Latest posts from Home Education Foundation
Dont you dare
May 18, 2022 By Barbara
Over the past few months I have been burdened about the future of home Education world wide. I have had several zoom calls and talks about this in New Zealand, Australia, The Philippines and the USA. My next talk is 11 June at the NEXT GEN EDU Alternative & Home Educarion Expo (link below) in California. These are my ever changing notes that I have been speaking from: https://hef.org.nz/home-schooling-education-beyond-covid/
My notes will probably be changing completely next week after the United Nations WHO meeting in Geneva.
I wrote the following several days ago after reading this link and watchng the video: https://leohohmann.com/2022/04/25/global-govt-alert-threat-to-national-sovereignty-set-to-go-down-may-22-28-at-who-world-health-assembly/
There is a conference in Geneva, May 22-28, where 194 Nations belonging to the UN will be represented and there will be a vote/or signing on the WHO plot to enact a permanent State of Emergency globally. The nations of the earth will have to cede their sovereignty over national health care decisions to the WHO. rumble.com/v1493a0-urgent-stop-global-governancethe-vote-to-give-total-power-to-the-who-takes-.html
https://gem-report-2021.unesco.org/
We are already noticed by the U.N.
My concern is if the WHO bans Home Education around the world will our children have to go to school. We will no longer be able to appeal to Sovereignty, natural law, common law etc.
The CDC has said that they want to mandate the jab in schools. So what can we do? Well, people must NOT put their children in School. First of all, according to the WHO, if your children are in school it implies conformed consent for the jab because you could have prevented them from going to school on jabbed days. www.who.int/immunization/programmes_systems/policies_strategies/consent_note_en.pdf. (This link has been pulled down, unfortunately I didn’t screen shot it before it was taken down) We are already seeing tricky ways that some schools are using to get children jabbed.
What can we do? We need to be discussing this. It seems our only alternative is to build strong communities where we are looking out for each other, protecting families etc. I am going to study up the strong communities like the Amish etc. would be good if others do too. What else can we be doing? There will be no Country on Earth that will be safe “if” they ban home schooling globally. They may not ban home schooling globally but we need to begin preparing for it incase they do. It will be too late to prepare everyone when/if home education is banned. If WHO gets the power to enact a permanent State of Emergency this month then it will come into effect in November. We know they are wanting children jabbed. So this is a possibility that we need to prepare for.
For those who pray we need to be urgent in prayer for each other and home educators around the world. There are many who are totally against parental involvement in the education of children. The State thinks children belong to them and that they should control what children learn. The Bible in Deut 6 tells us quite differently that we, the parents, are to teach our children, diligently God’s statutes and commands, and to talk of them when we sit in our homes, walk by the way, lie down and rise up. That is all the time! There is no room for the State there!
Isaiah 8:12 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread.” We are not to fear or be in dread but to prepare for the coming days as we seek to support each other to continue training up our own children. We need to look to God for our courage and be prepared to help others as much as we are able.
Links for the NEXT GEN EDU expo mentioned above:
for family: https://www.nextgenedu.us/a/2147508098/RNubPdWZ
for individuals: https://www.nextgenedu.us/a/2147508099/RNubPdWZ
update: 20 May 2022
There are two treaties we need to be watching and praying about and acting on.
1. WHO Global Pandemic Treaty
190 National to sign by August 2022
To give power over to WHO over Global bio security: digital identity, passports, mandatory vaccines, travel restrictions globally, standardised medical care and so much more.
2. Amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) (to be voted on 22-28 May) https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241580410
“An attempt to implement the public health equivalent of a “one-world government” in violation of individual nations’ and citizens’ inalienable rights and sovereignty
“The United States’ proposed amendments to the IHR are set to be considered at the 75th World Health Assembly, which begins on the 22nd of May, 2022. The proposed amendments, however, create an ambiguity relating to the date they become effective as the proposed amendments expressly state they will become effective six months after the date of notification by the Director-General, whereas the existing IHR provides that amendments become effective 18 months after notification by the Director-General.
If accepted, these legally binding amendments would come into effect for all member states except those that explicitly reject them. Under Article 59 of the IHR, de facto approval is assumed for any member states that fail to reject or take reservation to the amendments.”
For more read here: https://healthfreedomdefense.org/wfd/?fbclid=IwAR0dGOrdZYD3AhO6oNwAuL8JK95bGyblcd1M3rEePGZnyEE62kakzvWDH7I
From above link:
One of the IHR amendments’ most insidious changes is the creation of a “Compliance Committee” that will serve as the administrative and enforcement mechanism to ensure member states comply with WHO emergency directives involving infrastructure, capital expenditures, information gathering and implementation of emergency responses.
