Issue 2 September 2026

Acknowledgement of Country 

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We invite you to share an acknowledgement of the lands which learning takes place for you and your children, along with anything your family has learnt about that is specific to this country on which you live and learn. You can provide this in the feedback link at the bottom of this newsletter for inclusion in our next issue.  

Director update 

Sharon Ford, A/Director, Home Schooling Directorate

We are also turning the spotlight on two of our Authorised Persons (APs) - one very experienced AP and one who joined the Home Schooling Directorate in June this year. Alison Donagh and Daniel Squires share what they enjoy about the AP role. We plan to introduce more of our team in future editions.  Our Operations team have included some additional information about the Home Schooling Platform (the HSP) that they hope is helpful to you. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share feedback on the draft Home Schooling Policy, Procedures and Frequently Asked Questions. We heard from hundreds of families through our survey and written submissions, and we are so grateful for the time, thought and care behind every response.  Feedback covered a wide range of topics, including the clarity of language used, how requirements are applied, and the kinds of support families would find most helpful.   We're now carefully reviewing all of this feedback to see where the documents can be made clearer, and to help shape the practical support materials and examples we develop alongside them. We'll keep the home schooling community updated as this work continues. Coming up in the Home Schooling Directorate  In our next issue of Home Schooling News in November 2026, we will be providing the link to our first Home Schooling Directorate annual parent survey, another opportunity to hear your views on how we are going and what we can improve.  The home schooling team are thinking of visiting some regional areas to meet families and to offer children a chance to share their work. We want to get to know you and help you get to know more about us. Our working title for this series of visits is Home schooling regional forums – we’d like your feedback to help our planning. If you are interested being involved or offering advice, please respond in the feedback link at the bottom of the newsletter.

Home educator spotlight 

Seasons and rhythms— finding your way as a home schooling parent

Carmen is a home schooling parent, who lives and educates on Darug land. In this home educator spotlight, she reflects on seasons and rhythms as they relate to her experience home schooling her children. 

Land links — seasons and rhythms 

Clarence Bruinsma, 7-12 Advisor from Aboriginal Outcomes and Partnerships, NSW Department of Education, discusses how land links might help make learning more relevant and personalised for children and young people. 

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Video transcript

Land links for home schooling families

Could you explain how land links fit within the 8 ways of learning framework?

I guess, applying learning that is significant to them that they can link themselves to, not theoretical and trying to imagine spaces. So that then makes it real, and they can link themselves to it. And it's also relevant in terms of them as individuals and then how that's affecting their world.

Here in Australia, most of us grew up with the four seasons model that has come from Europe. How did the Traditional Custodians of the land understand and experience the seasons?

So I guess for us as Aboriginal people, we try and develop a deep connection to Country. (When I talk about) Country, I talk about mother, and by developing that deep connection to Country is about knowing your local environments. 

And as you know and learn about your local environments, you understand when this flower is blossoming, this animal or this bird is doing X, Y, Z, if it is giving birth or if it's laying eggs or if it's an animal travelling across Country. 

So, we talk about the wattle and the whale, a very common one, or the emu in the sky in terms of astronomy and then collecting emu eggs, off Country, depending on how that emu is laying in the Milky Way. So, for us as Aboriginal people, it's not about, you know, there's just four seasons that happen through the year. There's the daily seasonal that we know we have in the morning, it's cool, and we so we know animals are, you know, let's say the wallabies or kangaroos are staying within their gullies where it's a bit warmer. 

But then as it starts to warm up, they're moving across to the pasture that they're going to eat upon. But then you've also got that, that's like, I guess very micro, then you start to go macro. 

Well, then we know throughout the year that in late, what we call summer now, there is these southerly winds that come through here in Sydney, that for me, I understand I want to go and collect wattle seed from the bushes. That southerly winds come through will blow all those wattle seeds on the ground, so you'll miss the harvest of those seeds. 

So, it's understanding that it's not just there's four parts to the year, there's actually smaller micro elements in the day, and there's micro elements then across the month or what you might say four seasons. So, some talk about 6, some talk about 7, some talk about 12, but realistically it's about knowing your environment and that you have a connection to that environment and understanding the plants, the animals, the weather patterns that also interact with when we do burning. So, we don't just go and burn Country any time of year, because if you do it in the middle of those southerly winds in summer, you're going to blow those fires across the valleys, and it's going to burn and scald everything, and it's blastingly hot. 

