Learning objectives

1. Identify the roles of micro (school), meso (department), and macro (policy and wider community beliefs) practices on the choice of homeschooling.

2. Reflect on the notion of “isolated” and how homeschooling is about the locus of control of the education a child receives, but does not necessarily mean it is the locus of education.

3. Articulate your insights on curriculum and whether it effectively meets the needs of twenty-first century, and special needs, learners in these parents’ experiences.

4. Compare the benefits of homeschooling that are given by teacher parents with your own taken-for-granted beliefs about the benefits of schooling.

Are teachers who homeschool isolated?

Homeschool numbers are not plateauing as was predicted after the COVID-19 pandemic; they continue to rise. In 2022, 74.2 per cent (4519) of new registrations were recorded in Queensland alone, and these tended to come from children who had been in traditional mainstream systems (Queensland Government: Department of Education, 2023). By 2024, the total number of homeschoolers in Queensland was 11,314, with secondary enrolments (5,710), who are likely to have some experience of school being greater than primary (5,604) for the first time. The mainstream system in its current form appears ill-equipped to meet the needs of a growing group of young people. The Queensland Government’s 2022 report from the Department of Education: Home Education Unit found two-thirds (61 per cent) of families homeschooling have a child with a disability. With this data in mind, we can ask the question: Is homeschooling a choice when there are no other options? This same report established 45 per cent of families surveyed had never intended to homeschool, with 32 per cent of those noting it became necessary for their child. It was suggested that homeschooling numbers rose through the COVID-19 pandemic (which they did) and this would plateau, and numbers would stabilise, which has not been the case. With continued disenchantment with the education system, including among the teachers of our study, it may be that homeschooling numbers will continue to increase.

The system

When we discuss the system, we are discussing the traditional/institutional/mainstream system, which data on school refusal shows is driving children and young people to refuse school (Connolly et al., 2022). There are many issues our cohort have identified: (1) the intensity of the curriculum, (2) the lack of support and aid staffing in schools to authentically meet needs, (3) the speed in which a child is expected to learn and work through the Australian Curriculum, (4) the ‘sink-or-swim’ nature of the classroom environment that has developed over time and, (5) the immense pressure that is put on teachers for reporting and data collection that takes away preparation and teaching. The departure rate of teachers generally is alarming; it has been noted that “by 2025, the federal government estimates a shortfall of more than 4,000 high school teachers across the country” (Brandenburg et al., 2024). We suggest that the rise in teachers leaving school with their child to homeschool should be the early warning sign of a need for a change. The same Queensland Education Home Education Unit report from 2023 found 20 per cent of those surveyed held a teacher qualification, and just under half (46 per cent) of the participants had experience in a school environment. The experience of our teacher cohort is not isolated: it is a growing trend.

The data we collected for this study, and our own stories, suggest there are several issues in mainstream schools. The first is the reliance on curriculum as the driver of education, not the child. The second is the lack of options for part-time school and other flexible learning models. The third is that homeschooling is not just for teachers, as most homeschoolers are not teachers; we do not wish to suggest that teaching degrees or qualifications should be a requirement to homeschool. Rebecca would like to note that her husband, an artist, is a much better homeschooler than she, and Aeleth noted how her husband stepped up to help with the homeschooling in spite of not being a teacher.

The curriculum

Through the development of this book and the interviews with the candidates, “the curriculum” was frequently noted in the pejorative. It was used negatively and often appeared to be the main reason teachers had issues with the way education in Australia is undertaken in the twenty-first century. In 2014, the Australian Government reviewed the Australian Curriculum, and the feedback indicated overcrowding. At the time, the review recommended changes to tackle the overcrowding, yet it appears the changes did little to ameliorate the issues our cohort, and the rest of the community, judging by its growth, faced. In 2023, a report suggested the Australian Curriculum was the reason Australian students were behind in international benchmarks in science. The report suggested the science curriculum had “multiple examples of poor and even non-existent sequencing” (Jensen et al., 2023). The solution was to remove the curriculum’s focus on the opinions and perspectives of stakeholders and propose a focus on the details of science, with sequencing that allowed for students to build increasing skills and understanding of the complexity of scientific questions. In all cases, it is the states that mandate how the curriculum is implemented and, in the case of New South Wales, whether it is implemented at all. They wrote their own curriculum, and schools in New South Wales do not teach the Australian curriculum. Research (De Bortoli et al., 2023) has noted we are still behind in benchmarks, which is unlikely to be addressed any time soon. It is clear there is overcrowding and disillusionment with the Australian Curriculum, yet the changemakers in government seem unable or unwilling to change it.

Alternative options

The offering of genuine flexibility through alternative models which operate alongside the 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., must follow the curriculum, every day of the school year model that is mainstreamed in Australia would be a first step. In only four states can you choose part-time school, although many other schools offer an “as needs” basis under the table when the alternative is outright school refusal. While there are alternative offerings, such as “distance education” settings (sometimes with online or paper sheets posted to students), alternative schools (Montessori, Steiner are the best known). But there are also democratic schools, unaligned alternatives that do not name themselves and even Quaker schools, but all of these are limited by geography, a limitation in enrolments due to the teachers and the sites and even awareness of them as options, and homeschool.

