67882 (2024). Dr Lawrence Xu-Nan to the Minister of Education

67882 (2024). Dr Lawrence Xu-Nan to the Minister of Education: In response to Reply 39605 and 52405, how, if at all, is the Ministry of Education ensuring that home educating students are being taught at least as regularly and well as in a registered/specialist school, when, as at 2 September 2024, 516 home-educating families (relating to 718 children) were unable to be contacted?

Hon Erica Stanford: I am advised by the Ministry of Education (the Ministry) that when an application for home education is received, the Ministry assesses the education programme to determine whether it meets the statutory test under Section 38(1) of the Education and Training Act 2020 that a child will be taught at least as regularly and well as in a registered or specialist school. This assessment is the basis for the Ministry’s decision to grant the exemption or not. Once an exemption has been granted, if concerns are raised about a child’s home education programme, the Ministry is able to undertake an education review and decide whether the exemption continues or not. The 516 home-educating families the Member is referring to relates to the statutory declaration for an allowance. The statutory allowance is optional, and is not an indicator of the quality of a child’s home education programme.