, art, baby care, animal care, chores etc etc), then consider it a day well spent! Children are wired to learn and will do so in pretty much any situation. This is not the time to worry over much about achievement standards, how many pages got done etc. 

Remember, what your children need most at this time, is a parent. One who makes them feel loved and secure. Not a teacher who is too frazzled to be their parent!

Here's a suggested timetable that the Ministry has sent out to all (primary?) schools, intended to be shared with parents. I share it here because it demonstrates that the Ministry recognises that well-being is a high priority right now, rather than copious amounts of "schoolwork." There is no obligation for anyone to follow this, but it presents an idea. Regardless, having some kind of sensible routine in your home is a good idea, so the children know what to expect. A framework, if you will, for your days.

And see the quote from one school principal which I have pasted in at the end of this post below.

For some parents, there will be two main reasons why they will not want to send their children back to school when the lockdown is lifted:

1. Their children (or other family members) are medically vulnerable, and they consider the risk of exposing them to COVID-19 is too high. 
2. They've always wanted to homeschool (or have seen how great it is to have the kids learning at home), and this situation has given them the nudge they needed to make it "official" 

So what next?
For parents whose children are vulnerable, you have basically two choices - either to work with the school and/or get a medical certificate to keep your children home for the duration, in which case they will remain enrolled in the school, and the school is expected to faciliate their learning by sending work home etc, OR take the plunge and become "real homeschoolers." 

For parents who do decide to home educate their children going forward, then there are steps you need to follow. These include:

• Consider what you want your children's program of learning to look like and what, if any, specific resources you will use for the first year. There is a lot of good info about this, as well as resource ideas, at www.nchenz.org.nz. You will need to be able to outline this program in your application.
• Read the Ministry's website for some general information, and download the application forms HERE
• Complete and submit the application to the Ministry; it will take 4-6 weeks for them to process the application and approve the exemption (it can take longer if more information is required).

I have a guide to exemptions that will walk you through the requirements, and includes a template you can use to write your own application instead of the Ministry's forms if you wish. See my Homeschooling page for the guide and other ways I can support you. 

There are a number of Facebook pages for homeschooling families. Most are focussed on those who are officially homeschooling, but some welcome those who have questions. On Facebook, search for "homeschooling" or "home education"  to find some of these groups (you may want to add "nz" to the search to limit results). Some experienced home educators have also set up new FB groups for families who are "suddenly homeschooling" due to the lockdown. Search terms: "unexpectedly homeschooling" and "suddenly homeschooling.

There are also a lot of producers of online educational resources who are making access free due to the COVID-10 situation. Type "Free educational resources COVID 19" into google and you've find several postings with lists and links. I'm not including a specific link as more and updated lists are appearing all the time.

Take a moment and just breathe. I know we all, as parents, feel deeply our love for our children and the desire to ensure their learning is not disrupted. Be assured that a short break during this time will not make them "fall behind" and that even if this disruption continues for some time, you will have options and resources etc. Focus right now on loving them and having some fun with them. Maybe one day they'll look back at this time as a highlight of their childhood because of the time they got to spend with their parent/s. In the coming weeks there will be time enough to settle into new routines or access necessary resources to continue their program of learning at home, or to take the plunge and begin homeschooling "for real." But either way, there's no need to panic or feel pressured right now. 

And to those parents who are also trying to juggle working from home at this time, I know this is not easy! I'd encourage you to focus on finding a balance between what you have to do, and ensuring time to take care of yourselves and your children as well. For you it's even more important to not feel unnecessarily pressured about academics right now, but to figure out a routine that works. 

Hang in there parents - this won't be forever. Remember, these are "unprecedented times"!

I'll leave you with the words of one school principal:
Covid Distance Learning Q&A – from a school principal
**Usual disclaimer, I'm a school principal but I speak only for myself. Others may have different ideas**
Few points to note first :
1) This is not homeschooling. This is an unprecedented emergency situation impacting the whole world. Let's keep perspective. This is at best distance learning.
2) You are, and always have been, your child's primary educator. If you decide that your child isn't going to engage with anything sent home and is going to spend the entire period playing in the dirt, or baking, or watching TV, that is your choice. That is your right. It is clear in the constitution. There is nothing to stress or feel guilty about.
3) Schools don't know what they're doing either. They got no notice, no prep time and we're told 'continue to plan lessons as normal and just send them home' as if that is in any way possible.
4) It is absolutely not possible to facilitate distance learning with a primary aged child and work from home at the same time. The very idea is nonsense. If you're trying to do that, stop now. You can certainly have activities where your child learns, but your focus is your job, and survival. Again, unprecedented. Stop trying to be superheroes.
So, a few FAQs:
- My school has sent home lots of physical work. Pages and pages, hours and hours. How am I supposed to get through it all?!
You're not, don't try. Your child's teacher spent a couple of hours in utter panic gathering things to send home so they could say they did their best and there weren't a lot if complaints that enough didn't go home. It's not a competition, or a race, it's unlikely the teacher will even manage to look at it all.
- I'm not doing any work with my kids. All their doing is Lego, cooking and playing outside.
All of this is learning. Very valuable learning. Give yourself and them a break.
- How can I get three different lots of work done with 3 different kids of different ages?
You can't, stop trying. If they're old enough, try to get them to do little bits independently. Otherwise try to do something they can all engage with, reading a story together, some free writing, baking etc.
- So what's the bare minimum you'd expect?
For me, survival mode. I won't pretend that may be true of all teachers, but you know what if they can't have perspective in a time like this then I wouldn't overly worry about their opinion anyway.
My ideal for my kids in our school?
- A bit of reading every day (independent or to them or via audiobook etc)
- some free writing now and then. If they'll keep a diary or something, great. If not, would they draw a comic?
- Practical hands on maths. Be that via cooking, cleaning, outside or some maths games physical or digital.
- Some fine motor work. Lego, cutting, playdough, tidying up small toys.
- Physical exercise everyday
- Some art/music where possible through the week. Doesn't need to be guided.
-Stretch goal, if old enough getting them to independently work on a project is great for keeping brains ticking over. Get them researching in a book or online and putting together something to present to you or family.
- If younger, lots of imaginative free play, the more independent the better.
You are doing enough. You are loving your kids and supporting them through a difficult time. Look after yourself. Minimising stress is absolutely vital in a time like this for mental health. Don't let this be something that stresses you. Only you can control that by accepting it is in your circle of control, you are the primary educator and this is all your call.