Compliance & Homeschool Audits
The Education Review Office (ERO) reviews home educators when requested by the Ministry of Education (MoE). A review is an audit of your homeschooling programme in order to assess whether there is compliance with the legal benchmark of “at least as regularly and well as in a registered school” (or, in the case of a child with special education needs - “at least as regularly and well as in a special class or clinic or by a special service”). Only a handful of reviews are conducted each year across the thousands of home educating families in our community.
Often when notified of a review, a homeschooler may feel ashamed or embarrassed that they have been singled out in this way, and stay quiet to avoid negative attention.
We would like to reassure these homeschoolers that these feelings are valid, however a complaint can be made about any homeschooler at any time, by anyone, even those who do not know the homeschooling family. That being said, most complaints are laid by ex-partners or extended family members who disagree with the decision of the parent/caregiver to home educate.
There is a particular way to respond, prepare for, and conduct the review - and we encourage you to educate yourself on the process immediately after receiving notification of a pending review. We also invite you to get in touch with us if you’d like further support. We have an experienced and knowledgeable Government Liaison Team who are able to offer practical advice in dealing with a review, no matter which approach/philosophy you follow or whether you have kept any records of learning.
