Numeracy

Numeracy is all about mathematics. It is about developing the ability to reason and work with numbers and to use and understand mathematical concepts including:

• number and algebra (place value, fractions, decimals, money)
• operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division)
• measurement and geometry (units of measurement, shape, spatial reasoning, location)
• probability and statistics (chance and data).

Opportunities to experience, learn and practise numeracy are wide ranging. The methods you choose for your program will depend on the age of your child and your chosen pedagogy.

Your HESP should include enough information for your Registration Officer to understand your program.

There is no requirement to follow the Australian Curriculum or any other curriculum.

New applications

Your HESP should provide information under the Plan heading showing your aims for your child in learning numeracy concepts and skills. Your HESP should tell us about your child’s strengths and challenges, and specific details of resources, activities and methods that will be used (titles and grade levels of the resources you will be using should also be included).

Renewing applications

Your HESP should provide a Summary or reflection of the last year’s learning and achievement, an Evaluation of your child’s progress, and a Plan for the coming year, showing how your evaluation has informed the future program. 

Include the titles and levels of workbooks and online programs should (whether completed or not) where applicable.

You can talk about things like:

• how the methods and resources you have used have suited your child’s needs
• strengths and/or challenges your child has experienced over the past year,
• any changes that you may have made (and why)
• your observations of their progress and development.

Examples of what you can write about in this Standard include:

• details of workbooks/textbooks, online programs, printable worksheets, self-made activities, direct instruction, or apps on a digital device
• examples of opportunities for practical and natural learning such as cooking, gardening, art and craft, building projects, running a market stall or online store, budgeting, grocery shopping, Lego, learning through play (e.g., playing shops), STEM projects and programs which include mathematical concepts
• board and card games – these are useful to learn and practise concepts of number but are also helpful in developing an understanding of concepts such as strategy, competition, cooperation and taking turns
• simulation and construction video games which can supply opportunities to learn and practise mathematical concepts such as spatial awareness, coordinates, volume, constructing and manipulating three dimensional shapes, managing inventory and finances, calculating points, and introducing concepts such as income, expenditure, profit and loss, and taxation
• opportunities to learn about budgeting and investing
• activities such as computer coding, technical drawing, and computer-aided design.

During the visit, your Registration Officer will:

• discuss the information you have provided in your HESP
• view evidence of your child’s engagement in numeracy.

Your Registration Officer will be interested in seeing things like:

• examples of written work and/or workbooks
• dashboard records, certificates and/or reports from online programs
• photographs/screenshots/videos showing numeracy activities
• practical projects
• demonstration of practical skills involving numeracy
• records of engagement in numeracy activities (for example, journal/diary entries).

Your Registration Officer may also build the big picture of the program by:

• asking about instances of numeracy being applied in other areas of the program (for example, applying mathematical calculations in science)
• discussing with you whether the resources being used are effective and your child is enjoying them. Your Registration Officer may note that little progress has occurred in some workbooks or programs and, through discussion, suggest alternative resources which may be more suitable. 
• chatting with you about other opportunities for numeracy learning which your child may be engaged in which are not included in your HESP. Your Registration Officer may encourage you to consider documenting your child’s engagement and progress in these activities as part of your home education program.

Through the registration report, the Registration Officer:

• confirms or updates the information you have provided in your HESP, informing the Registrar about what was discussed and sighted at the visit
• writes about any new information, or any progress or changes to your program that are not already described in your HESP.
• writes about suggestions or recommendations concerning the development of your program, that were discussed at the visit.

The Registration Officer may include details of:

• where your child is up to in their books or online programs and the concepts studied
• advice from you about the program or your child’s progress/challenges
• details of any specific areas you are focusing on or aims for the coming year in numeracy

NOTE: This information is intended as a guide only and you do not have to include everything noted here. Every home education program is unique. What Registration Officers look for in the HESP and at the visit can vary from one program to the next, depending on the Pedagogy for that program and the specific needs of the child. 

The Office of the Education Registrar understands that every family, child, and program is unique.

The Registration Officer decides the overall assessment for the standard based on:

• the information in your HESP, and
• the discussion shared and evidence shown at the registration visit.

If there is not enough evidence available for the Registration Officer to view, you may be asked to supply more evidence after the visit. This is to help the Registration Officer decide on the overall assessment of the program.

To ensure consistency and fairness, Registration Officers use the following guide to decide on the overall assessment of the Standard. There are three possible outcomes: Meeting Standard, Not Meeting Standard, and Working Towards Standard.

Meeting Standard

• The resources and activities are relevant to the needs of the child and the aims of the program.
• The child is engaging with the program and progress is checked.
• There is enough evidence presented for the Registration Officer to recommend registration approval.

Working Towards Standard

• The style and/or methods are still being set up.
• The program lacks direction or relevance to the child’s needs.
• The child is not engaging with the program.
• The home educator is not checking the program and/or the child’s progress.
• There is not enough evidence presented for the Registration Officer to recommend registration approval.

Not Meeting Standard

• There is no evidence that the home educator is trying to deliver a program to address the learning and practise of mathematical concepts and skills.
• The home educator shows a lack of interest and/or capacity to deliver a program.
• The home educator is not trying to provide opportunities for the child to engage in numeracy or to undertake research to develop the program.

It is important to note that:

• Registration Officers do not make judgements about your child’s abilities, they assess the capacity of your home education program to identify and cater for their learning needs.
• Registration Officers are not educational consultants. The responsibility for the design of the program lies with you as the home educator.
• Receiving a Working Towards Standard or Not Meeting Standard does not mean that your registration will not be approved. In the case of Working Towards Standard or Not Meeting Standard, the Registration Officer will work with you to support the development of your program to meet the needs of your child. Your Registration Officer may suggest a follow up visit or support phone call to discuss your program further and to offer support. In some circumstances, the Registrar may request a further visit by another Registration Officer.