A Beginner’s Guide to Homeschooling in WA
Homeschooling in WA can provide a unique and personalized education for children, but it can also come with its own set of challenges. Whether you’re a new homeschooling parent or looking for ways to improve your current approach, these 10 tips can help you create a successful homeschooling experience for your family.
Quick Facts: Homeschooling in WA is free and legal. Western Australian parents with children aged 5.5 -17.5 can apply by contacting their local education regional office. Your child must be registered to homeschool if your child is not enrolled in distance education, or at a school.
FAQ Homeschooling in Western Australia
Here is a quick overview of the basic facts that you need to understand for homeschooling in WA.
Can I Homeschool Part Time?
No. Part time school is not an option when homeschooling in WA.
When Can I Remove My Child From School?
You can remove your child as soon as you decide to homeschool in WA but you are supposed to register your child to homeschool within 14 days of removing them from school. You are to inform the school in writing when you decide to homeschool.
Many schools can be quite supportive of homeschooling in WA and will leave the door open for you to return if homeschooling doesn’t work out. If you anticipate having problems with your child’s school I suggest you mention as little as possible to the school until you get your registration approved.
Can I Get A Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) When I Homeschool in WA?
When you choose to homeschool in WA you can’t get a WACE, however your children can study for a WACE alternative.
Are there any Support Groups For Homeschooling in WA?
The go to site for connecting to the Australian Homeschool Community is the HBLA – Home Education Based Network. You will find more details and ways to connect to the WA Homeschool Community.
How To Register For Homeschooling in WA
- You can register for homeschooling in WA before you begin or within 14 days of removing your child from school.
- Contact your nearest regional education office and ask to speak to a home education moderator.
- You will be sent a form which you will need to lodge with them. Each office has its own individualised form. It’s just asking for basic details. You don’t need to give any educational plan at this stage.
- You are then issued a Certificate of Home Education. This certificate does not expire unless you put your children back in school.
- While you are registered you are required to have visits from a home education moderator. Your first visit is within 3 months of registration then each year after that.
I started this year with my 9 year old boy, so I’m definitely not an expert at this at all. It’s been an adjustment period but I enjoy having my son home and watching him learn, he’s having more fun and I can tell how much he is progressing in just the short amount of time he’s been doing it.
Starting off the journey is scary, and we have just had our 3 month moderator visit us for the first time. I was so nervous! We passed with flying colours and she was very impressed with everything my son has been learning.
The Home Education Moderator Visit
The home education moderator (approved person from the WA Department of Education who will come to your home) usually contacts you to make an appointment within three weeks but definitely before three months of your registration approval. This is usually done in your home but it can be at a mutually arranged place.
Their role is to:
- Assess your homeschooling in WA plan and see that you are complying with the WA curriculum.
- Make sure your child is making progress
- Offer support and make suggestions.
Home School Registration WA Moderator Visit?
The Moderator will come and stay about 45 minutes. They will ask to see your plan and meet your child. They will not test your child. They will ask to see where your child takes their lessons.
What you should show them:
- Resources you have bought.
- Your homeschool plans
- How your lessons are organised.
- Samples of work and evidence of learning.
- If you have already completed some work show them how your are documenting their progress.
Read a more comprehensive summary of how they assess here.
Approval Recommendation
After they have spent some time talking to you, they might ask you a few questions about how you plan on covering this or that. Your stock standard answer should be you’ll follow the curriculum.
Nine times out of ten, they will then tell you that registration is continued and that they will come again in another 12 months.
On the rare occasion that you are not approved you can appeal and contact the HBLN and ask for help. (This is a support body for home educators in WA and you can to join if you haven’t already).
Preparing Your Plan.
According to the Western Australian Education Act 1999 – Section 53: 2(a) p.34 homeschoolers are required to follow the WA curriculum. This curriculum is based on the Australian Curriculum and they can be used interchangeably. For WA homeschool registration purposes they are not strict about following the WA Curriculum meticulously however, they do require you to teach in all the key learning areas.
