Home Schooling Consultative Group meeting – 14 June 2023

Members were welcomed to the meeting. The chair also advised members that Nicole Mazur’s membership of the Home Schooling Consultative Group (HSCG) has become vacant after consultation with NESA.

Action arising: Nil

2a. NSW Curriculum Reform and home schooling

Members were advised that NESA has recruited a Senior Curriculum Project Officer to develop support material to assist home schooling families as they transition to new NESA syllabuses. The Chair also advised members that NESA will be recruiting a second Senior Curriculum Project Officer.

Action arising: Nil

2b. Recommencement of home visits by Authorised Persons

Members were advised that the NESA website was updated in December 2022 with information about the recommencement of home visits. An email was sent to all registered home schooling families in December 2022 informing them of this update. Home schooling application forms were also updated to include an 'optional comment section' in early January 2023.

Action arising: Nil

2c. Self-assessment questionnaire

Members were advised that a link to the self-assessment questionnaire was sent to all members on 15 December 2022.

Action arising: Nil

Nil

Action arising: Nil

a. Announced changes to the NSW Curriculum Reform timeline

Members were advised that Deputy Premier, Prue Car, announced a review of the Curriculum Reform implementation timelines on 4 May 2023. The review acknowledges the preparation required for effective delivery of new syllabus documents.

HSCG members were provided with an overview of the revised NSW Curriculum Reform implementation timelines for next year and the impact this will have on home schooling families.

Action arising: Nil

b. Recommencement of home visits by Authorised Persons

Members were provided with data regarding the number of home visits conducted by APs since the recommencement of home visits. Members were advised that APs have completed just under 700 home visits until the end of May 2023.

Members were also provided with data around the use of the ‘optional comment section’ that has recently been added to home schooling application forms. A small number of application forms received between the end of March to the end of May 2023 have used this section with comments primarily related to access to a family’s property or information about the health of someone in the home.

Members were advised that the feedback received from APs as well as anecdotal feedback from families has been positive regarding the recommencement of home visits.

Action arising: Nil

Members were provided with an opportunity to provide feedback on draft support material that had been shared with them before the meeting.

Members provided positive overall feedback regarding the draft support material, acknowledging the benefits it will provide home schooling families. Members also provided constructive feedback on some areas where the draft material could be refined or streamlined, and areas that additional materials could focus on in future development.

Members were advised that NESA will continue to develop support materials and should members have any further feedback regarding the resources, they are welcome to provide this to NESA.

Action arising: Nil

Members were provided home schooling data for January to May 2023. It was noted that the average number of applications submitted for each of these months was more than 1000.

Members were advised that the percentage of applications withdrawn and refused over these months is more akin to pre-COVID data.

Members were also advised that NESA will be recruiting an additional Senior Curriculum Project Officer, to help with the development of Curriculum Reform material to support home schooling families.

Action arising: Nil.

Members were advised that outgoing members of the HSCG received communications from NESA on 24 May 2023 advising them that their membership term is due to expire on 30 June 2023. The Chair thanked outgoing members, Mark Askew, Maggie Church and Sonia Matthews for their contributions to the HSCG.

Members were advised that NESA will publish information on its website regarding the EOI process to replace outgoing HSCG members. NESA will seek to fill 2 home schooling representatives and 2 NESA nominees.

Members were also advised that an email will be sent to home schooling families informing them of the EOI process.

Members were advised that the selection of the new HSCG members is expected to be finalised in August 2023, following consideration by the selection panel. The new members are expected to be introduced to the rest of the HSCG members at the next HSCG meeting on 13 September 2023.

Action arising: NESA to publish information about the EOI process on its website and send an email with this information to all home schooling families.

An HSCG member provided the other members with a brief overview of their current PHD research in the area of home schooling in Australia. Members were invited to contact them if they would like to participate in a survey as part of the research.

An HSCG member also queried whether NESA would consider a process by which applicants could appeal shorter periods of registration being recommended by APs.

NESA advised that under the provisions of the Education Act 1990, the only appealable decisions are recommendations to refuse an application for registration, or to cancel a period of registration. NESA advised that APs make recommendations based on the evidence provided during an assessment. NESA continues to provide APs with professional learning to support consistency of judgement when making recommendations to register children for home schooling.

All outgoing members used this opportunity to thank NESA for the opportunity to be a part of the HSCG.

Action arising: Nil