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Home schooling in Victoria: the learning plan and the eight learning areas
What Victoria's VRQA and the 2017 Regulations say about home schooling learning plans: the eight learning areas, deadlines, exemptions and reviews.
Read the guideKey points
• The Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) registers children for home schooling in Victoria [1]. A note in the Regulations states that no fee is payable [2].
• Under the Regulations, each application includes a learning plan for the first year of registration [2].
• The Regulations require instruction that, "taken as a whole, substantially addresses" the eight learning areas in Schedule 1 of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 [2] [3].
• The VRQA states that families do not have to follow the Victorian Curriculum or the Australian Curriculum [4].
• The VRQA reviews up to 10% of registrations each year. It states that reviews do not assess the child or their learning outcomes [5].
Who registers home schooling in Victoria
The VRQA registers children for home schooling under the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 and the Education and Training Reform Regulations 2017 [1]. Its website describes home education as provided by parents or guardians to children aged 6 to 17 [6]. Applicants need a Victorian residential address [6].
At 30 June 2025, 11,691 students in 8,154 households were registered [1]. The VRQA's 2020 figures show 6,405 students in 4,044 households [1].
Under the Regulations, a student of compulsory school age stays enrolled at, and attending, a registered school until the application is approved, unless the Act authorises otherwise [2].
When the learning plan is submitted
The learning plan is part of the application [2]. A 9 June 2017 media release from the Premier of Victoria announced that families seeking registration would need to provide a learning plan [7]. The 2017 Regulations contain this requirement [2].
• Starting at the beginning of a school year: the application is due by 30 November in the year before [2].
• Starting at any other time: the application may be made at any time [2].
• Decision time: the Regulations require written notice of the decision within 28 days after the VRQA receives the application [2]. The VRQA states that this period starts only once an application is complete [6].
• Further information: if requested information is not received within 28 days, the VRQA states it decides on the material it has [6].
• One plan per child: the VRQA asks for a learning plan for each child [6] [8].
Applications go by email to home.schooling@education.vic.gov.au [6].
Keeping registration going each year
The Regulations require the responsible parent to tell the VRQA in writing, before 30 November each year, whether the student will be home schooled the next year [2]. They also require written notice of changes to the student's name, the responsible parent, that parent's contact details or the home schooling address [2]. If home schooling stops, notice is due within 14 days [2].
The VRQA's sample plan notes that programs may change with a child's needs, and that parents are "not required to notify the VRQA of these changes" [8].
What the learning plan contains
Under regulation 72, the plan specifies when and where instruction will take place and the subject matter for the first year [2]. The application also gives details of materials and resources, including how learning outcomes will be recorded [2].
The VRQA's guidance sets out four sections [4]:
1. Child details: full name and date of birth.
2. Overview: where and when learning happens, how outcomes are recorded, any exemptions sought, and any partial school enrolment.
3. "Considering your child's needs" (optional): such as strengths, interests or areas needing support.
4. Subject-based or activity-based learning: the program and its resources, with specifics such as full book names, URLs, apps or specialist services.
The VRQA asks for "a brief but detailed outline", noting that "it's insufficient to write 'read' for an activity in English" [4]. Its sample plan states that each plan is assessed on its merits, not against age-related benchmarks [8].
The eight learning areas
Schedule 1 of the Act lists the eight learning areas [3]:
1. English
2. Mathematics
3. Sciences (including physics, chemistry and biology)
4. Humanities and social sciences (including history, geography, economics, business, civics and citizenship)
5. The arts
6. Languages
7. Health and physical education
8. Information and communication technology and design and technology
Section 1.1B.2 of the Act states that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures (including languages) and perspectives form part of these learning areas as a whole [3].
Under the Regulations, the VRQA may grant an exemption from a learning area only if satisfied that requiring instruction in it would be unreasonable [2]. The VRQA states that an application can list up to seven areas, and cannot cover all of them [4].
No set curriculum, but a legal standard
The VRQA states that families do not have to follow the Victorian Curriculum or the Australian Curriculum, or buy a curriculum [4]. It does not endorse any commercial programs [4]. For a purchased curriculum, it asks for a summary of the subject matter in each learning area or the provider's details [4].
Regulation 76 sets the standard. The student must receive "regular and efficient instruction" that, "taken as a whole, substantially addresses" the Schedule 1 learning areas [2]. Instruction must also be consistent with "the principles and practice of Australian democracy" [2].
The VRQA provides templates for two approaches: subject-based, which divides the program across the learning areas, and activity-based, which addresses them through activities [4].
An illustrative learning plan layout
The layout below is an illustrative example written for this article. It is not a VRQA document or template, and does not show what the VRQA would approve. Its columns mirror the VRQA's activity-based sample [8].
Overview (example): learning at home, the local library, the swimming pool and a weekly home education group; weekday mornings, plus weekend outings; records kept in a weekly diary, a work sample folder and dated photos.
