Home Schooling Consultative Group meeting – 13 April 2018

The minutes of the 8 December 2017 meeting were confirmed out of session and have been published on the HSCG webpage.

None declared.

Collated results from the questionnaire were provided to HSCG members.

Qualitative comments in the questionnaire indicated a request for HSCG meetings to consider the relevance of suggested items that are outside those relating to the Parliamentary inquiry into home schooling.

Action arising: HSCG members invited to nominate items for consideration at future HSCG meetings.

To allow adequate time to consider items nominated for discussion at HSCG meetings, items would need to be emailed to the HSCG executive officer two weeks ahead of the meeting date.

Robin Van Den Honert, NESA Director, Research, Data and Analysis joined the meeting to discuss NESA's research processes and priorities.

An outline was provided of two current projects in relation to home schooling currently under consideration. Further information will be provided out-of-session for discussion at the next meeting.

In relation to the 2018 work program, HSCG members were invited to put forward ideas for discussion at future meetings.

Some suggested areas for future consideration were proposed:

• providing support materials as exemplars
• the AP Handbook
• the Department’s progress in looking at part-time enrolment.

Action arising: Information about proposed research topics relating to home schooling to be provided out-of-session for discussion at the next meeting.  

Items for consideration by members of the HSCG to be received two weeks prior to the meeting to allow adequate time for consideration.

The updated AP Handbook was distributed to members at the meeting for discussion at the next meeting.

Appreciation was offered to the home schooling team who had prepared the home schooling data reports relating to 2017.

Members were provided with the current number of students registered for home schooling as of 10 April 2018 which was 4,827.

Suggestions for further data reports for 2018 were raised by members.

Action arising: NESA to consider the suggestions relating to the 2018 data.

1. The possibility of registered home schooling children having an email address, such as that provided to children in Department of Education schools, was raised as a means of accessing online resources. It was noted that NESA is not resourced for this. It would require an organisation that was acceptable to the relevant net registry to agree to host this service.
2. Future HSCG meetings for 2018.

Action arising: The 6 July meeting will commence at 1.00 pm; the 8 December meeting is to be confirmed at the next meeting.