Miles govt’s school debacle

The Education Minister has bowed to pressure from the teachers’ unions and home education bodies, announcing homeschooling reforms and proposed changes to student suspensions and expulsions are officially on hold.

The LNP has responded by calling it an “embarrassing debacle”.

The two policy pieces were part of the broader overhaul of Queensland’s Education Act put forward in state parliament last month, and while the rest of the proposed changes can proceed, homeschooling and student discipline reforms are now on ice.

In making the announcement, Education Minister Di Farmer also revealed plans to establish an overarching Home School Advisory Group – the sector currently consists of multiple small representative bodies – and formally review the Department’s Home Education Unit to investigate how it needs to evolve to meet ever-increasing homeschooling numbers.

The now-paused reforms included new appeal rights for students who accumulate 11 days of short suspensions within a year.

They also put new requirements on the table for student support plans for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, students with a disability, and Prep students who are either suspended or expelled.

Regarding homeschooling, the on-hold changes included making home education programs consistent with the Australian Curriculum, extending the age eligibility for homeschooling from 17 to 18, and new requirements for parents to produce more detailed annual reports on their child’s progress to the Department of Education.

Ms Farmer plans to hold a roundtable with key stakeholders including teachers’ unions and school principals.