Homeschool Philosophy Statement Template for Saskatchewan's Written Educational Plan
The philosophy statement section of Saskatchewan's Written Educational Plan (WEP) stops more families in their tracks than any other part of the registration process. You have decided to homeschool. You have a sense of how you want to teach your child. But when the form asks you to articulate "the reason for and philosophical approach of the program," many parents either write something vague and generic — or spend days agonizing over language that sounds academic enough to pass.
Neither approach is ideal. This post explains what the philosophy statement actually needs to contain, why school divisions ask for it, and how to write one that reflects your genuine approach while satisfying the legal requirement efficiently.
What the Law Requires
The Home-based Education Program Regulations, 2015 specify that the Written Educational Plan must include a clear articulation of the reason for choosing home-based education and the underlying educational philosophy driving the program. Saskatchewan Home Based Educators (SHBE) templates — which co-developed with legal counsel — include a section labeled "Philosophical Approach" for this purpose.
The regulatory goal is modest: the province wants to confirm that you have an intentional approach to your child's education, not that your approach matches any particular pedagogical model. There is no list of approved philosophies. There is no "right answer" to the philosophy statement. The statement is an attestation of deliberate, thoughtful parental intent.
What makes a philosophy statement legally adequate:
- It states why you have chosen home-based education for your family
- It describes the general approach or method you will use
- It is specific enough to sound intentional (not purely generic)
- It is consistent with the broad goals you list elsewhere in the WEP
What is not required:
- Academic citations or formal pedagogical theory
- A specific curriculum name or commercial product
- Alignment with any provincial or national educational framework
- A particular length (one solid paragraph is usually sufficient)
Why Your Approach Matters for the Rest of the WEP
The philosophy statement does more than satisfy a checkbox. It frames how the school division reads everything else in your WEP. A philosophy statement that describes a Charlotte Mason approach primes the reader to understand why your goals focus on narration and living books rather than workbooks. A statement describing an unschooling philosophy explains why your goals are broad and interest-driven rather than curriculum-specific. A traditional structured approach explains why your goals reference specific textbooks and sequential mastery.
When your philosophy, your goals, your methodology, and your assessment approach are internally consistent, school divisions rarely push back. Consistency is the mark of a deliberate educational plan, and that is what the regulation is trying to identify.
Examples by Homeschooling Approach
Traditional / Structured Approach
We have chosen home-based education to provide [child's name] with a structured, academically rigorous education tailored to their individual learning pace and interests. Our approach is traditional and sequential: we use textbook-based curricula, progress through subjects systematically, and assess learning through regular review and formal assessments. We believe that a strong foundation in core academic skills — literacy, numeracy, scientific reasoning, and historical knowledge — provides the essential basis for lifelong learning. Our educational environment emphasizes consistent routine, mastery before advancement, and direct parental instruction.
Charlotte Mason Approach
We have chosen home-based education because we believe that children learn most effectively through direct engagement with the living world — through literature, nature study, oral narration, and meaningful relationships with their community and environment. Our approach is based on the Charlotte Mason method, which emphasizes "living books" (well-written, ideas-rich literature) over textbooks, nature journals, narration as the primary assessment tool, and short, focused lessons followed by free time for exploration. We believe this approach cultivates children who love learning intrinsically rather than performing for external evaluation. We are committed to providing a rich, humane education rooted in genuine intellectual curiosity.
Unschooling / Self-Directed Approach
We have chosen home-based education to honor our child's natural drive to learn and to support the development of genuine, self-directed intellectual passion. Our approach is grounded in the principle that children are intrinsically motivated learners who, when given freedom, appropriate resources, and engaged adult mentorship, will pursue the depth and breadth of knowledge that prepares them most effectively for adult life. We do not follow a fixed curriculum. Instead, we support our child's self-chosen projects and interests, providing books, experiences, community engagement, and mentorship as needed. We document this learning by observing activities, maintaining a periodic log, and connecting our child's real-world pursuits to the four required subject areas.