The school curriculum and standards authority states: “The Western Australian curriculum encompasses ACARA’s Australian curriculum English, Mathematics and Science. In addition, year-level syllabuses for Humanities and Social Sciences, Health and Physical Education, Technologies, The Arts and Languages remain broadly consistent with the Australian curriculum but have been contextualised to make them more suitable for Western Australian students and teachers.” (Cited June 2022)
Here is a guide to each subject in the Western Australian Curriculum.
WA Homeschool Subjects – Key Learning Areas
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- English
- Mathematics
- Science and Technology
- Humanities and Social Science (Includes: history, geography, civics and politics.)
- Health and Physical Education
- Arts (Includes: visual arts, drama, media arts, dancing and music) Compulsory from Pre Primary to Year 8 and then as an elective Year 9 – Year 10.
- Technologies: Compulsory from Pre Primary to Year 8 and then as an elective Year 9 – Year 10.
- Languages: Compulsory from Year 3 to Year 8 and optional for Year 9 and Year 10. Note: Language to study is not specified and you do not need to stick to one language. For more on teaching languages see here.
Just to let you know, our moderator here in W.A. absolutely loved the curriculum! Very positive feedback.
We are so very happy with your gorgeous curriculum and look forward to our future years of study!
Can I Buy A Plan?
Yes! When you use My Homeschool we give you the essential building blocks for your personalised learning plan.
We’ve done 75% of the work. We provide idea prompts and suggestions to help you personalise your application to suit your child’s specific needs.
With each grade we include:
- A learning plan in an editable Word document. Just fill in the sections we recommend.
- A scope and sequence with all syllabus outcomes and codes linked to resources.
- Editable Term Reports to make re-registration easy.
100% of our members report passing their registration and reregistration when using our templates.
What a relief and blessing for homeschool families to have all the nitty gritty details of daily homeschool and homeschool registration designed for us. It is wonderful to see how simple registration can be.
Michelle you have created a method for recording that oozes simplicity and that is what we all want. Michelle and Jo you are a very present listening ear and help on the My Homeschool forum and your advice is all about making homeschool work for each one. I have absolute freedom in how I use this resource.
I have not followed the schedule as is but have felt encouragement from you to make it work for my busy family lifestyle, quirks and passions. Year 5 is helping our ten year old to move into written narrations and I have found Our Sunburnt Country broken into small chunks with a notebook page for each reading, is so simple and achievable. My daughter's confidence in writing has grown in the first term of using My Homeschool following this very natural method.
Thank you Michelle and Jo, for your commitment to making homeschool simple. What a blessing you are. Kindest Blessings Renelle x
Let Us Help You On The Homeschool Journey
My Homeschool is more than a curriculum, it is a holistic education community that supports parents and children on their homeschool journey. When you buy a graded homeschool program through My Homeschool you are joining a community that supports and mentors parents interested in educating their children academically and spiritually.
We give you a shortcut to help you get straight into giving your child a delightful and robust education without spending days and days researching and tweaking unsuitable content.
We Wanted A Curriculum That Worked For Home Educators
Our curriculum writers have already done the juggle of homeschooling a few children at once.
- We knew how lovely and important it is to learn as a family so we made some lessons and read alouds possible to teach as a group.
- We reduced the time needed for formal academics by crafting our curriculum so our resources and books often teach multiple topics.
- We made each grade fit each state’s syllabus so you can get registered easily.
- We gave you a streamlined intentional curriculum so you could give your children a wholesome integrated education from kindergarten to high school.
- We made sure it was academically challenging so your children will have career options, and a pathway to university if needed.
- We put it all in one place so you weren’t hunting around looking for resources every time you wanted to begin lessons.
- We made it easy to access your lessons and planner when you were out and about or travelling just by picking up your smartphone.
Disclaimer: This is general information on homeschooling in Western Australia and is not meant for legal advice.
