Distance Education – is it your answer to the Traditional School v’s Homeschool conundrum?

Your kids are in a traditional school, but you are not happy with how things are going. You hear all the hype about homeschool and begin to look into it – pretty scary stuff! Traditional school or Homeschool? Do you know that there is a middle ground? Why not have your cake and eat it too with Distance Education?

What is Distance Education?

To begin with, let’s take a look at what Distance Education (DE) is. In a nutshell, Distance Education is doing school at home. But, there is a huge variance between each DE school, for example, the philosophy of the school, the delivery methodology and their expectations. But some things are consistent across the board:

• the school provides you with all the necessary curriculum – be it online, sending out workbooks and textbooks, or a combination of both,
• teacher support is available – some more than others,
• like a traditional school, you will receive a report card, and students complete assignments, tests, quizzes, and exams,
• opportunity to participate in NAPLAN (with an opt-out),
• parents have access to support,
• most offer sports days, activity days, workshops and excursions,
• some offer support for elite athletes and performers,
• the parent is the facilitator of their child’s learning,
• they offer traditional and non-traditional tertiary pathways,
• your child has access to a guidance counselor,
• VET programs are available.

So while there are many similarities, each individual Distance Education provider will have its own benefits, so it pays to shop around to find the best fit for your family. Some offer flexibility with curriculum allowing you to provide your own. Make sure you know where the DE school stands before you commit.

So why would you consider pulling the kids from a traditional school only to place them back into a school at home?

There are many reasons families choose this methodology of education. Every family’s situation and needs are unique so I couldn’t possibly provide you with every answer. However, here are some things to consider:

• you wish to remove your child from a toxic environment (bullying, anxiety, depression, etc).
• you do not feel confident in putting together an individualised program for each of your children,
• the idea of teacher support, and/or assessments is appealing,
• DE can be a stepping stone into homeschool,
• you do not have the time to put together and implement a curriculum due to work, or other commitments,
• your child needs academic exemptions due to sport or performance commitments,
• special needs are not being met in the current school,
• extended travel,
• you want a private school education for your children but the fees are prohibitive.

Does this sound like something that would work for your family? Read on……

Public or Private?

Let’s begin with the 2 main categories of Distance Education providers. As with traditional school, there is both public (government) and private DE schools. It is not uncommon to find a DE school attached to a day school, allowing their students to take advantage of joint resources.

Public Distance Education Schools:

All Australian states and territories offer a DE service to their students. This includes the School of the Air. Most DEs offer Kindergarten to year 12, including special education programs. It would pay to check with the individual school (see links below). Generally, to be eligible for enrolment the child should meet one of the following circumstances:

• students with medical conditions (physical, social or emotional),
• students with additional learning and support needs,
• families who are traveling within Australia,
• sports/performance,
• geographic isolation,
• vocationally talented students,
• pregnant students/young parents, and
• home-based students – those who choose to educate their children at home.

Government Distance Education schools follow the Sate’s curriculum and is therefore secular. You will need to contact the school for enrolment procedures and fees.

Private Distance Education School:

Almost every Australian state and territory has access to at least one private distance education provider. Almost all are Christian and therefore offer curriculum based on Christian principles. The private sector offers a large variety in its delivery, methodology, teaching philosophies, services, extracurricular opportunities, and fees. As a result, it is essential to shop around.

Private DE Schools are a great alternative to private day schools. They offer quality academic programs without the academic pressure. While it is a full curriculum, as a parent, you are ultimately in control.

Most private DE schools offer some or all of the following: annual presentations, graduation and awards nights, swimming carnivals, sports carnivals, year 12 formal, school camps, and mission trips. Your child will not miss out!

As an illustration, private DE was the fit I needed for my family. With 2 athletes in the family, we were on the road – a lot! Sometimes my husband was in one state with one son and I was in another with the other son. Life was hectic. My youngest son had to travel with one of us. There was no time to put together the boy’s individual programs. I did utilise 2 different DE schools due to their individual personalities, which worked very well for us. It pays to investigate each school – I cannot stress this enough!

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Distance Education v’s Traditional School

While the academic content may be similar, the benefits of distance education, over traditional school, lies in the delivery. At the end of the day, the kids are home, with their family, building family relationships, and you are in control of their emotional well being.

It has been said that DE’s workload is excessive, and to some extent, I agree. But let me ask you this hypothetical question:
What is more important:

1. your 10-year-old receiving an A on his Social Studies assignment (or some other non-core subject)? or
2. your 10-year-old receiving a C in his non-core subject, while you maintain a stress-free environment allowing you to use the time to play, build character, and practice life skills

Only you can answer this question. You know your child, family and even yourself best. You are the facilitator of your children’s education and can practice discretion. Understand the academic, social and emotional goals for your children and educate them accordingly – just saying 😉

Distance Education vs Homeschool

Homeschool involves planning, writing, and delivering your child’s academic program. Registration with your state’s Education department is mandatory. Annual academic reporting is required. Homeschooling Downunder has excellent resources and information on getting started. Here you will find links to each state’s registration authority and so much more.

Regardless of which method you choose, when you decide to educate your children you still need to consider some key points to help you ease into your new lifestyle. Survival techniques paired with a functioning daily schedule are good starting points.

Distance Education supports athletes and performers

This one is close to my heart. Through distance education your elite athlete or performer can:

• continue to train to their full potential. My boys had many additional one-on-one coaching sessions simply because they were available during school hours.
• train around their flexible school hours.
• take academic work with them when on the road,
• minimise stress. Without the worry of staying up to date on academic work they can focus on their performance.
• be available to coach others. This can lead to mentoring programs to further advance them in their field as well as an income.

Some final words on educating your children at home

In summary, there is no simple answer. And no solution is perfect – traditional, homeschool or Distance Education. The best advice I can give is to understand what your goals are for your children – regardless of their academic pathway. Work backward from there. Really think about why you are motivated to pull the kids from school so you can focus on the outcome. Investigate each DE to see if you can find a good fit for your family. And finally, you can always change to homeschool or enrol the kids into a traditional school. Take it one year (or even term) at a time and see how you go. Do your research and ask your questions. Remember……….

Every great move forward in your life begins with a leap of faith, a step into the unknown.

brian tracy

Here is a list of all the Distance Education Providers in Australia

This post shares my experience and opinions only and is not professional advice. Please make your own decisions on what is right for your child and family given your individual circumstances.