So, we want to go and burn maybe in the middle of winter when there's slower winds. The winds are high up in the sky, not low down in the bush, and there's less dry plant matter. 

So, understanding the environment is more important than understanding the seasons.

Was there a shared understanding of seasons across different Aboriginal language groups?

Yeah. So, the knowledge around, I guess, seasons is place-based and that's that land links, yeah, that the knowledge of land is based on the land that you're at. And so, there's, if people, I guess, travelling within your, within or travelling across that Country, they're going to be taught or learn that bit of knowledge and what they can be harvesting, what they can be, you know, killing at that time, and that's been led by, I guess, local knowledges. 

But realistically, it's not necessarily supportive for mob here in Sydney to go and teach the Kakadu mob all about these seasons down here, because it doesn't apply in a contextual sense for them to understand. So, knowledge will be more shared if people are travelling through that Country or coming to live on that Country, as we do know people married into families and moved Countries, and that knowledge will also, through kinship and totemic structures, that knowledge was shared based on plant, animal, insect, fish, based on totemic structures as well. 

So, you would learn more intimate knowledge around different totemic animals or insects, et cetera, based on your kinship tie and that then coming down to skin groups. So, it's a very, that's going a very deep
level there, but you would learn more about particular things based on what animal might be a part of your totemic structure and how you would look after that animal. Or you might have to burn, or you might have to harvest maybe eggs at a certain time of year.

Where can we learn more about the seasonal knowledge and understandings of different Aboriginal communities?

So, first and foremost, I guess for any person, is trying to learn from local people that, you know, we can hear stuff verbatim is the most important thing. So, either trying to connect with local Aboriginal organisations.  So, if there's say, you know, I'm talking about La Perouse here, there is IndigiGrow, which is an Aboriginal nursery over there in La Perouse, but there's also the Gamay Ranger Group over there. 

You know, you go down south, there is the Gadhungal Marring and there's a whole number of different Aboriginal organisations which they run tours, they do different types of works in regards to holding, you know, different corroborees, etc. that people can come and see and experience. 

But the other part is then obviously you've got AECG where you can link into and connect to the local AECG. So that's where teachers first and foremost lean into is the AECGs. Not generally has a lot of public leaned into AECGs, but they're just thinking that these parents are teachers. And they could ask the AECG who they could lean into for learnings. I do know some home schooling groups have connected with local Aboriginal organisations to do groups of learning so that they can get the children exposed to this learning of country. You've also got, you know, I'm talking about here in Northern Beaches, we have the Aboriginal Heritage Office. So, then, as you go, you know, north, there's a Muurrbay Language Centre. All across New South Wales, there are different Aboriginal, I say, organisations, be it a health organisation to a cultural teaching and learning organisation, land councils.
 

So, I would start with your local Aboriginal organisations and particularly AECG, which AECG is Aboriginal Education Consultative Group. You can Google those and get some knowledge through there and links to potential learning areas. You can, there is some stuff that is online that you can Google, but however, a lot of those
resources are written by non-Aboriginal people. So, you got to think that that's been heard, rewritten and then publicised potentially. So, what is maybe true and correct or accurate, maybe may not always be the sake.

Do you have any activities you’d recommend for families wanting to use land links as part of their learning?

So, one of the biggest things I've learned as an Aboriginal person from my elders is taking the time to go sit on Country, be present on Country and link into Country. So, to start to have that land links knowledge, we're talking about that, that, you know, very much that environmental component. 

I would give, you know, young person a table of, you know, what did you see? And, you know, if they say, if they say it's an animal per se, you know, they say, what did you see? They say that's an animal. Okay, what was that animal doing? And so, it was flying through the sky, travelling north.
And maybe if it's a tree, I seen a tree. What did you observe about that tree while it was blowing this way in the wind? It was doing this. It's had flowers on it. It had very little leaves on it. It had fruit on it. And what was it? So, and what that does is start to learn about those animals, their flights. Were they travelling? Are they stopping? Are they stopping at a tree to eat? So, when you look at the black cockatoo, you're flying and they're going to a mob of casuarina, you know, trees where they're going to go into the casuarina. So, you know, you understand that the black cockatoo will eat the casuarinas, but also your banks and stuff they will get seeds from. 

