Home School or Distance Education?
If you are on the road with school aged children for any length of time, the question soon becomes how to continue their education as you travel.
We all know that the experiences kids enjoy while travelling are invaluable to their development, but their formal education is just as important. We have home schooled our own girls at times when we have been on the road, and with the right resources have found that it is actually a lot easier than you might think.
If you are on the road for an extended period, you have two main options to continue your child’s formal education:
• Home schooling – this is where you are provided with the resources by your school or Education Department and you, as the parent, supervise the teaching process. This is what we do with our girls, as we are generally only on the road for a relatively short period of time.
• Distance Education – Each state Education Department has a Distance Education unit. Your child is registered with the Education Department as a Distance Education student and their schooling is structured and administered through the unit. This option generally suits best in a situation where you are traveling for longer periods of time. The Department provides all materials (and in some cases, a phone and/or laptop) for your child to work through, with your Distance Education Unit providing extra support.
Your first step, when planning your child’s schooling while on the road is to contact your child’s teacher or the Distance Education unit in your home state. They can advise which option is best for you, given your child/children’s stage at school, length of time on the road, what amount of flexibility you want and your state’s education requirements.
To get more information and the contact details for your relevant Distance Education unit, just click on the relevant state to visit their website:
New South Wales (http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/rde/distanceedu/howtoenrol/)
Australian Capital Territory (http://www.det.act.gov.au/school_education/distance_education)
Queensland (http://www.education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/distance/)
Victoria (http://www.distance.vic.edu.au/)
Tasmania (http://education.tas.edu.au/tasmanianeschool/Pages/Home.aspx)
South Australia (http://www.openaccess.edu.au/)
Western Australia (primary school) (http://primary.side.wa.edu.au/)
Western Australia (secondary school) ( http://www.side.wa.edu.au/index.php)
Northern Territory (http://www.education.nt.gov.au/students/support-assistance/distance-learning)
Article provided by Workabout Australia
