Homeschooling in New Zealand

Please watch our getting started video which covers a lot of the questions you may have.

Below is a playlist of videos that cover the learning steps for each class, in reading, writing and maths. You may find this useful when applying for an exemption. There is also a short description of what we cover in each course on the course overview page.

Use the playlist button (top right of this youtube player) to skip between classes and subjects)

Home schooling applications are different in each country and region. Before you apply to have a homeschool exemption we suggest you follow these steps:

1. Go onto our website and sign up for the free trial https://www.functionaleducation.com/freetrial to establish whether or not your children would enjoy this style of learning.  If you need access to more than one class level, let me know once you are signed up and I can go in and manually open up access to more levels for the trial.
2. Select the class levels that you feel would best suit your children based on their learning needs.  We are numbered Class 1 - first year at school, Class 2 -second year at school etc.  Age doesn't matter so much, it's more about matching the level of learning to what your child needs.
3. On our website under the 'Courses' tab https://www.functionaleducation.com/courses copy and paste any of the descriptions into your application that you feel would assist
4. Email us and request the planning documents for the specific class levels you have chosen to enrol in.  Then we can send them through to you when you are ready to submit your application.

If you are in New Zealand, and need further help with your exemption, Cynthia Hancox has various resources on her website that can help, as well as an application writing service. Cynthia and her team have processed many exemptions for families planning to use Functional Education.

This question is on the MoE application form in New Zealand.

Functional Education delivers lessons that align with the standard NZ curriculum.  They are designed to sequentially follow the natural learning progress for each year level.  There are planning sheets provided for each topic covered and these sheets contain learning goals and outcomes so that parents can clearly see what the child is aiming to achieve.  The senior classes from Class 4-7 have weekly spelling tests.  Each topic is designed to have a project/presentation at its conclusion.  Some children will present to their families, others will access our platform and share their projects with 'classmates' and receive/give peer feedback as part of this process.

School workbooks are kept as a record of the child's learning throughout the year, along with handcrafts, art and photographs.

We have numbered our classes as follows:

Class 1 - first year of schooling  (could be any age between 5-7 depending on when you choose to start your child at school)

Class 2 - second year of schooling

Class 3 - third year etc

Class 6 and Class 7 are the 'Intermediate' years

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You can reach Fran directly through Facebook Messenger, or contact us at info@functionaleducation.com. We’re a small team and we respond personally. You are not dealing with a help desk.

Fran’s teaching style is warm, calm, and consistent. Many parents tell us that children who flatly refused to participate in school activities are willing to try Functional Education — often because the classroom pressure is gone, the sensory environment is controlled, and the same familiar teacher shows up every day. The 7-day trial is the best way to find out. There is nothing to lose.

This is the question almost every parent asks. The short answer is: not with a structured programme in place. Functional Education covers all core learning areas at the appropriate level for your child’s year. Many families find that their child actually progresses faster at home, in an environment where the pace is theirs and the anxiety is lower.

Holidays are now a lot easier with weekly billing. Simply cancel your plan during the last week of school. Enjoy your holiday, then re-enrol when you want to start learning again.

1. Login to where you watch the videos
2. Click on your name at the top right of the screen
3. Go to 'Accounts > Billing > Subscription'
4. Click Cancel

This will stop the payments.  When you are ready to return, head to ourmain Functional Education website and click 'Enroll'.  Use the exact same email from last time. This will reconnect you back into your original account and all of your progress will have been saved for you. You can just continue forward from there.

Note: If you are on a monthly plan, be aware that you are paying in advance for a whole month, so if your payment went out on the 2nd of Feb, you should have access until the 2nd of March. If you want to take a holiday during that time, there is no point in cancelling your plan as you have already paid for those weeks in advance.

You will need to cancel your current plan, then when your access runs out (at the end of your billing cycle), you can re-enrol using the weekly link. Here's how:

1. When you are logged in, go to your account (click your name on the top right of the dashboard and choose 'My Account').
2. Choose 'Billing' from the left-hand menu.
3. Cancel your subscription by following the prompts on the screen.
4. When your access runs out, which will be at the end of your billing cycle, you can re-enrol, and this time choose weekly billing.
   • Note: Make sure you use the same email address when you re-enrol to avoid losing your progress.

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Please try signing in here: https://functionaleducation.thinkific.com/users/sign_in

If you don't know the password, or haven't set one yet, use the forgot password button.

If you still need support, please email support@functionaleducation.com

To view all the relevant laws and requirements for homeschooling in New Zealand. You can read the entire Education and Training Act 2020 here

Our friend Cynthia Hancox has written a fantastic summary of the act here: http://www.cynthiahancox.com/information/relevant-laws-education-and-training-act-2020

If you're currently doing a trial, you may find it hard to signup to the paid course.

The solution is to either:

• Wait until your trial is over, then signup using the enrol page
• Cancel your current trial (see the FAQ on how to cancel), then signup using the enrol page.

If you cancel your trial, and signup with the same email address, our plaform will remember which modules you have completed and you'll be able to continue where you left off.

If you are homeschooling more than one child, you can enrol using a family pass. Use the link on the enrolment page

A family pass allows a single login to see all content across all courses. We don't offer different logins under one payment plan.

Up to 5 members of the family can use the same login details to access content, and this can happen simultaneously.

You can start your child anytime.