You got insects and why the insects are other, which trees that that insect is particularly on or going to eat? Or where did you see lots of those insects or was it just one insect? So, you know, case moths are out at the moment. So, if you happen to say, you know, a case moth, what was it doing? Well, it was on a leaf and I could see that it had been eating a particular part of a leaf. And so just that little bit of what is happening in your area at that given time. 

And so, when you maybe, for instance, yesterday afternoon, I was picking my son up from daycare and the wallabies are out on the paddock eating food in that last little bit of sunlight, getting their last bit of feed. And then I know if I come earlier in the middle of the day where I've been to pick him up, they're not out there in the middle of the hot of the day and they're moving apart. They're moving, I guess, around the environment based on the heat of the day and then the exposure as well to other animals. So, knowing that animals will move based on the time and the heat and the what's happening throughout the day and where they are on their travel home or on their leaving home. So just getting that little bit of place-based knowledge of the environment around you, from even the water. What fish can you see, what shells can you see, evidence of shell life, and just that's a little bit of connection, and then you'll start to see, well, the whale, I just seen a whale. Well, what was also happening as a whale, this plant was flowering.

The whale was travelling north or south. And so, then you start to understand the environment around you, and you can build a table on that. You know, what animal did you see? What was it doing? What plant did you see? What was it doing? What features did it have? Was there any insects in that particular plant? And watch it over the years. So, from watching in January, right through to December or come in different periods throughout the year and what did you see observably happen to that plant at different times of the year. And that you start to build a connection to that place and understanding.

Land links in practice — Stage 4 Geography 

What is Country telling you?

What began with a simple question about winter turned into several weeks of rich, hands-on learning for one home schooling family.

Their daughter had noticed that the winter weather around her didn’t really look like the winters she was used to seeing in books and movies. That curiosity sparked a conversation about seasons and so the family spent some time exploring the difference between the European four-season model and the way seasons are understood by D’harawal people, the Traditional Custodians of the lands where the family live and learn.  

Using information from the Bureau of Meteorology, they discovered that seasonal changes can be understood by paying close attention to what is happening in the environment. This can included changes in weather, plants, animals and the landscape.

Naturally, the next step was to become weather watchers themselves! The family built a backyard weather station and began recording their own observations to see how the changing conditions around them compared with the seasonal models they had explored.

Then it was time to head outside and learn from Country. Living close to Simmos Beach, D'harawal Country/Macquarie Fields, the family visited the area several times over a number of weeks and at different times of the day. They looked for changes in plants, animals, weather and the landscape, taking time to notice what was happening around them.

Their daughter isn’t always enthusiastic about written work, so the family gave her different options to demonstrate what she was learning. She captured her observations through photographs, conversations, sketches and artwork.  

Along the way, the project supported Stage 4 Geography learning, including GE4-1, describing the features and characteristics of places and environments, and GE4-3, exploring the connections between people, places and environments.

A single question about winter became an opportunity to investigate, create, explore outdoors and look at a familiar local place in a whole new way. 

Did you know? upcoming events and resources 

There are a range of events available in the coming months and resources available that may support home schooling families enrich their educational programs through real-world experiences, thematic approaches and through providing a wide range of resources. 

Literacy and Numeracy Week (29 August 2026 – 4 September 2026)  Resources to celebrate Literacy and Numeracy Week include games and activities that can be used for learning at home. Families can also explore Primary mathematics activities for children in K–6 and Free resources for families: Learning, wellbeing and careers for further learning ideas and activities.

History Week (5-13 September 2026)  The History Council of New South Wales provide a range of activities for History Week 2026. This year's theme is Keeping Stories.    Home schooling families can access a range of online resources including: Museums of History NSW Virtual excursions and the State Archives Collection.   Local History Cessnock City Library Local History | Wagga Wagga City Library Stories About the History and Culture of NSW - Storyplace Stories of Modern Australia - ABC Education

crop_originalImage creditkeyboard_arrow_up National Threatened Species Day (7 September 2026) To learn more about threatened species, the Threatened Species | Environment and Heritage website provides information on threatened species including the Saving our Species publication which has a regional focus. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service also provides opportunities to volunteering and educational resources on their Conservation: Protecting threatened species in parks page.

