What do you need to homeschool in Australia? Less than most people expect: registration with your state or territory’s home education body, a learning plan that covers the required learning areas, and simple records that show learning is happening. You do not need a teaching degree, a boxed curriculum, or a classroom at home. This guide lays out the actual requirements, state by state, in plain English - so you know exactly what stands between you and starting.
The three requirements every state shares
Homeschooling is legal in every Australian state and territory, but it is regulated state-by-state. The details differ, but every jurisdiction asks for the same three things:
- Registration before you start. Each state has a body that approves home education (NESA in NSW, the VRQA in Victoria, the Home Education Unit in Queensland, and equivalents elsewhere). You apply per child, and in most states you must be registered before you withdraw your child from school or begin teaching.
- A learning plan covering the required learning areas. Registration bodies want to see that your program addresses the key learning areas: English, Mathematics, Science, the Humanities, the Arts, Health and Physical Education, Technologies and Languages. Most accept the free, public Australian Curriculum (or your state’s framework) as the map - we explain which framework applies where in which curriculum does my state use.
- Records and periodic review. Every state reviews registration eventually. The request is always some version of “show us what the child has been learning”: work samples, a simple diary, photos of projects.
Do you need to be a qualified teacher?
No. No Australian state or territory requires a parent to hold a teaching qualification to homeschool. What the registration bodies assess is your plan and, later, evidence of progress - not your credentials. This is the single most common misconception that stops families from applying.
Requirements state by state
Always check the official body for current forms and timelines, because processes are updated regularly. As of writing, this is the shape of each state’s requirements:
New South Wales
Register with the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). You apply per child, an authorised person visits to discuss your educational program, and registration is granted for a period of up to two years before renewal. Your plan is written against the NSW syllabuses - see our guide to the NSW syllabuses for how Stages and outcomes work.
Victoria
Register with the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) before you begin. Your application includes a learning plan addressing the eight key learning areas, and a share of registered families are selected for review each year. Our Victorian homeschool guide covers the process and the free resources that satisfy it.
Queensland
Apply to the Home Education Unit (HEU) with a written summary of your educational program. Registration is reviewed annually, with a short report on your child’s progress.
Western Australia
Register with the Department of Education. A home education moderator visits within the first months to look at your program, then checks in on a regular cycle.
South Australia
Apply to the Department for Education for approval, including a learning program. Approval is reviewed periodically.
Tasmania
Register with the Office of the Education Registrar, with a home education summary and program, reviewed on a regular cycle.
ACT and Northern Territory
Register with the Education Directorate (ACT) or the Department of Education (NT). Both ask for a program outline and conduct periodic reviews; the ACT grants provisional registration first, then full registration.
What your learning plan actually needs to show
A registration plan is not a term-by-term timetable. It needs to show that each required learning area is addressed at a level suited to your child, and that you have thought about resources and how you will track progress. The easiest way to build one: look up your child’s year level in the Australian Curriculum (or your state framework), read the content descriptions for English and Maths first, and treat the rest as a checklist to spread across the year. A simple plan you actually follow beats an elaborate one that lives in a drawer.
What you do not need
- A teaching qualification - no state requires one.
- A purchased boxed curriculum - the Australian Curriculum is free and public, and registration bodies accept plans built on it.
- School hours - most families find two to three focused hours a day covers more ground than a six-hour school day, because none of it is transitions or waiting.
- A dedicated classroom - a kitchen table and a library card are the standard setup.
Met the requirements? Here is how to start
Once you understand what your state asks for, the rest is a sequence: apply, build a small resource stack, plan a simple first week, and keep evidence as you go. We walk through each step in how to start homeschooling in Australia, including what a sustainable first timetable looks like.
Where Sprout fits
The requirements are the easy part; producing curriculum-aligned lessons five days a week is the ongoing work. Sprout Lessons generates interactive lessons aligned to the Australian Curriculum, the Victorian Curriculum F–10 or the NSW syllabuses, built around your child’s year level and interests - and the footer of every lesson records the curriculum codes it aligned to, which is exactly the evidence registration reviews ask for. New accounts start with free credits, so you can generate your first lessons free while your application is still in the queue.
FAQ
What do you need to homeschool in Australia?
Three things: registration with your state or territory home education body (NESA in NSW, the VRQA in Victoria, the Home Education Unit in Queensland, and equivalents elsewhere), a learning plan showing how you will address the required learning areas, and simple records of learning for periodic review. You do not need a teaching qualification, a purchased curriculum or a dedicated classroom.
Do you need to be a qualified teacher to homeschool?
No. No Australian state or territory requires a parent to hold a teaching qualification to homeschool. Registration bodies assess your learning plan and, at review time, evidence of your child’s progress - not your credentials.
How do you get into homeschooling?
Apply to your state or territory’s home education body before you begin: submit a learning plan covering the required learning areas, complete any interview or home visit your state uses, and receive registration. From there you plan a simple week, teach, and keep records for the next review. Most families use the free, public Australian Curriculum (or their state framework) as the map for the plan.
Do homeschoolers have to follow the Australian Curriculum?
Most state registration bodies either require your plan to address the standard learning areas or accept the Australian Curriculum as the default framework. Victoria expects plans to address the eight key learning areas, and NSW plans are written against the NSW syllabuses. You keep full control of pace, order and teaching method.
What records do homeschoolers need to keep?
Every state reviews registration periodically, and the request is always some version of "show us what the child has been learning". A simple folder is enough: work samples, photos of projects, and a one-line diary of what you covered. Lessons that record which curriculum outcomes they aligned to make this evidence largely automatic.