On 30 September 2024, the
Home Education Unit review final report was released.
The review final report, led by the independent reviewer, Ms Deborah Dunstone, makes 8 overarching recommendations focused on:
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repositioning and enhancing home education governance in Queensland—by extending the role of the Department of Education and Home Education Unit to include a support function and enhanced communications and collaboration with families
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modernising home education regulation—being more supportive and user friendly for home educators; revising communication approaches, including expanding resources and use of technology; streamlining regulatory processes; and enhanced, flexible reporting processes
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support and advisory responses for families—linking to supports and advisory services for families at key education junctures (e.g. onboarding support and senior pathways advisory support, and reviewing home education student identification cards).
The review highlights the importance of working closely with home education parents throughout their child's learning journey. It also seeks to recognise the diversity of experience among home education families and that the support families need will look different at different times.
Queensland Government response
The Queensland Government has considered the final report of the Home Education Unit review and accepted the recommendations.
Implementation of the recommendations will take a multi-staged approach across 3 phases of work.
Phase 1 commenced in 2024 with the Department of Education reviewing and updating the information and supports provided to registered home educators. This work will result in improved education program templates and development of annual report exemplars to ease reporting requirements on parents.
Phase 2 will continue the work from Phase 1, including a revitalised and renamed unit, Queensland Home Education, signalling a new approach to home education support and regulation. Building on the success of the Home Education Expert Group (HEEG), an ongoing Queensland Home Education Consultative Group (QHECG) with regional parent representatives will be established, to ensure that the diverse needs and experiences of home educating families are considered when implementing the recommendations.
Phase 3 will consider some new options for aspects of home education regulation, including trialling an online reporting approach, creating an improved social media presence, and exploring opportunities for regional connections.
The Queensland Government is committed to supporting home educating families and ensuring that all home-educated children and young people receive a high-quality education and supports.
Review process
On 15 April 2024, the Minister for Education announced a stakeholder informed review of the Home Education Unit and that consultation would take place with home educating parents to inform the review, including through establishment of a home education expert group.
The review was to:
- consider the diverse experience and needs of home educating parents
- identify any gaps and areas for improvement in the approach to regulation, education and support of home educators
- provide recommendations, where appropriate, to enhance the effectiveness of regulation, including supports for home education parents, options to engage more broadly with home educators in the absence of a peak body and other supportive activities within the existing legislative framework of the
Education (General Provisions) Act 2006.
The
terms of reference for the review is available.
The department engaged Ms Deborah Dunstone to undertake the review and chair the expert group. Ms Dunstone is a highly experienced educator and former senior leader in Disability and Inclusion, with a Bachelor of Educational Studies from the University of Queensland. Ms Dunstone was awarded the 2019 Australian Council for Educational Leaders (Queensland) Excellence in Educational Leadership Award and is also a recipient of an Australia Day Medal for her work in rural and remote Queensland.
The review has been informed by a range of stakeholder perspectives gathered by Ms Dunstone and supplemented by independent market research involving a project lead with lived experience of home education. Throughout the review, home educators explored how existing regulatory services can be improved and parents supported, so that children and young people can access a high-quality education.
The home education expert group
The expert group was established to inform the review. The group:
- provides a forum to share with and learn from the home educating parent community and better understand their experiences of home education in Queensland
- considers topical issues, such as delivery of a high-quality education and provision in the best interests of the child
- broadly considers home education regulation
- provides perspectives about supports for home education parents
- considers possible approaches for consultation with the home education sector following the review.
The expert group is representative of home educating parents in Queensland with 12 parent members selected via an expression of interest process. The comprehensive selection process included assessment against the selection criteria set out in the
expert group terms of reference. The criteria included establishing a group with diverse home educating experience.
Current parent members:
- Krystal Cathcart
- Noela Dowling
- Amelia Eulenstein
- Belinda Gor
- Ryan Linneman
- Lena Taylor
- David Thomas
- Layla Wenitong-Schrieber
- Jillina Whittaker
- Tasneem Winkler
Former parent members:
- Fiona Wilson (member until December 2024)
- Sarah Vortman (member until April 2025).
The expert group also comprises 3 members from established home education sector representative organisations. These include Samantha Bryan, Home Education Association Queensland; Matthew Cannell, Australian Christian Home Schooling (formerly represented by Dr Terry Harding) and Amanda Bartle, Free2Homeschool. Additionally, 3 observers with relevant expertise in curriculum, disability and/or flexible learning have been nominated by the department to attend as required.
Ms Dunstone will continue to meet with the expert group until 31 December 2025 to allow time for the ongoing QHECG to be established.
If you have any questions regarding the review or expert group, you can email
homeeducationexpertgroup@qed.qld.gov.au.
Building on the work of the HEEG, an ongoing QHECG will be established to enable continued and regular communication with families in the home education community.
Contact us
For more information, please email
homeeducation@qed.qld.gov.au.