YES – Youth Empowerment Scholarships   Sydney Rotary are inviting applications for their Youth Empowerment Scholarships for young people aged between 14 and 18 in NSW. Eight scholarships are awarded annually - 4 regional and 4 Sydney metropolitan. Up to $3,000 is granted to recipients, who can use the funds to pursue their specific learning passions and needs. Applications close Friday, 18th September 2026. For further information, please see YES - Youth Empowerment Scholarships 2026 | Rotary Club of Sydney Inc

Regional opportunities  To explore the changing seasons and rhythms of their local areas, home schooling families may wish to explore events in their region. Families can search NSW Events & Festivals | Official NSW Tourism Website and scroll down the page to Classes & Workshops, Community events, Concerts or Exhibitions to find events. Alternatively, your local museums and council can provide a range of learning opportunities such as Exhibitions | Tweed Regional Museum.

Seasons  crop_originalImage creditkeyboard_arrow_up To support home schooling parents, the NSW Government website provides a range of scenarios showing different ways parents can plan and organise learning for their child Support material | NSW Government The "Belle" scenario shows an experiential approach to learning, where learning is planned around the seasons of the year and children learn through practical, real-life experiences. These scenarios are examples only and are not required approaches. They may give parents ideas about different ways of approaching learning or inspire them to develop an approach that works for their own child.  Parents may also find it useful to explore some of the other scenarios on the website for further ideas.

Spring Equinox (23 September 2026) The arrival of spring provides a wonderful opportunity to investigate seasonal change and the natural environment. Families might observe changes in local plants and animals, keep a weather journal, start a vegetable or flower garden, or learn why seasons occur. The Bureau of Meteorology, Learn and Explore website provides excellent information explaining the science behind weather, the equinoxes and Australia's seasons, making it an option for Science and Geography investigations. Your child may like to represent seasonal change and landscapes through art.  The Art Gallery of NSW offers a range of Kids activity sheets and children’s trails including Make art: landscape in a box.

Rhythm   ABC Education contains a range of resources to support learning, including in the Creative Arts and Music Key Learning Areas, including resources such as Let’s Sing.

AP spotlight 

Stephen Galbraith - farewell to a beloved Authorised Person. 

After more than 20 years of dedicated service, our much-loved Authorised Person Stephen Galbraith, whose area stretched between Heathcote and Kiama, is retiring. 

Throughout his career, Stephen offered unwavering support to home schooling families, helping them navigate their journey with genuine understanding and a personal touch. His calm presence and gentle advice reassured parents and children alike. Stephen always took the time to listen, encourage and celebrate children's efforts.  

His warmth and dedication have made a lasting impact on families in the region, and he will be greatly missed by all. 

Here’s to a well-deserved retirement filled with rest, family and good health! 

Welcome Daniel Squires! 

As we farewell Stephen Galbraith, we welcome Daniel Squires as the new Authorised Person in the Illawarra region.  Daniel started in the Home Schooling Directorate in June 2026 and below answers some of our questions about himself and his first few months working as an Authorised Person.  

What is your favourite time of year and why?

Autumn is my favourite time of year. I love the crisp mornings, clear blue skies and cooler weather. The ocean currents in autumn make it the best season for a swim at the beach. 

What are some experiences you’ve had in your career that will be helpful to draw on in your work with home schooling families? 

Communication skills have been important throughout my career and will be essential in my work going forward. I like to listen and I always focus fully on the person or people I am engaging with. I respect and value people from all walks of life and believe that diversity and difference are qualities we should all embrace. As a lifelong learner, the first few months in the Authorised Person role have been truly enlightening. Having lived and worked in a wide variety of areas—from rural NSW to urban Sydney—every experience has positively shaped the way I view the world. I have found that I can learn something from everyone I meet. 

Is there anything that has impressed or surprised you in your first few months as an Authorised Person?

The Home Schooling Directorate and the home schooling community have been incredibly welcoming and supportive. The families I have visited have been proud to share the work they are doing with their children. They have been open, respectful and generous in inviting me into their homes and sharing their child’s learning with me. Some of the learning activities I have observed have been truly impressive, ranging from beekeeping certificates to pottery lessons and much more. I have also discovered some truly beautiful, special places along my travels. 