Daily reading and writing — Details: Reads aloud, keeps a reading log, writes a weekly recount; Resources: Library books, exercise book; Learning areas: English.
Weekly maths topic — Details: Place value, addition and subtraction, fractions, measurement; Resources: Printed worksheets, counters, ruler; Learning areas: Mathematics.
Vegie patch project — Details: Designs the bed, measures growth weekly, records results in a table, draws labelled diagrams, enters data in a spreadsheet; Resources: Seeds, tape measure, tablet, sketchbook; Learning areas: Sciences; Mathematics; English; The arts; ICT and design and technology.
Local history walk — Details: Visits a historical society, interviews a grandparent, makes a timeline and map; Resources: Local museum, family photos; Learning areas: Humanities and social sciences; English.
Swimming and park play — Details: Weekly lessons, ball skills, talks about healthy food; Resources: Local pool, park; Learning areas: Health and physical education.
Learning Italian — Details: Short daily practice, picture books, greetings; Resources: Language app, bilingual books; Learning areas: Languages.
Music and drawing — Details: Recorder practice, drawing from observation; Resources: Recorder, art supplies; Learning areas: The arts.
In this example, all eight learning areas appear at least once. The VRQA's own sample lists one "Gardening and Nutrition" activity against six learning areas [8].
What VRQA reviews check, and the evidence described
The VRQA selects up to 10% of home education registrations for review each year [5]. Where a family home educates more than one child, only one child's registration is reviewed [5]. The Regulations require written notice of the review's scope, timelines and process [2].
A review checks for regular and efficient instruction that substantially addresses the eight learning areas, consistent with the principles and practice of Australian democracy [5]. The VRQA states: "We don't review your child or their learning outcomes" [5]. Its sample plan notes that the plan "will NOT be used for comparison purposes" in a review [8].
Evidence the VRQA lists includes [5] [9]:
• calendar, journal or diary extracts, to show regular instruction
• completed work and samples of learning activities
• photos, videos or sound recordings of learning activities
• app extracts
• a report describing the activities completed.
The VRQA's requirements document states that not every type is required, but there must be enough to show learning covers all the learning areas [9]. Reviews can be by desktop, with evidence sent by email, or by phone or video conference [5]. The VRQA also states: "A weekly or monthly record can demonstrate that instruction is regular and efficient" [5].
Where Noooli fits
Noooli publishes free term planners (/planners) with one maths, English or science topic a week for Kindergarten to Year 6, with Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes. It also publishes free printable worksheets (/worksheets), with answers and a parent tip for every question. These relate to three of the eight learning areas: English, Mathematics and Sciences [3]. Noooli is not a registered provider and is not connected with the VRQA. Its Victoria page is at /homeschool/vic.
References
1. Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority, "Home schooling – trends and statistics", updated 16 June 2026, https://www2.vrqa.vic.gov.au/home-schooling-trends-and-statistics
2. Victorian Legislation, "Education and Training Reform Regulations 2017", authorised version 009, 28 June 2022 (Part 6, regulations 72 to 85), https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in-force/statutory-rules/education-and-training-reform-regulations-2017/009
3. Victorian Legislation, "Education and Training Reform Act 2006", authorised version 111, 30 September 2026 (section 1.1B.2 and Schedule 1), https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in-force/acts/education-and-training-reform-act-2006/111
4. Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority, "Develop a home education learning plan", updated 8 September 2026, https://www2.vrqa.vic.gov.au/develop-home-education-learning-plan
5. Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority, "Understand home education reviews", updated 27 October 2025, https://www2.vrqa.vic.gov.au/understand-home-education-reviews
6. Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority, "Register to home educate", updated 27 October 2025, https://www2.vrqa.vic.gov.au/register-home-educate
7. Premier of Victoria, "Improving Victoria's Home Schooling", 9 June 2017, https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/improving-victorias-home-schooling
8. Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority, "Sample activity-based learning plan (14-year-old)", Word document linked from "Develop a home education learning plan", https://www2.vrqa.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-11/Sample-activity-based-learning-plan-14-years.docx
9. Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority, "Requirements of home schooling registration", Word document linked from "Understand home education reviews", https://www2.vrqa.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-10/Requirements-Home-Schooling-Registration.docx
Common questions
Is the Victorian Curriculum required for home schooling in Victoria?
No. The VRQA states that families do not have to follow the Victorian Curriculum or the Australian Curriculum. The Regulations still require instruction that, taken as a whole, substantially addresses the eight learning areas in Schedule 1 of the Act, unless the VRQA grants an exemption.
When is the learning plan submitted?
With the registration application. Under the Regulations, an application to start at the beginning of a school year is due by 30 November the year before, and one to start at any other time may be made at any time. The VRQA's decision is due within 28 days of receiving the application.
What happens if a registration is selected for a VRQA review?
The VRQA selects up to 10% of registrations for review each year and gives written notice of the scope, timelines and process. It states that it does not review the child or their learning outcomes. Evidence it lists includes journal reflections, app extracts, work samples and photos.
