Trial Period at School
Under Section 21 of the Education Act 1989 your exemption will cease when you enrol your child at school. However, if you trial school for a period of 10 weeks or less and then return to home education, a new exemption application will not be required unless there has been a material change of circumstances.
You should contact your local Ministry of Education office and let them know your child will be trialling school. If you make the decision to return to home education, you should contact the office again and let them know you’d like your exemption reinstated.
This is the Ministry of Education policy on school trials is as follows:
The maximum duration a home schooled student can attend a school on a trial basis and continue to receive their home education allowance is 10 school weeks. If a trial falls over a school holiday period then those holiday weeks will not be counted towards the 10 week duration.
If the student returns to home education on or before 28 days they will receive the full home education allowance for the trial period. If the student trials attending a school for more than 28 days but less than 10 school weeks a ‘less days’ funding calculation for their home education allowance will be made for the trial period. If the student trials attending a school for more than 10 school weeks, their home education allowance will cease and a new application will be required for the new exemption certificate to be issued.
For school trials of 10 weeks or less a new exemption certificate is required. However, a new application is only required where there has been a material change in circumstances.