Have you met Alison Donagh? 

Alison Donagh is one of our longest serving APs and has built strong connections with families in her area, which stretches from the parts of NSW that surround Canberra, to Goulburn and surrounds, up into the Southern Highlands and Picton, Appin and Bargo areas.  Below she answers some of our questions about herself and what she has learnt in her 20 years working with home schooling families. 

About Alison

Alison lives on property with two rescued horses, four alpacas (who live their daily lives in constant surprise), four chickens, five dogs and a completely wild cat who decided she would join the family. She has had an extensive and varied educational background teaching from K through to 12, and adult education working for NSW Police and a long stint teaching overseas. 

What is your favourite time of year and why?  

Every morning I feel that I need to see the sunrise. I think this is more special and significant in winter. So, although it can be minus 5 outside, the sun rises and I feel reset and energised. 

The menagerie of animals needs to be fed because there isn’t much feed in the paddocks in winter, but it gives me a sense of momentum before I have my eggs… Thank you chickens!

What is something you love about your job?  

I love the fact that I’m constantly learning. Visiting so many families in so many environments has given me the opportunity to discover so much. I think difference is a reward, not a risk and through our differences we can learn so much. 

Sharing experiences with the home schooling community has added significantly to who I am. I have a feeling of positive anticipation as I drive 10km or 200km to a visit a family. 

I am so fortunate to be an AP.

What is something you have been impressed and/or surprised by in your years working with home schooling families?

I understand completely that home schooling is a challenge and sometimes done in difficult circumstances. I am heartened by the effort that is put into home schooling, both by parents or carers and by their children. 

This is often happening behind doors where there aren’t a lot of people seeing these achievements, and yet I am still surprised and delighted by what I see after many years. 

Frequently asked questions 

In this section, our Operations team answer some of the most commonly asked questions we receive from the community.  

How long will it take to process my application?  

It may take up to 12 weeks to complete the process from the time of application to receipt of a certificate. The process usually doesn’t exceed 12 weeks.  

Did you know…?

The Home Schooling Platform (HSP) will send you automatic emails at important points during your application process. If you don’t get any emails, please get in touch with us so we can help.

Here are some emails you might receive:

• A welcome email after you create your account.
• A confirmation when you submit your application.
• A notice if you withdraw your application.
• An upcoming visit booking notification.
• A reminder to renew your application.
• A message when your registration is approved.

How can I ensure my application is processed as quickly as possible?  

The most common reason for delays is when documents don’t match what we need for verification. When all documentation meets the requirements, your application will be processed without the need for additional follow up.  

How do I upload supporting documentation?

When you apply, the Home Schooling Platform (HSP) will ask you to upload some documents, including:

• The child’s birth certificate or another ID.
• Two documents that show the NSW address where you’ll be home schooling. These must be in the name of the parent or carer who is applying. If this isn’t possible due to your current situation, just give us a call to advise.

If we need more documents after you’ve sent your application, don’t worry, you can still upload them anytime through your HSP dashboard by choosing the upload option next to your application.

Service NSW and HSP Login?

If you applied for home schooling through Home Schooling Online at NESA, your account is still connected to the email you used before.

If you want to use a different email address with the Home Schooling Portal (HSP), please contact our operations team. They can help you change your email. You don’t have to use the same email as your Service NSW accounts.

Also, please take a moment to visit Home schooling | NSW Government. On the main page, you’ll find useful links for the HSP, guidelines for home schooling registration in NSW, information about the NSW curriculum, home schooling news, and much more!

Let us know what you think!

We appreciate your feedback, ideas and contributions and will use it to inform future editions of Home Schooling News. If you and your children wish to share your Acknowledgement of Country, and/or you are willing to be featured in an upcoming home educator spotlight, you can also let us know using the relevant questions in the link or QR code. 

In our next issue (November 2026) we will be publishing the link to our first Home Schooling Directorate annual survey, another opportunity to provide feedback on how we are going and how we can better support home schooling families in NSW. The home schooling team are also considering a series of visits to regional areas to meet families and showcase home schooled children's work. If you are interested in attending these visits, we welcome your feedback to assist our planning. 

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