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This website was set up for people interested in home educating in the Hobart or Southern Tasmania area. Maybe you’re considering home schooling for the first time. Maybe you’re already home educating and moving to Hobart. Hopefully you’ll find the information you’re looking for. And if it’s not here, let me know and I’ll find out for you.
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Home Education is Not An Alternative
Home education is a not an alternative to school. Home education is a legal and valid educational choice.
In Tasmania the legal educational options are: public school, private school, distance education, home education.
Everyone has the right to choose their preferred educational delivery. Home education is not just something people turn to when school doesn't work out. More and more people are choosing home education as their first choice. 
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What is Home Education?
Home education is designing and delivering an individualised learning experience for your child,
​tailored to their own interests, learning style, learning level and abilities.
It is not school at home. You are not the teacher, you are your child's mentor, or learning facilitator.
You are not required to follow any curriculum or grade levels, or sit any tests or assessments or work 9-3, 5 days a week.
​Your child is able to work at their own level without being compared to anyone else. They only need to show personal progress.
Home education is holistic, it's not just about formal academic work, it encompasses all of your child's learning experiences - sport, art, bush walking, playing, cooking, craft, building, gardening, farm work, sewing, metal work, volunteering, baby sitting, etc. Your child is constantly learning, from everything they do. It's all educational.
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First Things First​
​ A Look At Home Education in Tasmania.  A valuable look at the whys and benefits of home education. From the website of the Tasmanian Home Education Advisory Council. Click on the excerpt below to read the article.

 HOW do I home educate in Hobart?
It is a legal requirement for home educators to register with the Office of the Education Registrar (OER).
Click on the link below to go straight to the OER website. You can phone them and ask any questions you have about registering, they're very friendly and approachable.

​The document below gives a helpful overview of the registration process and other useful information. Click on the photo to view the whole document.

WHAT resources do I need to home educate? 
You don't need to buy expensive resources to home educate, you probably have nearly everything you need at home. You do not need an ipad, an expensive curriculum, etc. Use what you already have, computer, art supplies, books, magazines, tools, cooking equipment etc; get books from the library and op shops. If you want specialised equipment like a microscope, globe etc, look for second hand if you can't afford new.
​There are lots of free resources available for home educators, e,g, Teachers Pay Teachers, The Good and the Beautiful, Scootle and many more. If you fill in the contact form I can send you a list of resources.

WHAT about qualifications?
Can my home educated child attend further education? Yes. Click on the picture below for more information.

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Will my child be disadvantaged if I don’t teach them what they learn in school?
​Quite the contrary. School curricula exist so that all schools will be on the same page, because teachers do not have the time or resources to teach each child independently. The content may be arbitrary, irrelevant, and subject to sudden and unexplained change. Research and experience have shown that children free to learn what interests them are happier, able to achieve their goals and have no trouble ‘fitting in’ if they choose to return to the school system.
"It’s no secret that a student is able to develop a higher level of mastery of a subject if they are interested and engaged." 
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HELP! My child is being regularly assaulted/traumatised in school. I want to take them out and home school them but the principal says I can’t take them out of school until I’m registered to home school.
Legally this is correct, but the school has a duty of care to provide a safe environment for your child. If that is not happening they are not meeting their duty of care. Your duty, as a parent, is to your child. You are responsible for their safety. Remove them from school immediately and apply to homeschool.
If the school are pressing you to send your child to school, get a doctor’s certificate excusing your child from attending school for a few weeks. Apparently you can request a certificate by phone. You do not need the school’s permission to home school. You only need to notify them that your child will no longer be attending their school and that you have applied to home school. If the school is making problems for you, contact the Office of the Education Registrar for advice.

This is from the FAQ document by the Tasmanian Home Education Advisory Council.
There are situations (exceptional or extenuating circumstances, illness) where it is in the best interest of the child to remove him/her from school immediately. If you find yourself in this situation, submit your application form and HESP with your supporting documents in the normal manner and contact the Office of the Education Registrar for further advice.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 03 6165 6135
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WHAT about violence?
Parents who remove their child from school because of violence often assume their home schooling community will be a safe haven. If they do encounter violent behaviour they may think, ‘out of the frying pan into the fire’ and look for a ‘better’ school. It's good to realise that any community is a microcosm of the macrocosm and in any situation you may find children whose behaviour does not reflect your own values. The good thing is that, unlike at school, you are free to walk away from any situation you do not like and to teach your child that they do not have to stay and put up with behaviour they are not comfortable with. This empowers them rather than the disempowering situation they are faced with in school. Remember that attending any home school event is like attending a playdate or child’s birthday party. You are the person responsible for your child’s wellbeing and behaviour. We’re all home schooling parents and volunteers so even if someone has organised the event there is no ‘in charge’ person with authority over you or your child.
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WHERE can I take my child in and around Hobart?
One of the great things about home educating is the excursions - you’re free to go out and about any time you like. One of the drawbacks is the restricted income, so you want free or inexpensive places to go. 

Click on the picture below for a list of places to go in and around Hobart.

                       Cornelian Bay
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DO I need the school’s approval to take my child out and home educate?
NO "For families new to home education who are withdrawing students from school, here is the relevant section of the Education Act.
What You Need to Do:
When you decide to stop sending your learner to school, you should advise the school in writing (this can be an email). Tell them when your child will stop attending school, and state that you intend to home educate.
What You *DO NOT* Need to Do (unless you want to):
- Have a meeting or interview with the Principal, school teacher, or anyone else at the school
- Get advice or permission from anyone at the school before deciding to home educate
- Explain the reasons for your decision to the school staff
- Discuss with the school details of what, or how, your child will learn at home
- Wait until the end of term, or any other specific date chosen by the school, before applying to home educate (although note that private schools may require payment of fees if you withdraw your child on short notice)
Also, please be aware that, while school teachers and principals are experts in classroom teaching and managing schools (as this is what their years of training and professional experience have focused on), most have little or no knowledge about home education, so occasionally they can give confusing or even downright incorrect advice. 
Experienced home educators and the OER are better sources of information."

WHERE can I meet other home educators in Hobart and Southern Tasmania?
Tasmania has a large home educating community with over 1,400 children registered. There are various social and activity based groups around the state
and several Facebook groups - forums for exchanging information and support and for organising activities.
Hobart also has an emailing list for activities etc. and a newsletter. If you wish to be included on the list please  click here to send me your email address. 

To request a list of Home School groups in Hobart and Tasmania, go to the Contacts page.

The Botanical Gardens             

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