New south wales
HOW TO CREATE A
Homeschool / Unschool Registration
learning plan
Ultimate Guide
The nsw education guidlines for homeschool state
There is no one teaching or learning method or set of resources to implement an educational program that will suit all families. As long as the requirements for registration are met, parents may choose their preferred methods and resources.The educational program needs to address the child’s learning needs - recognising that children learn in different ways, at different rates and with different interests. The teaching or learning methods and resources may follow an educational philosophy or theory, an interest or project based approach, a commercial program, a combination of methods, or a personal approach developed to suit the family and the child. Some parents prefer to provide information for each separate subject. Others prefer an integrated approach based on a theme or key project. Some parents develop a common theme for their children of different ages and make adjustments for the learning needs of each child. It is up to parents to choose the methods and approach that work for them. The learning plan and associated records may be paper based, project based, digital or a combination of different mediums.
In new south wales your learning plan needs to require the following :
Your learning plan must include proof of your childs full name and date of birth ( a birth certificate is fine) -
Also what year or stage your child will be doing (eg year 1 or all primary stage )
It should also include evidence of your childs previous "school"
(your childs previous school report will do )
also it must include these 5 steps:
When and Where the "learning" will take place:
When : refers to the general schedule of learning. For example, will the instruction and learning take place on weekdays?
·
When: does not mean that you have to account for each hour, each day, each week or even each month. ·
Where : means the location in which the learning will take place throughout the year. For example, home, specialist locations such as a museum, library, swimming pool,or out within the community
Where: does not mean you must list every learning location you plan to use during the year.- as things pop up through the year you may decide to attend - (just say , * when other opportunities for learning arise i will make sure i record them , these may include events,markets,fates, or classes.
if your are using a Unschooling -Natural learning approach
When :
As we are taking a natural learning approach to our educational plan there is hidden potential for learning ALL of the time.My childs learning is free to take place whenever and for however long my child feels necessary .Their learning will not be restricted to the normal school hours and days,as my child is always questioning and exploring so the "when" happens whenever learning opportunities come up an as natural learners -opportunities are endless.
Where :
As we are taking a natural learning approach to our educational plan my childs education will not only be limited to our home, but also within our community,on daily outings to shops,relatives and friends houses,at playgrounds,at the local swimming pool & the library and within our home ed groups.Also when other learning opportunities arise this could be food markets,shows,holidays and lessons my child wants to attend We love being amongst nature so their learning can also take place on outings to beachs ,bush walking and sight seeing. - note:
places we visit will be recorded down as they happen
How learning outcomes will be recorded :
The way you keep records is completely up to you -
you are not required to keep school like reports
You are required to keep records to show evidence / progress of your childs " learning"
You do not to keep times and daily records or use a "school like" approach.Although many Authorised Persons (APs) ask for a daily diary linked to Syllabus Outcomes, you are NOT required to do this
There is various ways you can keep records of your childs learning , some ways include : create a blog, write down in a diary or journal , you can take photos and create a learning photo album,save any work samples in a folder,or you can use a online recording app.
You will need to explain how you will keep records for both
learning activities & how you will record achievements and progress
if your are using a Unschooling -Natural learning approach
learning activity recording - I will keep a diary i will jolt down things my child has done/ learned throughout the week i will include the date of the weeks beginning. In this i will also list any resources my child has used or activities my child has done - i will also list what kla (subject ) it has covered .This diary will be called my kla achievements diary .I will keep a plastic sleeve folder to keep any "hard copy" work they have done like drawings,lists,things they have wrote on , and printed work fromany online "learning " .I will also take photos of learning experiences & projects they have done or excursions we have been on as evidence- this will be kept in a photo album and will form a "visual learning portfolio"
achievement & progress recording- at the end of each term i will go through my kla achievements diary, my hardcopy portfolio and any visiaul records i have - photos / projects i will refer to the NESA syllabus statement outcomes and write down in a separate journal which ones we have covered for each
kla( subject) ,-i will be referring to all primary stage statements as we are following a child - led learning approach ,their are no expectations only encouragement
i will list in this book my childs current interests, achievements and if any goals for the next semester also. At the end of each year i will write a short report of the year and add this to my childs plastic sleeve folder.
Consider your childs needs:
information about your child’s learning needs and how the educational program supports these needs;
Here you can explain your childs needs,you may give a summary of their areas of interests, what their strengths are and areas they need additional support with.You can explain what you hope to achieve for the year or what you would like to work on , you can also explain the learning philosophy you have chosen that best suits your child learning needs.
If you are using a Unschooling/ natural learning approach
Note: This is a example explaining childs learning needs and learning philosophy (unschooling)
Throughout the last couple of years due to covid, i have had the opportunity to be present in my childs education
while teaching them from home.In that time i noticed how my child was struggling with the work load given by "formal education" , She wasn't able to keep up and i found she was exhausted and kept forgetting the lesson she had be taught as she lost interest. So i tried a different approach, a child - led natural learning approach, i let her follow her interests and she had suprised me with her natural curiosity and willingness to learn when she is in charge of what and how that learning comes .So i have created her educational program based on her interests and based on daily natural life skills.I believe when given the freedom to learn at her own pace and the opportunity to explore and follow the things that interest her,for her to learn from everyday life, she will become naturally curious , and when you have curiosity especially for something you have chosen ,i believe you become highly motivated and passionate for that subject you naturally want to explore it and naturally want to learn more about it.I also believe in everyday life there is always opportuinities for learning instead of my child encounter ideas in a textbook form or formal lesson , She will encounter these ideas at her own pace through her own interests and through everyday living using a natural child - lead learning approach.
