Parents who home educate their children call for representation in census

Some parents have criticised the recent census for not including an option to say they educate their children at home.

Home educator Denise Cox, who is based in Hobart, said she was frustrated to see the only options describing her children's educational status were government, Catholic and non-government schools.

"I think having the data gives an opportunity to reflect how much home education is growing across the country," Ms Cox said.

The latest publicly available data from each jurisdiction shows there are about 49,000 children across Australia in home education.

Ms Cox said the mainstream school system did not suit the way her children learnt and engaged, but home education offered a more flexible approach.

"So some days we might have woodwork at a local men's shed, we might be out geocaching … you could be out volunteering in a role, you could be doing a hike in a national park, looking at fungi or the ecosystem or geology," she said.

"Or you could have days where you're more structured doing your numeracy and literacy program.

"Everyone does it differently."

Regulations surrounding home education differ between the states and territories, but each jurisdiction requires the child to be registered, or in South Australia's case, exempted from school attendance.

Generally, parents will also need to submit a learning plan to the relevant education department or regulator, and undergo reviews about their child's progress.

Little support for home educators despite many choosing it

The volunteer-run Home Education Network has long advocated for home education's inclusion in the census.

The organisation provides families with peer support, advice and information.

Coordinator Pavlina McMaster, a home educator based in west Gippsland in Victoria, said there would be a range of benefits to having census data on home education, such as from a local government planning perspective.

"Home educators are out and about in the community during the day, and if you know you have a very high proportion of home educators, perhaps you're going to put some more money into playgrounds or into your local library," she said.

Ms McMaster said the census could also show the split of home educators between metro, regional and rural areas.

Furthermore, she said it would show the financial impact of home education on many families due to reduced work hours.

"The census can actually track the socio-economic data of a particular family," she said.

"And that data is actually really important because we keep crying out for better resourcing."

Ms McMaster said government support for home educators was practically non-existent.

"Families can access some Centrelink benefits, so the assistance for isolated children payment, but that child needs to have had major struggles at school, and you need a medical report as well for that," she said.

"If your child is under 16 and you're registered for home education, you can get an exemption from your mutual obligations for [Centrelink payment] JobSeeker.

"So, you know, there's not a lot."

ABS tested including home education in census

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) considered including home education in the recent census, but said it was ultimately not confident to proceed with the change.

"Home schooled was not included as a response category because, following testing, the ABS assessed that there was a risk that the change could impact data quality for this topic," a spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said no participants selected home education during the early stage of testing potential new census categories, so it could not progress to the major test stage.

But Ms Cox believes enough families were choosing home education to warrant inclusion on the census.

"Having the stats is really important to help the broader community and the government understand that we are a group that needs to be represented, that does need to have a say and deserves to be acknowledged and be known, so that when decisions are made we're included in those," she said.

Ms McMaster said including home education on the census would show it was a legitimate option for families where the mainstream system did not meet their needs.

"Those kids who thrive with the hands-on learning and who learn best by doing, they're really struggling in the school system currently; dyslexic kids are really struggling in the school system," she said.

"Schools are under-resourced — teachers are doing their best, but unfortunately, the system is just not able to keep up with need at the moment."