Home education

To register, you must: 

• live in Western Australia with a current WA residential address
• be the child’s natural or adoptive parent, or legal guardian 
• be a permanent Australian resident, New Zealand citizen, or hold a valid visa.

Registration needs to be done within the following timeframes:

• For a child who is currently enrolled in a Western Australian school, within 14 days of leaving the school.
• For a child being registered for home education for the beginning of a new school year, by the last Friday in February.

Contact your local education regional office. The office will provide you with a form which you can complete and lodge.

To register for home education, you will need to provide:

• a valid email address
• an active phone number
• a copy of your child or children’s birth certificate or extract
• the name of the home educator and each child to be home educated
• your usual place of residence within Western Australia
• proof of guardianship if not the child's natural parent
• any court orders or visas, if applicable.

Once your registration has been processed and all required information confirmed, you will receive a certificate of registration and be assigned a home education moderator.

The Department of Education is responsible for registering home educators and evaluating the educational programs and progress. 

The Department of Education does not provide: 

• workbooks 
• curriculum materials 
• direct support in developing your program. 

By choosing home education, your child will not have access to: 

• Year 10 completion certificates 
• Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) 
• Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) pathway for university entry 
• department-developed workbooks or educational plans 
• work experience insurance 
• education email addresses (for example, for Microsoft Office or Canva discounts) 
• in-school or interschool sporting and athletics competitions 
• school-based support services (for example, psychologists, education assistants, therapy, school nurses) 
• school-organised excursions or incursions, and associated discounts.

Home-educated students can choose to participate in the following education programs:

• National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) – Assesses student achievement in literacy and numeracy. All students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in schools across Australia do the same tests on the same days during May.
  • To register your child, complete the NAPLAN registration form. 
• Online Numeracy and Literacy Assessment (OLNA) – An online literacy and numeracy assessment designed to enable students to successfully meet the Western Australian Certificate of Education requirements.
• Work experience – Secondary students can have work experience while studying at home. Insurance for home-educated children is not covered by the Department. You will need to make arrangements, such as inspection of work sites to ensure suitability for work experience and insurance.
• Community service – Community service hours accumulated by students over Years 10, 11 and 12 can be reported to the School Curriculum and Standards Authority. The hours reported are recorded on the student's Western Australian Statement of Student Achievement (WASSA).
• Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses – Your child may wish to complete a VET-accredited course while continuing their home education program. As a home educator you remain responsible for their full program and evaluation.
• Interm swimming program – Primary school-aged children are entitled to access interm swimming classes.
• Career Taster Program - Year 9 students across WA can explore different career options and study pathways through hands‑on activities and real workplace experiences. 

If eligible, home educators can apply for the Secondary Assistance Scheme payment. You must apply for this payment at the beginning of each year in Term 1.

Your child may be eligible to participate in some Department programs, assessments and initiatives throughout the year. Key dates are published on our events page.

Home education moderators are unavailable during school holiday periods. Refer to term dates.

To maintain your registration as a home educator: 

• contact your home education moderator to schedule the initial evaluation within 3 months of registration 
• schedule your annual evaluation at least 21 days before it is due 
• participate in evaluations at your child’s usual place of learning, or another place agreed upon by you and the home education moderator 
• provide evidence of your child’s learning and progress from the past year 
• provide details of an intended education program
• avoid rescheduling evaluations more than twice without valid evidence 
• notify your education regional office of any changes to your contact details 
• participate in re-evaluation meetings if concerns are identified. 

If these requirements are not met, your registration may be cancelled.  

If possible, we would appreciate your child joining part of the evaluation meeting. This helps us gain a better understanding of their abilities and needs and provides a more holistic view of their home education.

Travel within Australia or internationally

If you are travelling while your child is registered for home education, consider the following.

Maintain all registration requirements:

• schedule and participate in evaluation meetings
• prove continued WA residency.

Evaluation meetings:

• can be online
• proposed times must be reasonable for AWST (UTC +8) (if interstate or international)
• ensure reliable internet access for evaluations.

Non-compliance may result in registration cancellation in accordance with the School Education Act 1999 (WA).

Your home education registration may be cancelled if:

• the educational progress is deemed unsatisfactory
• you have not arranged an evaluation meeting
• you have not agreed to an evaluation
• a home education moderator has been hindered or obstructed in an evaluation required
• you do not notify the regional office of a change in details provided in the application, such as a change in address or contact details.

If you receive a notice of cancellation, you may apply in writing within 14 days to the Minister for Education for a review of the Director General’s decision to cancel your registration.

Further details about this process are in the Home Education Procedures (Appendix B).