Home Education Expert Group EOIs open

• EOIs for a newly established Home Education Expert Group opened today
• Queensland Home Schoolers will have an opportunity to provide direct advice into the review of the Department’s Home Education Unit

A Queensland Home Education Expert Group will be established to advise government on changes to improve outcomes for home schooled children.

Education Minister Di Farmer today opened Expressions of Interest for representatives to make up the group with correspondence sent to every registered home schooling parent/guardian.

The group is being established to contribute to a stakeholder-informed review of Queensland’s approach to regulating home education through the Department’s Home Education Unit.

A majority of the group members (12) will be parents who currently have a child or young person registered for home education in Queensland. Parent members will be selected via an Expression of Interest process.

Up to three members will be nominees from established home education sector representative organisations with experience in engaging with the sector and government.

The group will also comprise up to three relevant departmental or government stakeholders, as observers, to assist promoting broad understanding and greater collective clarity about high-quality home education.

The group will be chaired by an independent reviewer and will meet at regular intervals throughout the Review period.

The group will:

• provide a forum to share and learn from the home educating parent community and better understand their experiences of home education in Queensland;
• consider topical issues highlighted through consultation on the Bill such as delivery of a high-quality education and provision in the best interests of the child;
• broadly consider home education regulation;
• provide perspectives about supports for home education parents; and
• consider possible approaches for consultation with the home education sector following the Review.

Quotes attributable to Education Minister Di Farmer:

“After talking with a wide range of home schoolers since I became Minister, it was clear to me that there was a need for direct input from Home Schooling families to provide advice to government concerning the delivery of support through the Departments Home Education Unit.

“As the numbers of home schooling families have increased, it has become clear that the way the department interacts with these family’s needs to evolve.

“This group will make sure the department hears directly from families who are or have home schooled their children.

“I would encourage anyone who wants to be a part of the group to get their EOIs in as it is important for the success of the review to hear from the people it directly effects.”

Background:

Home educators in Queensland choose this educational pathway for their children for many different reasons. It is intended the membership of the group will reflect this, and will be comprised as widely, and equitably as possible.

The group will be established on a time-limited basis for six months, including for the duration of the Review, and convene generally monthly until December 2024, noting the Review may consider ongoing stakeholder engagement mechanisms to liaise with government on home education matters.

The group will be widely representative and where possible should include members of diverse experience and reasons for choosing home education, and parents of children and young people of different ages, undertaking different levels of education, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin, other cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and who provide home education in rural and remote areas.

For example:

• parents living in different areas of the state;
• a parent whose registered child is undertaking the equivalent of primary studies;
• a parent whose registered child or young person is undertaking the equivalent of senior studies and/or extension programs;
• a parent of a registered child or young person with a disability;
• a parent of registered child or young person who is neuro-divergent; and
• a parent who is home educating a child or young person of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin.

The Department will provide secretariat services.

To find the EOIs and more information visit https://qed.qld.gov.au/programs-initiatives/department/queensland-home-education-unit-review.

Media contact: Tim Auguston 0427 090 563                                                                                                      

[ENDS]