In sum, the IHR amendments would, among other changes:
**Intensify the surveillance of all countries and their citizens.
**Grant the WHO the authority to tell other member states when one member state isn’t reporting and launch punitive actions.
**Empower the WHO Director-General to declare when and where a pandemic or “alleged” emergency is occurring using undisclosed sources.
**Confer unrestricted powers to the Director-General to define and implement interventions.
**Give the WHO the ability to access and mobilize capital in the event of a pandemic.
This power grab by the WHO, its donors, and stakeholders represents a direct attack on the political and economic sovereignty of all nations and their citizens.
By repeatedly promoting policies that caused catastrophic economic, social, physical, emotional and mental damage across the globe, the WHO has failed in its mission as global steward of public health and cannot be entrusted with setting policy for all citizens of the world.
Of note, the WHO enjoys immunity from every form of legal action, arrest, and searches of their papers, documents, and facilities.
The WHO should not be allocated more money, power, or authority nor should it be allowed to further control the world’s health agenda or implement biosecurity measures.
Global agreements brokered by unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats must never be permitted to rule any nation.
It is imperative that each nation and territory retain its sovereignty, especially during times of crisis, so that the entire global community can be protected from globally directed policies that primarily benefit powerful financial and ideological stakeholders.
Home Educators and the New Vaccine Mandates
January 18, 2022 By Barbara
Unfortunately there are a few rumours going around about home schoolers/educators such as:
1. The MoE will not be processing any new exemptions soon. This is untrue.
2. That where there are children 5-12 being home schooled/educated anyone over 12 living in that home must be vaxed. This is untrue.
Cynthia Hancox has updated the page she wrote on this earlier. Please check the link out to read the update 16 January 2021.
Cynthia has updated her earlier article and added some more detail. http://www.cynthiahancox.com/information/home-educators-the-new-vaccine-mandates
Update 16th January 2022:
The above remains correct and current. There are NO mandates for homeschoolers to be vaccinated. The roll out of vaccines for 5-11yos has no effect on this. There have been no new health orders passed that affect homeschoolers (home educators) in this regard. There is nothing on the Ministry’s website to suggest otherwise. If you hear differently, it is just another one of the rumours flying around. Please disregard and don’t spread it. If, however, at any time you come across something on a government website you think puts a different light on things, please contact me with the link. I will check into it and update this page if necessary (as well as let you know what I find).
Read the this link to read the rest of the update link to get the rest of her update.
If you hear anything of concern please don’t talk about it but contact Cynthia with whatever link you have and she will check it out and get back to you and update this page accordingly.
Considerations when hiring help (and other thoughts for new home educators)
January 17, 2022 By Barbara
Cynthia Hancox has written a great article for new home educators especially as they consider who to help them with the exemption process and possible tutoring of their children.
As more and more teachers are loosing their jobs this is a great article for teachers to read to understand home educators before they offer their services to home educators.
NZ’s COVID situation and response has led to a big rise in interest in homeschooling, as well as to a rise in teachers and others who are offering to help in various ways in this space. Before you spend money hiring someone to help you with your exemption, to help you plan your programme, or to teach your children, there are some things you need to think about. This is quite a long read, so here’s the “in a nutshell” bullet points:
*When you get an exemption, you are taking complete responsibility for your child’s education and what it will include.
*There’s no one right way to homeschool; you can choose what works for your family.
*You can get help with your exemption in various ways, but if paying for help, there are some things to consider first, especially how experienced the person is with homeschooling & exemptions.
Picture
*You can choose to hire tutors/teachers for certain aspects of your child’s programme if you wish, but must remain in control of how and what they are being taught.
*If you do want to hire teachers etc, there are some things to think about first
*People come and go from homeschooling for different reasons and over different periods of time. We welcome you while you’re here, but ask you to be mindful of how what you do and say reflects upon the entire community.Let’s explore these points and more further…..
Read Cynthia’s article here:
http://www.cynthiahancox.com/information/considerations-when-hiring-help
(no title)
November 21, 2021 By Barbara
A Big Fat Rumour: Homeschooling Applications Closing
October 18, 2021 By Barbara
An article from Cynthia Hancox:
There is a rumour circulating on social media. The wording varies a wee bit depending who is passing it on, but basically it goes something like this:
“Homeschooling applications being closed for 2 years from the end of October. This is to enable them to jab your child..” Apparently told to someone’s neighbour by the homeschooling team. (Chinese whispers anyone?)
