Homeschooling - Overview

Public and private schools are not necessarily the most appropriate or easily accessible environments for all children and families. Australia's size means that there is a tradition of Distance Education and School of the Air for remote families. However a significant number of city families also opt for these services, for a variety of reasons. There are many reasons why children are homeschooled:

• Distance. Some families live in such isolated areas that there is no school that their children can attend.
   
• Medical. Children with extended illnesses are often unable to attend school.
   
• Travel. Travelling families often find homeschooling a more stable option than frequent changes of schools.
   

• Special needs children. There are often limited places in Special Education Units available, limited school resources and aides, and difficulties associated with mainstream education requirements that may require more one-on-one attention.

• Dissatisfaction with school system. Some parents are unhappy with the school system where classroom sizes may be large and individual attention much more difficult. They may feel that their local schools are too unsafe for their children and that their children can learn more in their home environment.

• Gifted children. The limitations of mainstream schooling can mean that gifted students are bored, not challenged enough, or left to teach themselves.

There is sometimes a stigma associated with homeschooling as people question whether homeschooling is real education and whether parents are qualified enough to teach. There is also a perception that children play all day instead of doing school work, although you could ask that as long as they are learning, what is wrong with that.

Distance education & Homeschooling websites

Below is a list of distance education schools and homeschooling associations with websites. For the complete list of distance education schools visit the Australasian Association for Distance Education Schools website - see Distance Education Schools to browse by state.

National

• Home Education Association Inc (Australia)
  

Queensland

• Brisbane School of Distance Education - West End
• Cairns School of Distance Education
• Capricornia School of Distance Education
• Charleville School of Distance Education
• Charters Towers School of Distance Education
• Longreach School of Distance Education
• Mt Isa School of the Air

New South Wales

• School of the Air Broken Hill
• Tibooburra Outback School of the Air

Victoria

• Distance Education Centre Victoria 

South Australia

• Open Access College - See Port Augusta School of the Air and Marden Campus

Tasmania

• Distance Education Tasmania

Western Australia

• Kalgoorlie School of the Air
• Kimberley School of the Air
• Meekatharra School of the Air - Geraldton
• Port Hedland School of the Air
• Schools of Isolated and Distance Education Western Australia

Northern Territory

• Alice Springs School of the Air
• Katherine School of the Air