Homeschooling a Child With Disability or Additional Needs in Queensland

Many Queensland families start home education because school did not meet a child’s needs. A child with a disability may have been struggling every day. A child with anxiety may not have been able to cope with the classroom. A child with a learning difference may never have had the support they needed. If that is your story, you already know how much it matters that the next stage is right.

This guide explains what the rules ask for, how registration and the annual report work for a child with disability or additional needs, and where to find support. It is general information. For the current forms and wording, check the official Queensland Government pages linked at the end.

The rules are the same for every child

Registration follows the same steps for every child. The rules cover your child’s age, your Queensland home address, and who provides the education. Those rules are set by the Queensland Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 and the Home Education in Queensland procedure, version 5.3, effective 2 December 2025.

The registration requirements ask for evidence of your child’s age and of your parental responsibility, and for a summary of your educational program. They do not ask for a diagnosis, and they do not set a year level your child must be working at.

What the procedure asks your program to do

The procedure describes the quality of a home education program in plain terms. It asks that your program:

• respond to your child’s changing needs, based on short and long-term goals
• take account of your child’s age, ability, aptitude and development
• respond to your child’s social development needs
• use teaching strategies that suit your child
• include strategies for monitoring educational progress

For a child with disability or additional needs, these points are the heart of the matter. Your program is meant to be built around your child. Describing how you adjusted the work, and why, is exactly what a good report shows.

Show progress from where your child started

The annual report asks for a written account of your child’s progress over the year. For many children with disability or additional needs, progress is not a straight line. A child may master a skill, lose it during an illness, and regain it months later. A good report measures growth from your child’s own starting point, not from a year-level benchmark.

A simple habit makes this manageable:

• At the start of the year, write three or four goals in plain words, with a note about where your child is now.
• Each term, record what you tried, what your child did, and what changed.
• Keep dated photos, short video clips, drawings and writing. These become the evidence your report needs, without a scramble at the end of the year.

Attach your evidence, do not just link to it

Put your evidence into the report itself, as photos, scans or files. Our guide to work samples explains how to choose and present samples so the progress is clear.

Reports from therapists and doctors

Reports from your child’s doctor, speech therapist, occupational therapist or psychologist can support your account of progress. The procedure does not require them. If you include them, keep them with your records and explain in your own words what they show. Ask Queensland Home Education if you are unsure whether a document will help.

Where to get support

Queensland Home Education can be reached on 1800 677 176 or at homeeducation@qed.qld.gov.au. The department publishes optional reporting templates, including examples of annotated work samples and a program summary template, and you may use them or choose your own format.

Looking after yourself

Caring for a child with extra needs is tiring. Many parents find they are the teacher, the therapist and the paperwork person all at once. Build rest into the week, and let go of goals that do not serve your child. A steady, calm program is worth more than a perfect one.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. For the current rules and forms, check the Queensland Government home education reporting page.