Until recently, people who home educate their children have been exempt from work requirements, in the same way as parents with children under the age of 5, and people with sole responsibility for someone requiring full-time care.  This is now no longer the case.

In a letter received by one home educating parent Paula Bennett says “It is no longer sufficient to just have an exemption certificate from the Ministry of Education.  A parent also needs to have a very good reason for home schooling their children”. (see the NCHENZ website for the full letter www.nchenz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Tarnya-Burge-07-09-10.pdf )

The wording of the legislation puts it as follows:
6 Exemption from work test obligations: work-tested sole parents
(1) A work-tested sole parent may apply under section 105 of the Act to be exempted from some or all of his or her work test obligations, on any ground specified in regulation 4 or in subclause (2).
(2) A person described in subclause (1) may be granted an exemption from some or all of his or her work test obligations on the grounds that
(a) it would be unreasonable to expect the person to undertake employment because-
(i) the person is the principal caregiver of a dependent child or foster child with special needs whose welfare would be unduly harmed if the person attended employment or training, and for whom satisfactory alternative care arrangements are not available, or unable to be made, by the caregiver;
or
(ii) the person would qualify for an invalid’s benefit under the Act;
or
(b) the person needs time to adjust to managing the care of children alone because-
(i) the person’s spouse or partner has recently died;
or
(ii) the person has recently separated from or ceased to live together with his or her spouse or partner;
or
(c) both the following apply:
(i) the person is actively engaged in teaching the person’s dependent child or foster child who is aged 5 years or is exempt from enrolment in school under an exemption granted under section 21 or 22 of the Education Act 1989;
and
(ii) it would be unreasonable to expect the child to attend school because of the family’s circumstances.

In other words, you are exempt if your case worker thinks you have a ‘very good reason’ to home educate.  It is not totally clear what will and will not be acceptable as a ‘very good reason’, but it is likely that it will include things like your child having special needs, or if you live a long way from a school.

These changes are due to come into effect at the end of the 2010 school year.

A number of people have written to the Human Rights Commissioner about this issue, on the basis that it is a form of discrimination, and is limiting to the rights and freedoms of these parents (in regards to their education choices for their children).  The Commission is currently considering whether this is the case.

In the meantime, however, the legislation has already passed and affected people will already have received their letters from WINZ telling them of the new requirements.

Stacey Wilson,
NCHENZ committee member

There is a single parent homeschooling support group at http://singleparent.co.nz/

Given the particular implications of the regulation people have complained about, the Commission has decided that the most immediate action it can take is to make a prompt submission, setting out the Human Rights issues, to the Regulations Review Committee, a Parliamentary Committee responsible for examining all regulations and proposed regulation making powers in bills for consistency with good legislative practice. (A copy of the submission will be posted on the Commission’s website once it has been presented to the Committee.) Because of this, the unlawful discrimination complaints have been suspended for the time being. Subject to the response of the Committee, the Commission will then decide what other action it might take on the enquiries and complaints. At that point we will contact you again.

Homeschoolers with kids with learning problems.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Right-Brain-Learning-and-Learning-Difficulties/120036714687917

Please find linked a letter from the Hon Paula Bennett to me personally regarding the DPB and work requirements.

The relevant section of the regulation :

“6 Exemption from work test obligations: work-tested sole parents

“(1) A work-tested sole parent may apply under section 105 of the Act to be exempted from some or all of his or her work test obligations, on any ground specified in regulation 4 or in subclause (2).

“(2) A person described in subclause (1) may be granted an exemption from some or all of his or her work test obligations on the grounds that—

(a) it would be unreasonable to expect the person to undertake employment because-

(i) the person is the principal caregiver of a dependent child or foster child with special needs whose welfare would be unduly harmed if the person attended employment or training, and for whom

satisfactory alternative care arrangements are not available, or unable to be made, by the caregiver;

or

“(ii) the person would qualify for an invalid’s benefit under the Act; or

“(b) the person needs time to adjust to managing the care of children alone because-

“(i) the person’s spouse or partner has recently died;

or

“(ii) the person has recently separated from or ceased to live together with his or her spouse or partner;

or

“(c) both the following apply:

“(i) the person is actively engaged in teaching the person’s dependent child or foster child who is aged 5 years or is exempt from enrolment in school

under an exemption granted under section 21 or 22 of the Education Act 1989; and

“(ii) it would be unreasonable to expect the child to attend school because of the family’s circumstances.

Yesterday I took my 3 youngest boys to an Open Day at the University of Auckland. The entry criteria has increased for next year (just as it has for many unis/courses around the country.) The govt funds them for only a certain no. of students & so they can’t take everybody. (Every year for quite awhile they have been taking more students than the govt funds them for, and that is unsustainable.)

“University Entrance” is supposedly 42 credits (with various conditions, eg in at least 3 diff subjects)
http://www.macleans.school.nz/faculty/careers/2008/uni_entrance_ncea_cie.pdf
but the reality is that if you want to do a degree you need significantly more.

Eg at Manukau Inst of Technology (MIT)
http://manukau.ac.nz/
to get into the Engineering degree, you need 65 credits.
http://www.manukau.ac.nz/programme-data/engineering-computer-electrical-electronic/bachelor-of-engineering-be-and-be-hons-electronics-and-computer-engineering

At the University of Auckland you need 70 credits to get into their least-restricted course (a Bachelor of Arts). And to get into their Engineering degree you will need 80 credits – with an avergae of Merit.
http://www.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/
http://ebooks.auckland.ac.nz/entry_requirements_brochure/ ( it takes a while to load)

It is getting harder & harder to get in – but forewarned is forearmed.

The key piece

In determining whether to grant an exemption from some or all of a person’s work test obligations on the ground that subclause (2)(c)(ii) applies to the person, the chief executive may consider, among other things, whether— ”(a) there are particular needs )/ reasons that prevent the child from attending school (for example, the child has special needs or has been excluded or expelled from school):
“(b) there are other mitigating circumstances involved (for example, home schooling is a reasonable option because the nearest school is a significant distance away).”

What other mitigating circumstances should be considered ?

Have her/him do the Tertiary Foundation Certificate (1 year, costs a total of about $540) the year before she wants to start her degree.

Pass this and you have as much shot as anyone with good NCEA or Cambridge results at any Auckland Uni degree program – even restricted entry ones. Of course what helps with restricted entry courses are A’s so tell her to pass it well

The TFC course is an excellent intro to Uni – it is more hands on so there is a lot of guidance, here is how to write essays to Uni standard, it is on campus, run by Uni lecturers, so it is way better than NCEA or Cambridge.

My homeschooled daughter was accepted to Auckland Uni’s TFC program one month after her 16th birthday on the strength of her diagnostic test scores (they run this test twice a year – it is free to sit).

The other way to get into Uni without NCEA or Cambridge is to sit a few no-requisite, easy entry papers at Uni, pass them well, then simply point to them on your application.

The purpose of tight entry criteria is to weed out applicants who do not have what it takes to pass at Uni – Uni does not care so much about NCEA or Cambridge, they care about whether or not you can do the course, handle the workload so TFC and passes in other Uni papers are fine because they answer that question.

Report on the ERO and Liason Meeting June 2010

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Looking to listen to something about home education/homeschooling try these wonderful podcasts.