Support
Home education in the ACT is supported by the ACT Education Directorate and the community groups listed below.
ACT Education Directorate
Home Education team
GPO Box 158, Canberra ACT 2601
Phone: 6205 5429 (option 3)
Email: HomeEd@act.gov.au
The Home Education Liaison Officer can support parents with information about resources, learning strategies, record keeping and report writing.
Home Education Resource Library
The Home Education team provides parents of registered children with access to the Home Education Resource Library which contains links to resources that may be useful in providing a high-quality education. This site also contains alerts and updates. Contact the Home Education team if you have not received access to this resource.
Future of Education Equity Fund
ACT resident home educated students may be eligible for assistance from the Future of Education Equity Fund (formerly known as the ACT Secondary Bursary Scheme). Check eligibility online or phone 6205 8262 for more information.
Curriculum documentation
Information on the curriculum used in ACT schools is available from the Our Curriculum page.
Career pathway planning
Find out more about careers pathways for home educated young people. Listen to the 2023 Careers Pathways workshop podcast presented by the National Careers Institute and ACT Education Directorate’s Careers and Vocational Pathways team at: https://anchor.fm/actedu/episodes/Home-Education-Careers-Expo-e1vlrc2 
Community Groups
Christian Home Education in Canberra
Christian Home Education in Canberra (CHEC) is an ecumenical Christian support network for home educators in Canberra and surrounding areas. CHEC provides opportunities to meet informally for social outings, as well as to organise learning opportunities through excursions etc. A quarterly newsletter is published for members.
The Home Education Association Inc. Australia (HEA)
The HEA is a national not-for-profit, incorporated membership association serving Australian home educated children and young people since 2001. The HEA is run by a volunteer committee. Its mission is to promote and support the practice of home education across Australia and to advance educational equity for members. Contact the HEA Support Helpline weekdays on 1300 729 991.
Services
Home educated students are eligible for a MyWay concession pass for student travel on public transport in the ACT. Find out more information about MyWay from Access Canberra or contacting Transport Canberra on 13 17 10.
Scootle
Scootle is a depository of digital resources aligned to the Australian Curriculum. Home educating parents can request a Scootle account by emailing the Home Education team at HomeEd@act.gov.au.
Student ID Cards
Registered children aged 12 and over are eligible to receive a Home Education Student Identification Card. Parents can request a student ID card by emailing HomeEd@act.gov.au with the following information for each child:
- Full name
- Date of Birth
- A colour photo of the child
- digital quality picture with white background
- jpeg format
- portrait orientation clearly showing the child's face from shoulders up.
Example of the ID card
National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)
The National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is used in ACT Public Schools as well as non-government schools to assess children in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 against nationally recognised benchmarks.
The Education Directorate is responsible for the administration of a range of assessment and reporting programs including NAPLAN.
Home educating parents are eligible to nominate their child every second year. As a guide, most children in Year 3 have their 9th birthday, in Year 5 their 11th birthday, in Year 7 their 13th birthday and they turn 15 years of age in Year 9. It is recognised that there are children younger and older than their age cohort in each educational level.
Phone: 6205 9498
Email: ETDassessments@act.gov.au
Immunisation and Dental Services
Canberra Health Services provides information about immunisation and dental services available to children and young people in the ACT.