Getting Started
The Ministry of Education (MoE) oversees home education in Aotearoa NZ, and their regional offices are responsible for assessing and approving exemption applications in their area. On the MoE Home Education webpage you can find information on homeschooling, the exemption application, and guidance for applicants.
The best way to get started is by talking to other homeschoolers or joining an online homeschooling discussion group where you can post your questions. Most groups will welcome you while you are checking things out, even if your children are very young and you are not yet “officially” homeschooling.
It is law that NZ citizens and residents aged between 6 and 16 must go to school. Read more about that here. The exemption application is comprehensive but very worthwhile – you only have to apply once for each child and the exemption remains valid until the end of the year the child turns 19yrs (unless you cancel it or in rare cases the Ministry of Education may revoke it if they have cause).
There is a lot of useful information on the internet about homeschooling – many online communities, blogs, suppliers and curriculum resources. It has probably never been easier to homeschool! Finding a like-minded community is essential – there are many local networking groups where you can start getting to know other homeschoolers in your area. Almost all of these groups started informally as a bunch of homeschoolers who decided to formalise things by creating a local group. If you can’t find the right group, find another couple of like-minded families and consider starting your own!
Expect it to take about six months or so for everything to fall into place with your homeschooling routine/rhythm. Take the opportunity to read widely about homeschooling and develop your ideas with regard to your philosophy, motivations and general approach to home education.
We hope you enjoy the information on our website. Check out the links below, and please contact us on info@nchenz.org.nz if there is anything we can help you with.
Top Tips
The first year is the hardest, many families don’t continue after the first year (which is a pity as it gets easier after that!). We asked our community what advice they would give new homeschoolers. These are their top tips:
Having a like-minded support network is essential, but allow yourself time to develop the right connections.
Establish links with your local home education community so that you can attend outings and activities together. If there isn’t a local group, get together with a couple of other home educating families and start your own informal group (that’s pretty much how all the groups started in the first place!).
Get online and join home education networks. Talk to others about what they do and why.
When things are not going well make sure you talk to a supportive person so that you get empathetic practical advice, not “well you should send them to school then.”
If your children have been in school, expect and allow a substantial period of deschooling.
Allow plenty of time … months even … for a routine/rhythm to develop. Understand that the routine will change as your children grow and that there will be many periods of adjustment.
Avoid diving straight in and purchasing expensive curriculum materials. This is the number one mistake new homeschoolers make. It can be very difficult to initially see how home education can be conducted differently to a traditional ‘school-at-home’ model – but once you have more confidence and experience you may find you would choose quite different education resources or maybe that you don’t have a need for a purchased curriculum at all.
Take regular time out for self-care. Learn the art of having time to yourself when seldom alone.
Take a long term view – do not expect your tamariki to progress evenly in all areas, expect bursts of growth and interest.
Ignore grade levels – do not put excessive pressure on yourself or your tamariki to meet arbitrary standards.
Relax as much as possible. We all have doubts. Reach out to your support community when you are questioning yourself and your methods.
Take photos of what you and your tamariki do, make notes about learning experiences if possible – it’s helpful to have something to look back on when you are having doubts so you can see how far everyone has come.
Don’t expect to have no ‘bad days’ – these happen whether your kids are at school or at home.
Delve into different theories of education and broaden your own mind by reading widely and being open to change.
Embrace the flexibility that home educating provides – change what you are doing when it stops working.