The trend to home-based learning is likely to continue. There are some Australian schools opening with an online-only platform; however, their high school certificates are only available to those in the state (such as HaileyBury and Pangea). Alternative schools face great challenges in being registered by departments of education that administer and manage them in a climate where governing bodies make non-state school accreditation hard for those schools that do pedagogy, reporting and planning differently. Anecdotical discussions with these schools suggest it is not an easy job to get an alternative school through the hurdles of initial registration and then to maintain that registration. However, other alternatives, such as international schools, are beginning to open and offer their services in Australia. Some offer certificates of high school education from around the world, such as GED (USA) and the GCSE and A-levels (UK). These schools aim to offer an alternative in the comfort of a home environment for the child (see, for example, the offering from Crimson Global Academy). Others offer a service whereby they help a child manage the demands of college enrolment from 15 to 21 years of age.

While we have acknowledged the issues around the Australian Curriculum, students do study a unique Australian point of view through the Cross-Curriculum Priorities. The Australian curriculum is designed for Australian students with Australian perspectives in mind (Australian Curriculum, 2024). This point leads to some questions: What happens if more international schools open and operate in Australia? Does that challenge the primacy of the Australian Curriculum? Does it begin to homogenise education? There is also an issue with flexibility; why can’t all states and territories have part-time school? Why can’t pedagogical differences, even where it is not aligned perfectly with the Australian Curriculum, be rewarded if parents want this kind of change in approach?

Each state and territory notes the primacy of parents’ decision-making in their education acts. At what point do we say parents can choose what they like, and it does not have to align with the Australian curriculum? Or, what if parents want more part-time school, and it’s not offered? How do states balance acts that mandate full-time school enrolment with the primacy of parents’ choices in cases where parents make it clear they want a part-time or flexible enrolment?

Not just for teachers: A note on homeschooling

There is an important note to make about this book. While we’ve examined the trend of teachers removing their children from school to homeschool, the focus of the book, we strongly assert that home education is not solely for graduates of teacher education programs who hold a degree. Homeschooling can and should be accessed by parents regardless of their educational background and experiences. Parents who choose to homeschool their children have a knowledge of their child and how they learn, and a passion for education and their children’s success, whatever that means for that child. Any parent who chooses a homeschool lifestyle makes sacrifices (work and finances, as well as life balances) and therefore does not make the decision lightly. It is a heavy responsibility to choose to educate your own children and take on those pressures, but it is accessible to parents beyond a teacher education experience. Therefore, it is important to note that this book does not encourage the message that only teachers should homeschool. The authors of this book suggest quite the opposite: a homeschool choice is open to all.

Positive outcomes

The teachers whose stories are reported here, our canaries in the education coalmine, were removing themselves from the mainstream system, and their children as well. They were seeking to educate their own children at home, reported positive experiences for themselves and their children, and also noted they were satisfied with their choices. It may be that, for these children, homeschooling provides a strong and stable education that successfully leads them into higher education and adulthood. As Riley (2020) noted:

Riley’s (2018) research compared intrinsic motivation between homeschooled students and traditionally schooled children. She argued that there are three pillars to intrinsic motivation: competence, autonomy and relatedness and all three are required for successful outcomes. The study found that the students who had been homeschooled had much higher levels of autonomy, satisfaction with their experience and competence in learning.

We have argued that homeschooling is a form of “analogous education,” in that it has some comparisons to a traditional or mainstream approach (i.e., schools); however, the pathway through learning is different. While homeschool has been discussed in the literature in relation to mainstream, it is more akin to a “third way,” analogous to its mainstream counterpart. Research (for example, Riley, 2018; Ray, 2021) has shown homeschooling can produce well-rounded, capable learners ready for adulthood.

The teachers who have left the system for an analogous education in homeschooling reported its success. While it may be, they have a motivation to report it as successful because of the sacrifices they have made, and being that the study was self-selected, they may be unlikely to speak to researchers if they have had a terrible experience. The growth of homeschooling suggests it is a choice that increasing numbers of families are willing to try. The opportunities available for homeschooling children are growing with the market and include specialised instruction in English and Maths as well as ceramics, robotics, woodwork, art classes, languages, STEM sessions and physical education. There is a marketing term, “early adopters,” who are said to normalise a product or service, or an educational choice, and make it accessible to those who follow. If the community reads stories, as they did in the Channel 9 papers of teachers who homeschool in increasing numbers, it’s likely non-teachers may be more motivated to choose homeschooling, driving its growth and further normalising it in the community. As Violet implied in her interview, it made no sense for her to go to school to educate other people’s children while their own children were being educated by someone else. Why not cut out the middleman and just do the work herself?

Bringing it all together

This book has looked at the circumstances of Australian teachers leaving the education system and taking their own children with them to follow and complete a homeschool experience. Many concerns about the current state of the mainstream system were shared by the participants. Their concerns are not new, yet little is done to authentically shift Australia’s educational climate to a more positive experience. Teachers are still leaving the system in vast numbers, and homeschooling numbers continue to grow. As previously stated, we have described these teachers as the canaries in the educational coal mine. These early warning indicators that there are serious issues to be addressed should be heeded. However, true authentic change in the Australian school system by any government is yet to be seen.

There are some study points to consider at the end of this chapter:

1. From your experience, is the Australian Curriculum (or other country curriculum) in its current state overcrowded? Why/ Why not?

2. By 2025, the Australian federal government estimates a shortfall of more than 4,000 teachers. Do you know a teacher who wants to leave the system? What are their reasons? Do they align with the discussion points raised here?

3. Would an Australian national (or other country) high school certificate (not state to state) assist in more alternative schooling options?

4. Gina Riley’s research on intrinsic motivation suggests there are three pillars to intrinsic motivation: competence, autonomy and relatedness, and all three are required for successful outcomes. Have you heard of these before? What rings true for the children in your life?