Add how you will cover the subject mater
for each of the key learning areas -
NESA home school guidelines state:
Registration for home schooling requires that the minimum curriculum of the Act is provided. This means that the child’s educational program is based on and taught in accordance with the relevant NESA syllabuses. Other programs can also be provided as long as the requirements for registration continue to be met. Such programs can be in addition to the curriculum of the Act or they can be incorporated into the curriculum based on NESA syllabuses. For example, if the child is learning music or dance, the learning may be relevant to addressing aspects of the Creative Arts syllabus. Similarly, parents can integrate informal learning and daily life as opportunities for learning. For example, making shopping lists may address aspects of the English syllabus or measuring ingredients for cooking may address aspects of the Mathematics syllabus.
In your educational plan you have to explain how you will address each key learning area (KLA) - (kla means subjects) you have to follow the NSW Curriculum and you are required to cover each subject that is required for either primary, secondary or senior education,which ever is relevant to you.
NSW KLA INCLUDE:
Students must study:
English
Mathematics
Science and Technology
HSIE – Geography and/or History
PDHPE
Creative Arts
You can choose to create your learning plan
from the NSW curriculum's kla's based on either
the stage statements, outcomes and/or course content objectives
for that subject and the stage syllabus that suits your child
Stage statements are summaries
of the knowledge, understanding,
skills, values and attitudes that
have been developed by students as
a result of achieving the outcomes for each
stage of learning in each K10 syllabus. T
here are stage statements for all K-10 syllabuses
, with the exception of K-6 Creative Arts,
where these summaries are
called Foundation Statements
Make sure you list resources and materials you will use to cover each learning subject
note: resources & materials must be in detail:
example if you are reading a book - do not just write book , you have to add the title and the author
For resources & Materials list things like :
specific details such as full book names, URLs, computer programs and apps, cooking appliances,other tech
or specialist services such as private tutor, music lessons, sports teams and so on. It is not enough to list resources as 'books' or 'the internet'.
Students must study:
English
Mathematics
Science
HSIE – Geography, History and/or another HSIE syllabus
Students must also study two subjects,
selected by the parent, each from
a different key learning area from the following list:
PDHPE ,Creative Arts ,Languages Technology
Students must:
have a pattern of study of courses for senior secondary education selected from the following key learning areas:
English
Mathematics
Science
HSIE
PDHPE
Creative Arts
Languages
Technology
Outcomes provide a
more detailed description of the
knowledge, understanding, skills,
values and attitudes expected to be
acquired by most students by the
end of a stage of learning. Each outcome
has a short-hand code that parents
may choose to use on an optional basis
The content describes what students learn about in relation to subject matter or topics.
In each KLA (subject) there is whats called syllabus's - .
(A syllabus describes the learning to be undertaken in relation to key organisational elements, intended learning goals, content, sequence of learning and assessment of that subject)
Each syllabus contains stage statements providing a summary of the knowledge, understanding, skills, values and attitudes for each stage of learning. (stage means what year your child is learning at)
You can find more about syllabuses in NSW for each subject here
Syllabuses for Kindergarten to Year 10
(know as Stages 1 to 5)
Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten) syllabuses
Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2) syllabuses
Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4) syllabuses
Stage 3 (Years 5 and 6) syllabuses
Stage 4 (Years 7 and 8) syllabuses
Stage 5 (Years 9 and 10) syllabuses
In both Year 11 and 12 the pattern of study must include:
a two unit English course
at least six units of NESA developed courses
three courses of two unit value, and
at least four subjects. Courses can be selected from a wide range of NESA syllabuses, including vocational education courses.
Different ways to write your
( note: you can adjust your syllabus stage according to your childs learning needs as the educational department knows every child learns at different paces) - you can cut and paste course content objectives
Here you will find the required information for each subject from k - 10 using the outcomes
Here you will find the required information for each subject from k - 10 using the course content objectives
for Unschooling/ natural learning approach
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you can find approved example at the educating parent
-
or on the NSW education site here
congratulations take a breather
Once you have created your learning plan remember:
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1 learning plan is required for each child, note: its okay if you use the same content for each learning plan and tailor it to suite each individual child you plan to homeschool
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you will have a interview with the AP person to show and explain the plan,you will have to show them the area they will learn , and your child will need to be sighter by the AP person
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It can take a average of 12 weeks from initial registration to approval of registration ( once your education plan is assessed by AP person they will make recommendation to NESA
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NSW can give a max of 2 years at a time for registration(first timers are usually less - currently 1 year max
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you will need to keep your child at school until you have received your approved homeschooling certificate, you may be able to discuss with your principle and see if there is any way around this - no guarantees
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you will have to reapply once your registration expires, and create a new education plan for the new year, plus show samples/records for your current year of registration