Home education

Home education is when your child learns at home instead of at school using an approved curriculum.

This means you are responsible for planning, delivering and assessing your child’s education.

If you choose to home educate, you must apply for approval from the Northern Territory (NT) Department of Education.

Until they have been approved, your child must remain enrolled in a school, and continue to attend.

Who can teach

You can plan and deliver your child's home education curriculum without formal teacher training or teaching experience.

You can also employ a teacher to develop and deliver it, who:

• is registered with the Teacher Registration Board of the NT
• has a working with children clearance (Ochre Card).

What you can teach

Your child's home education curriculum can be self-developed or purchased from a commercial provider.

But it must meet the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) requirements. To find out more, go to the ACARA website.

You child may also complete a vocational education and training (VET) course through a registered training organisation.

When to apply

Home education approval is valid for one school year. You must reapply each year.

New families can apply to home educate at any time during the year.

Continuing families wanting to home educate in 2025 must reapply by Friday 22 November 2024.

How to apply

To apply for home education, follow these steps:

Step 1. Fill in the relevant teaching, learning and assessment plan for your child's year level:

• transition to year 10 - teaching, learning and assessment plan DOCX (77.9 KB)
• senior secondary - teaching, learning and assessment plan DOCX (75.8 KB).

Step 2. Attach self-developed or commercially purchased curriculum.

If you purchase your curriculum from a commercial provider, you must consolidate this information into a single PDF document.

If you're using self-developed curriculum or a combination of your own and a curriculum from a commercial provider, you must fill in the following relevant plan:

• transition to year 10 - self-developed curriculum plan DOCX (70.5 KB)
• senior secondary - self-developed curriculum plan DOCX (70.5 KB).

Step 3. Fill in and submit your application with supporting documents online via Territory Services below.

Go to Territory Services

After you apply

After you submit your application, you will:

• receive a notification confirming its receipt and a reference number
• be able to print a summary of your application
• be notified in writing of the outcome.

If approved

You can unenroll your child from school and begin their home education curriculum.

Once you begin, you must maintain evidence of your child's learning in each of the learning areas.

Evidence must be consistent with the topics and assessment tasks set out in the curriculum plan. It can include:

• written documents
• completed worksheets
• video clips
• audio files
• photographs
• artwork.

You child is also still entitled to the Back to School Payment Scheme and Sport Voucher Scheme.

Educating your child while travelling

If you travel with your child for a short period, contact the home education team to discuss the curriculum.

If you're travelling for an extended period, you can apply to enrol your child in a distance education school.

Discontinue or change home education

If you discontinue or change your child's home education, you must notify the home education team in writing within 14 days.

If not approved

You must make sure your child is enrolled and attending a school. You may also reapply at any time.

Contact

Contact home education by calling 08 8901 4902 or emailing homeeducation.doe@education.nt.gov.au.