This is complete nonsense!
Read more in link below:
http://www.cynthiahancox.com/information/a-big-fat-rumour-homeschooling-applications-closing
Post-Pandemic Future of Home Education
May 7, 2021 By Barbara
7 week online conference on post-pandemic future of home education sponsored by the Harvard Kennedy School Taubman Centre for State and Local Government.
More information here: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/taubman/programs-research/pepg/events/future-homeschooling
Help defend Homeschool freedoms
April 20, 2021 By Barbara
Home educators in other parts of the world need our help!
Today we will focus on an email sent out by the HSLDA to encourage us to help home educators in Portugal.
Please take the time to read this link and send a few emails. You can copy and paste information from the link or you can write your own email then use the link provided to translate your email before sending it off.
Thanks for your help!
Home Education Statistics for 1 July 2020
December 16, 2020 By Barbara
“Summary
“As at 1 July 2020, there were 7,192 homeschooled students. This represents 0.9% of total school enrolments as at 1 July 2020.
“Out of the 7,192 homeschoolers 65.0% were aged 12 or under, 70.2% had been home-schooled for less than 5 years, and only 4.2% had been home-schooled for 10 years or more.
Time Series Data
The box below provides a number of downloads relating to the number of students in homeschooling.
- Number of Students by Time Series 1998-2020[MS Excel 39kB]
- Number of Students by Student Gender, Ethnic Group & Age 1998-2020[MS Excel 74kB]
- Number of Students by Student Gender, Ethnic Group & Duration 1998-2020[MS Excel 62kB]
- Number of Students by Student Gender, Ethnic Group & Ethnicity 1998-2020[MS Excel 41kB]
- Number of Students by Student Gender, Ethnic Group & Regional Council 1998-2020[MS Excel 68kB]
- Number of Students by Student Gender, Ethnic Group & Territorial Authority 1998-2020[MS Excel 150kB]
- Number of Students by Duration & Regional Council 1998-2020[MS Excel 66kB]
- Number of Students by Duration & Territorial Authority 1998-2020[MS Excel 146kB]
- Number of Students by Student Age & Regional Council 1998-2020[MS Excel 66kB]
- Number of Students by Student Age & Territorial Authority 1998-2020[MS Excel 146kB]
Homeschooling Turnover
Between 1 July 2019 and 1 July 2020 there was an overall net increase of 619 students; 1,607 students entered into homeschooling and 988 students finished homeschooling.
There were 1,347 students entering into homeschooling in the year ending 1 July 2020, 82.2% were aged 12 or under and 0.9% were age 16 or above. Of the students entering homeschooling during the year ending 1 July 20, 70.9% identified as European/P?keh?, 14.8% identified as M?ori, 3.4% identified as Pacific, 4.2% identified as Asian, and for 0.7% of homeschoolers ethnicity is unknown.
There were 1,005 students finishing homeschooling in the year ending 1 July 2020, 43.5% were aged 12 or under, and 22.7% were 16-years old or above. Of the students finishing homeschooling during the year ending 1 July 2020, 25.5% had been in homeschooling less than a year, 43.2% had been in homeschooling for 1 – 5 years, and 10.9% had been in homeschooling for 10 years or more.
One-on-One Tables
The box below provides a number of one-on-one dimensional tables relating to homeschooling turnover.
- Homeschooling Turnover by Time Series 1998-2020[MS Excel 34kB]
- Students Entering Homeschooling by Student Age & Region 1998-2020[MS Excel 60kB]
- Students Entering Homeschooling by Gender, Ethnic Group & Age 1998-2020[MS Excel 57kB]
- Students Entering Homeschooling by Gender, Ethnic Group & Ethnicity 1998-2020[MS Excel 40kB]
- Students Entering Homeschooling by Gender, Ethnic Group & Region 1998-2020[MS Excel 65kB]
- Students Finishing Homeschooling by Duration & Region 1998-2020[MS Excel 63kB]
- Students Finishing Homeschooling by Age & Regional Council 1998-2020[MS Excel 63kB]
- Students Finishing Homeschooling by Gender, Ethnic Group & Age 1998-2020[MS Excel 60kB]
- Students Finishing Homeschooling by Gender, Ethnic Group & Duration 1998-2020[MS Excel 59kB]
- Students Finishing Homeschooling by Gender, Ethnic Group & Ethnicity 1998-2020[MS Excel 40kB]
- Students Finishing Homeschooling by Gender, Ethnic Group & Region 1998-2020[MS Excel 64kB]
For more information go to: https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/homeschooling
Homeschooling More Than Doubles During the Pandemic
December 7, 2020 By Barbara
Statistics in New Zealand have not been released yet. They are usually put up on the MoE website during November. Even when they are released it won’t show us the full increase in home education, due to Covid, because the figures are for the year ending in July each year. In New Zealand we will have to wait until this time next year to see the full results. It seems that there are still a lot of families applying for exemptions still for their children.
