Evaluation meetings
Evaluation meetings
Home educators can use this information to understand the purpose of evaluation meetings, what to expect, and their responsibilities throughout the process.
About evaluation meetings
Every registered home educator participates in evaluation meetings. These meetings allow you to discuss your child's learning, education program and educational progress with your home education moderator.
Evaluation meetings are usually held at your home or as agreed by the home educator and moderator. Your child is welcome to attend the meeting. While their attendance is preferred, it is not compulsory. Children can choose how involved they would like to be in the meeting. Some enjoy participating in the conversation and talking about their learning, while others prefer to listen.
At the evaluation meeting, your moderator will review your education program and your child’s individual progress. They consider your child's individual circumstances when discussing learning and progress. They will not provide curriculum support or recommend specific learning resources.
Evaluation reports
Moderators use a digital evaluation form to record information discussed during the evaluation meeting and prepare the evaluation report.
The report will outline whether the education program and your child’s progress are suitable. You will receive a copy of the report following the meeting. Learn how your information is managed and protected.
In most cases, the report will confirm that the education program and educational progress are suitable.
If concerns are identified
If the moderator identifies concerns, the evaluation report will:
- note and explain any concerns
- recommend actions to address the concerns.
Depending on the concerns identified, the moderator may require a re-evaluation meeting to review progress against the recommended actions. The evaluation process may also result in a recommendation to cancel the registration.
Find out what to expect at your home education evaluation meeting.
Arrange your evaluation meeting
As a home educator, you must arrange both an:
- initial evaluation meeting, within the first 3 months of registration
- annual evaluation meeting, within 12 months of your registration and annually thereafter.
After you have registered for home education, you will receive an email with the contact details of your allocated home education moderator.
It is your responsibility to contact your moderator by phone or email to arrange evaluation meetings.
Types of evaluation meetings
Initial 3-month and annual evaluation meetings
Initial and annual evaluation meetings follow the same process and include the same questions.
- Initial evaluation meeting – occurs within the first 3 months of registration.
- Annual evaluation meeting – occurs within 12 months of the registration date and then annually after that.
Evaluation meetings provide an opportunity to discuss:
- your child’s current capabilities
- the progress they have made since registration or, for annual evaluations, since the previous evaluation
- your intended education program for the coming year
- learning activities your child has completed
- any challenges affecting your child’s learning.
Your moderator will consider information discussed to determine whether your child is making progress appropriate to their individual circumstances.
Re-evaluation meeting
A re-evaluation meeting may be required when concerns have been identified about the suitability of your education program or your child’s educational progress.
The purpose of the re-evaluation meeting is to provide an opportunity for you to address the identified concerns.
Re-evaluation meetings follow the same evaluation process and use the same evaluation questions as the initial and annual evaluation meetings.
You will be given at least 7 days' notice of a re-evaluation meeting.
If the concerns have not been adequately addressed, your registration may be cancelled. If it is cancelled, you will receive a notice of cancellation.
If your registration is cancelled, you may request a review of the decision. To request a review, apply in writing to the Minister for Education within 14 days of receiving the notice of cancellation.
Note:
If your request for a review is received outside of this time frame, it cannot be considered. Refer to section 53 of the School Education Act 1999.
How your information is managed and protected
Moderators record information discussed during evaluation meetings in a digital evaluation form.
Information recorded in the digital evaluation form may include:
- information about your home education program
- your child's learning progress and achievements
- learning examples you choose to share
- matters discussed during the evaluation meeting
- the evaluation outcome
- any feedback or concerns you raise during the meeting.
The information recorded is used to assess, monitor and support home education requirements under the School Education Act 1999.
Information is only accessed by authorised Department staff and may only be shared where authorised or required by law. Information provided during the evaluation process is not automatically shared with other agencies. Your moderator will email you a copy of the evaluation report following the meeting.
You can find more information about how the Department manages personal information by referring to: