Homeschooling skyrockets in Queensland in wake of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions

ABC NEWS (Australia)

As the school year resumes, an unprecedented number of Queensland kids won't be returning to the classroom. Home school registrations have sky-rocketed since the pandemic, with behavioural issues, bullying and class sizes pushing more families to ditch mainstream education.

Transcript

00:00 No school desk, no worries.

00:05 It's been six years since the Porter kids flipped their approach to learning.

00:10 They're like, "What school do you go to?"

00:12 And I'm like, "I'm homeschooled."

00:14 And they're like, "You're so lucky."

00:16 Their mum never planned to homeschool,

00:18 but her son's behavioural struggles pushed her to give it a go.

00:22 The experience just worked out so well that we haven't looked back since.

00:27 Homeschooling surged during the pandemic and it's getting more popular.

00:32 Those kids felt that they just learned better at home

00:34 and were more comfortable learning in their home space.

00:37 In Queensland, homeschool registrations have boomed,

00:41 from less than 3,500 in 2019 to more than 10,000 students last year.

00:47 And experts say the number of unregistered families makes it even higher.

00:52 They're disaffected about how schools are being run.

00:56 A lot of them are unhappy with policies and procedures.

00:59 Many of them are unhappy with the focus on standardised testing.

01:02 Bullying, disability, neurodiversity, school refusal and class sizes

01:07 are also key factors.

01:09 A review of Queensland's Education Act is underway,

01:13 which includes a potential crackdown on homeschool requirements

01:17 to ensure children don't fall behind.

01:19 But experts say more regulation could lead to a rise

01:23 in illegally unregistered students.

01:26 Homeschooling comes at a cost

01:28 and the burden falls disproportionately on mothers.

01:31 It's like I've had to obviously sacrifice a career.

01:34 However, I totally think it's worth it.

01:36 Some children just need extra help

01:38 and their parents are willing to do that for them.

01:41 What?

01:41 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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