This following article is in the USA
“State-level data show just how dramatic the surge in homeschooling has been.
“Friday, December 4, 2020

“Many families took one look at their school district’s remote or hybrid learning offerings this fall and said “no, thank you.” That’s the message gleaned from national and state-specific data on the surging number of homeschooled students this academic year.
“Prior to the pandemic and related school closures last spring, there were just under two million homeschoolers in the US, representing about 3.4 percent of the total K-12 school-age population. According to recent polling by Education Week, that percentage has more than doubled to nine percent this fall, or nearly five million homeschoolers. This estimate mirrors related polling from Gallup in August suggesting that 10 percent of US students would be homeschooled this year.
“State-level data show just how dramatic the surge in homeschooling has been, particularly in areas where many district schools continue to be closed for full-time, in-person learning. In Massachusetts, for example, the Boston Globe reported last week that 7,188 students statewide transferred from public schools into homeschooling this year, compared to only 802 homeschooling transfers last year…”
Read more here: https://fee.org/articles/homeschooling-more-than-doubles-during-the-pandemic/
The article finishes with:
“Parents I have interviewed told me that they had been considering homeschooling for a long time but lacked the catalyst to give it a try until now. Seeing their children flourish outside of a conventional classroom could lead many of these parents to continue homeschooling post-pandemic. As an article in The Atlantic stated: “COVID-19 is a catalyst for families who were already skeptical of the traditional school system—and are now thinking about leaving it for good.”
“Once life returns to normal, new homeschoolers may also discover that real homeschooling is much better than the pandemic version they have experienced. Local homeschooling groups will regain their full vitality and sociability. Museums, libraries, and local businesses and organizations will return to offering their suite of homeschooling classes. Daily activities will take place more often outside one’s home than inside it, and homeschoolers will once again be deeply connected to the people, places, and things of their communities.
“This fall, millions of new homeschooling parents have realized that their children can learn without school. When the world reopens to them, they will find that homeschooling is even better than they imagined.”
Home Educators getting qualifications
October 20, 2020 By Barbara
I have just been asked this question. I thought others might like to hear my answer. I also thought others might like to share their experience in the comments.
Hi Barbara,
I’m interested in gaining support for going right through home-educating without getting any externally moderated ‘for credit’ qualification. I spoke with another Barbara who finished her five kids without any NZQA piece of paper, and she told me you and Craig also did this, and are great advocates for home educating however the parent prayerfully decides. Am I along the right lines with my understanding? Are you able to offer support/advice to me who really wants to go the route of (like many American homeschoolers) just creating the kid’s transcripts and not fussing over ticking boxes and doing things a certain way or a certain amount for moderation and credit?
My answer:
Yes, you are on the right track. Find out what your child wants to do, then go to the gatekeepers of that. From 13 or so, go up to the polytechnic / university / business admissions officer and ask what they need to know to get in. Go back home and study that. When finished studying that go back again and ask for more studies etc. Do this each year until they are accepted in. At the same time get your children doing work experience. Ask friends/relations with businesses (or cold turkey and just approach businesses) for unpaid work experience – one or two weeks. Then ask for a reference at the end. These references are like GOLD.
Also ask for work experience at the job of their choice as well as a variety of jobs. Always ask for a reference.
Get your children involved in volunteer work – then get a reference.
Make up a good CV with all the references.
At the beginning you will talk to the gatekeepers with your child. As your child gets older get him to do more and more of the talking to the gatekeeper until it is only your child talking to the gatekeeper.
This might be helpful: https://hef.org.nz/2013/beyond-homeschooling-nz-2013/
For those who are doing NZQA etc. keep going. Do what works for you.
There are also 31 comments on this link on the Facebook page Home Schooling in New Zealand under announcements: https://www.facebook.com/groups/174211400495/?ref=share
October monthly thread – Graduating Home Educators
What are your children doing now that they have finished being home educated?
*Some will have gone onto academic success.
*Some with apprenticeships
*Some are now self employed
*Some into the military
*Some with arts, crafts and music fields
*Some in agriculture
*Some into technology
*Some into hospitality
*Some are now mothers
*Some other very interesting things that we would love to hear about
Love also hearing from those who were home educated and are now finished!
