Saskatchewan Homeschool Notice of Intent: What the Form Requires and What to Write

Families new to Saskatchewan home-based education often spend hours trying to figure out whether they're completing the right form and whether what they've written will be "accepted." This confusion is understandable — school divisions across the province use slightly different terminology, and the provincial government's information is thin on what the Written Educational Plan actually needs to say.

Here is a plain-language breakdown of the form's requirements, with examples of what sufficient responses look like.

What Saskatchewan Actually Requires

Saskatchewan's Education Act, 1995 authorizes home-based education through a notification process. Families submit a Home-Based Education Application — often called a Notice of Intent by families and advocacy groups — to their local school division. This is not a permission request. The division cannot refuse registration on the grounds that it disagrees with your educational approach, as long as you provide the required information.

The required elements are:

1. Student information

• Full legal name
• Gender
• Date of birth
• Previous schooling (current school name and grade, or "no previous enrollment" for kindergarteners)

2. Parent/guardian information

• Names of parents or guardians
• Home address
• Phone number

3. Written Educational Plan

This is the section families worry about most, and the one where most overcomplication happens.

What the Written Educational Plan Needs to Include

The Written Educational Plan is not a detailed curriculum guide. It is not a scope and sequence. It does not need to be formatted in any particular way. What it needs to demonstrate is that you intend to provide instruction in Saskatchewan's required subject areas.

Provincial home-based education requires coverage of:

• Language Arts (reading, writing, oral communication)
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social Studies
• Health Education
• The Arts (at least one of: visual art, music, drama, dance)
• Physical Education

Your plan should address each of these areas. A sentence or two per subject is standard and sufficient. The division's role is to confirm you intend to cover required subjects — not to evaluate your pedagogy.

Example Language That Works

Below is example language for a family using a mix of commercial curriculum and interest-led learning:

Language Arts: We will use All About Reading and All About Spelling for formal instruction. Reading aloud and independent reading from library selections is a daily practice. Writing is developed through narration, journaling, and project-based reports.

Mathematics: Singapore Math (Primary) is our core program. We supplement with math games and real-world applications including cooking, budgeting, and measurement projects.

Science: We follow a unit-study approach, covering life science (plants and animals), earth science (rocks and weather), and basic physics through hands-on experiments. We use library books, YouTube educational content, and purchased unit studies.

Social Studies: We use a Canadian-focused social studies curriculum (Memoria Press Canadian edition) covering community, local history, and Saskatchewan geography. We visit local heritage sites and use primary sources where available.

Health Education: Health topics are integrated into daily life — nutrition through cooking, physical development through outdoor activities and sports, and age-appropriate discussions of personal safety and wellbeing.

The Arts: Our child participates in weekly piano lessons and we integrate visual art projects throughout the year aligned with whatever unit we are studying.

Physical Education: Structured activity includes swimming lessons twice weekly and recreational hockey. We supplement with outdoor play, hiking, and family cycling.

This is a thorough example — many families submit shorter descriptions and receive no pushback. The key is that every required subject area is mentioned and that you've indicated a real approach rather than a vague commitment.

What You Can Leave Out

There is no requirement to include:

• Daily schedules or timetables
• Hour counts per subject per week
• Specific learning outcomes aligned to provincial curriculum
• Assessment or testing plans
• Qualifications or educational background of the teaching parent

Some families include these details because it feels more credible. It doesn't change your standing. The designated official reviewing your application is confirming required elements are present, not grading your thoroughness.

Which Form to Use

This is where families get confused. There is no single provincial form — each of the 27 school divisions in Saskatchewan may have its own version. Some divisions have a fillable PDF on their website. Others accept a letter format. A handful will direct you to email their home-based education coordinator with the required information in the body of the email.

To find the right version:

1. Identify your school division by address (the province's school division map is available through the Ministry of Education).
2. Visit your division's website and search "home-based education" or "home school."
3. If no form is visible, call or email the division office and ask for the home-based education coordinator or designated official.

Do not use a form from another province. Alberta's forms, British Columbia's notification letters, and templates from US homeschool organizations do not meet Saskatchewan's specific requirements.

Submitting the Form

Submit directly to the school division's designated home-based education official — not to your child's school, and not to the Ministry of Education. Divisions accept email, fax, or in-person delivery. After submission, you may receive a confirmation acknowledgment. Some divisions send nothing — receipt of your submission is sufficient, and you can follow up by phone to confirm it arrived.

If you're withdrawing a child who is currently enrolled, the Notice of Intent to the division and a withdrawal letter to the school happen simultaneously. The school does not approve the withdrawal. They are notified and are required to release your child's records.

For a complete set of ready-to-use templates — including a Notice of Intent draft, a school withdrawal letter, and an Annual Progress Report framework — the Saskatchewan Legal Withdrawal Blueprint covers the full process with Saskatchewan-specific language.

After You Submit

Registration is complete when the form is submitted. You do not wait for approval. You can begin home educating immediately.

At the end of the school year, you will submit an Annual Progress Report to the division. This is a written summary of what your child studied and how they progressed — not a standardized test, not a formal evaluation. Saskatchewan's standard is reasonable educational progress, assessed by the division's designated official.

The Written Educational Plan you submitted at registration becomes the baseline for that annual report. Keep records throughout the year so the report is straightforward to write.

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