Eclectic / Interest-Led Approach
We have chosen home-based education to provide a flexible, individualized learning environment that combines the best elements of multiple pedagogical approaches. We use a combination of structured curriculum materials for core skills, interest-led projects for depth and motivation, outdoor and experiential learning for science and social studies, and community-based activities for social development and practical skills. Our philosophy holds that no single educational method is optimal for all children, and that a thoughtful, responsive approach — adapting methods to the child's current needs, strengths, and interests — produces the most engaged and capable learners. We assess progress through a combination of periodic review, portfolio documentation, and regular discussion of goals.
Farm-Based / Agricultural Learning Approach
We have chosen home-based education to integrate our child's daily life on a working farm into a rich, comprehensive educational program. We believe that agricultural learning — encompassing biology, chemistry, applied mathematics, geography, economics, and community responsibility — provides an exceptional foundation for academic and vocational development. Our approach draws heavily on experiential, land-based learning, supplemented by formal literacy and numeracy instruction during dedicated daily study time. We participate in Agriculture in the Classroom Saskatchewan (AITC-SK) programs and 4-H, and document our child's agricultural work and community involvement alongside traditional academic progress.
Neurodivergent-Focused Approach
We have chosen home-based education to provide [child's name] with a learning environment specifically designed to accommodate their unique cognitive profile, which includes [ADHD / dyslexia / giftedness / autism, as applicable]. Institutional schooling has not adequately addressed their individual needs, and we believe that a flexible, one-on-one educational environment will allow them to develop at their own pace, with approaches tailored to their specific strengths. Our educational philosophy emphasizes strengths-based, low-pressure learning, multi-sensory instruction, frequent movement breaks, and documentation that captures genuine learning rather than performance under artificial conditions. We work with outside support professionals as needed and adjust our approach continuously based on our child's responses.
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The Notice of Intent: What's Different
The Notice of Intent is the administrative form you submit to your school division before beginning the home-based program. Most divisions accept the provincial SHBE template. The Notice of Intent is distinct from the Written Educational Plan — it is a shorter administrative notification confirming that you are beginning home-based education — but some divisions combine both into a single submission.
Your Notice of Intent typically includes:
- Student name and date of birth
- Parent/guardian contact information
- Intended start date of the home-based program
- Name of the school division you are registering with
- A brief statement or checkbox confirming you will maintain a portfolio and submit annual reports
The WEP, including the philosophy statement and broad annual goals, is the substantive companion document. Together they constitute your full registration submission.
Major Saskatchewan divisions and their deadlines:
- Regina Public Schools: September 15 for full funding eligibility ($800 elementary / $550 high school)
- Prairie Spirit School Division: September 15 recommended
- Living Sky School Division: Check current division policy; typically mid-September
- Saskatoon Public Schools: September 15; grant up to $1,000 per student
- North West School Division: Minimum 30 days notice before commencing
Late registration is generally accepted, but families who miss the deadline often forfeit some or all of the annual funding reimbursement. At Regina Public Schools, registration after the deadline results in forfeiture of the annual grant. This makes meeting the September deadline a genuine financial priority.
Common Philosophy Statement Mistakes
Being too generic: "We believe in providing our child with a good education" tells the school division nothing. Describe your actual approach — what you will use, how you will teach, what your educational values are.
Overpromising specificity: On the other end, listing a rigid daily schedule or committing to specific hours of instruction invites the school division to hold you to that schedule. Describe your general approach broadly, not minute-by-minute.
Describing a philosophy inconsistent with your goals: If your philosophy says you use a structured sequential curriculum but your goals describe interest-led exploration, the inconsistency is noticeable. Write your philosophy after you have written your goals, or revise both to align.
Copying verbatim from public sources: School divisions that have read hundreds of WEPs will recognize boilerplate text. A philosophy statement in your own words, even if imperfect, reads as more genuine and deliberate than a passage copied from a homeschooling book.
For a pre-formatted Written Educational Plan template with guided prompts for each section — including a philosophy statement scaffold, goal-writing examples by grade level and philosophy, and a methodology description template — the complete Saskatchewan compliance toolkit is at /ca/saskatchewan/portfolio/.
Final Thought
Your philosophy statement is not a performance for the school division. It is a genuine articulation of why you are doing this, and how. The families who struggle most with writing it are often the ones who are trying to sound like something they are not — more formal, more curriculum-driven, or more structured than they actually are. Write about your real approach, in plain language, with enough specificity to be credible. That is all the philosophy statement needs to be.
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