Now in announcements!
France Moves to Ban Homeschooling: “Protect Children From Religion”
October 4, 2020 By Barbara

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced on Friday his intention to outlaw homeschooling in 2021 for all children unless they have a medical
exemption that forces them to stay away from schools, Life Site News reports.
According to the report, the President said the government would also step up control of self-funded, private and independent schools, through inspections of curricula and by strong enforcement of a new law that requires private schools to teach a “common core” defined by the state…
According to Macron, his aim is to “protect children from religion,” and that includes Christianity.
“School is the republican melting pot,” he said. “It’s what makes it possible for us to protect our children in a complete way from any religious sign, from religion.
“It is truly the heart of the space of secularism, and it is this place where we form consciences so that children become free, rational citizens, able to choose their own lives. The school is therefore our collective treasure. It is what allows us in our society to build this common thing that is the Republic.”
Macron went on to say:
On this subject, in the face of all these excesses that exclude thousands of children from education to citizenship, from access to culture, to our history, to our values, to the experience of otherness that is at the heart of the republican school, I have made a decision — and I realize this, and we have debated it a lot with the ministers — that is no doubt one of the most radical since the laws of 1882 and those ensuring school co-education between boys and girls in 1969. From the start of the 2021 school year, school instruction will be made compulsory for all from the age of 3. Homeschooling will be strictly limited, particularly to health reasons. We are therefore changing our paradigm, and it is vital.
The new law comes into force in 2021-2022 for children aged between 3 to 16. Parents who choose to educate their own children in France must register annually and undergo yearly inspections.
Control the textbooks, control the state.
Read the whole article here: https://caldronpool.com/france-moves-to-ban-homeschooling-protect-children-from-religion/amp/
The Academic and Social Benefits of Homeschooling
September 26, 2020 By Barbara
From the James G Martin Center for Academic Renewal
Homeschooling works. The roughly 2 was gmillion children who currently learn at home join a millennia-old practice supported by many government officials, scholars, college officials, and employers.
While mainstream America has embraced homeschooling as a viable and positive educational option—and as 55 million K-12 students and their parents have been thrust into “crisis-teaching at home”—the angst of some academics over homeschooling has abruptly emerged.
Professors Elizabeth Bartholet of Harvard University and James Dwyer of William and Mary School of Law organized a summer meeting to “focus on problems of educational deprivation and child maltreatment that too often occur under the guise of homeschooling, in a legal environment of minimal or no oversight.” In a highly controversial article in Harvard Magazine, Erin O’Donnell advanced Bartholet’s arguments in favor of a homeschooling ban.
Yet, what does the evidence tell us about homeschool educational and social outcomes? Is there any sound corpus of evidence that homeschooled children are actually educationally deprived or maltreated? And what worldview drives anti-homeschoolers such as Bartholet and Dwyer?
Most reviews of homeschooling research reveal generally positive learning outcomes for children.
Joseph Murphy and Brian Ray provide quite optimistic reviews, while other appraisals present positive, albeit more tentative, conclusions. A one-of-its-kind review of only peer-reviewed research by Ray revealed that 11 of the 14 peer-reviewed studies on academic achievement found that homeschool students significantly outperformed conventionally schooled children. Both of the publicly available state-provided data sets showed higher-than-average test scores for homeschooled children.
A similar pattern emerges for the social, emotional, and psychological development of the homeschooled.
The clear majority of peer-reviewed studies show that homeschoolers often have better parent-child relationships and friendships than conventionally schooled children. Homeschoolers are happy, satisfied, and civically engaged.
A growing body of research indicates that graduates of home-based education excel. Eleven of the 16 peer-reviewed studies on success into adulthood (including college) showed that homeschoolers had better results for political tolerance, college GPA, and college retention than students in conventional schools. After reviewing the relevant literature, Gloeckner and Jones concluded that the “comparative results of the studies reported in this review, combined with the data collected from college admission officers provide evidence that homeschooling is an effective alternative path to college for the children of many families.”
Homeschoolers are not being educationally deprived, maltreated, or abused. On the contrary, the research literature suggests that rates of abuse (e.g., physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect) are lower among homeschoolers than institutionally schooled children.
Read the rest of the article here: https://www.jamesgmartin.center/2020/05/the-academic-and-social-benefits-of-homeschooling/?fbclid=IwAR1Tgh6MMbbf_rTI_QfB6qYGtAnpITmLpHzdzboUDZ_fyjC3s3OUDxTa2bI
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