As the school year resumes an unprecedented number of Queensland kids won't be returning to the classroom. Home school registrations have skyrocketed since the pandemic with behavioural issues, bullying and class sizes pushing more families to ditch mainstream education.
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00:00 No school desk, no worries.
00:02 It's been six years since the Porter kids flipped their approach to learning.
00:07 They're like, "What school do you go to?"
00:09 And I'm like, "I'm homeschooled."
00:11 And they're like, "You're so lucky."
00:13 Their mum never planned to homeschool,
00:15 but her son's behavioural struggles pushed her to give it a go.
00:19 The experience just worked out so well that we haven't looked back since.
00:24 Homeschooling surged during the pandemic
00:27 and it's getting more popular.
00:30 Those kids felt that they just learned better at home
00:32 and were more comfortable learning in their home space.
00:35 In Queensland, homeschool registrations have boomed,
00:39 from less than 3,500 in 2019 to more than 10,000 students last year.
00:45 And experts say the number of unregistered families makes it even higher.
00:50 They're disaffected about how schools are being run.
00:54 A lot of them are unhappy with policies and procedures.
00:57 Many of them are unhappy with the focus on standardised testing.
01:00 Bullying, disability, neurodiversity, school refusal and class sizes
01:06 are also key factors.
01:08 We want to encourage as many young people to come to school as possible,
01:13 to enjoy being at school, to enjoy interacting,
01:16 to get the benefits of learning in a classroom.
01:20 A review of Queensland's Education Act is underway,
01:24 which includes a potential crackdown on homeschool requirements
01:28 to ensure children don't fall behind.
01:31 But experts say more regulation could lead to a rise
01:34 in illegally unregistered students.
01:37 Homeschooling comes at a cost
01:40 and the burden falls disproportionately on mothers.
01:43 It's like I've had to obviously sacrifice a career,
01:46 however I totally think it's worth it.
01:48 Some children just need extra help
01:50 and their parents are willing to do that for them.
01:53 [BLANK_AUDIO]