How to Withdraw Your Child from School in Tasmania (Legally)

Most Tasmanian parents approach the school withdrawal backwards. They tell the school first, then scramble to register with the government. That sequence creates a legal gap — a window where your child is neither enrolled in school nor registered for home education, which can trigger a truancy investigation from DECYP.

The correct order is the opposite: register with the Office of the Education Registrar (OER) first, receive your Provisional Registration, and only then formally notify the school. This guide explains why, how, and what to do when the school pushes back.

Why the Order of Steps Matters

Tasmania's Education Act 2016 is clear: a child of compulsory school age (five years old through to age 18, or the completion of Year 12 or a Certificate III) must be either enrolled in school or registered for home education. The moment you withdraw from school without active home education registration, your child is technically in a compliance gap.

Provisional Registration from the OER resolves this immediately. It is the legal confirmation that your child's education is now your direct responsibility and is subject to OER oversight rather than DECYP enrollment. Until you have that document, do not notify the school.

Step 1: Submit Your OER Application Before Anything Else

Your application to the OER must include:

• The completed OER application form
• Proof of Tasmanian residency
• A certified copy of your child's birth certificate
• Any relevant court orders
• Your drafted Home Education Summary and Program (HESP)

The HESP is the detailed document that describes how you intend to educate your child across the ten standards set out in the Education Regulations 2017. It covers literacy, numeracy, wellbeing, pedagogy, interpersonal skills, evaluation, and more. It does not need to be polished to perfection at the provisional stage — the OER is assessing whether your program has the capacity to meet the standards, not whether every detail is finalized.

For a complete walkthrough of drafting the HESP and the registration timeline, see Tasmania homeschool registration: how to apply to the OER.

The OER typically grants Provisional Registration within 14 days of receiving a complete application.

Step 2: Receive Provisional Registration

When you receive your Provisional Registration confirmation, you have legal authority to withdraw your child from school. Keep this document. You will reference it in your withdrawal letter to the school.

Provisional Registration lasts between four and six weeks, during which an OER Registration Officer will conduct a visit or video call to review your program. You then progress to full registration for up to one year.

Step 3: Write Your Withdrawal Letter

Section 20 of the Education Act 2016 requires you to notify the school principal in writing that your child is being withdrawn for the purpose of home education. The principal then notifies the Registrar or relevant administrative authority.

That is the full extent of what the law requires from the school: notification. The school has no legal authority to approve or deny your withdrawal, to review your home education curriculum, or to require an exit interview before releasing your child.

A legally sound withdrawal letter should include:

• The effective date of withdrawal — the date from which your child will no longer be attending
• A clear statement of purpose — that the child is being withdrawn for home education under Section 20 of the Education Act 2016 (Tas)
• Your Provisional Registration reference — confirmation that the OER has granted provisional approval
• A formal request for records — school and health records to be transferred to you

Keep the letter professional and brief. You are not seeking permission or explaining your reasons. You are notifying the school of a legal decision you have already made and a registration process that is already underway.

Note on school type: For government schools, you send the letter to the principal. For non-government schools (independent or Catholic), the OER uses a specific Enrolment Cancellation Form to notify the relevant administrative authority of that sector. If your child attends a non-government school, confirm this process with the OER when you receive your provisional confirmation.

What to Do When the Principal Pushes Back

Principal pushback is one of the most commonly reported stressors in the Tasmanian home education community. Principals sometimes:

• Request to review your home education curriculum before "approving" the withdrawal
• Demand a face-to-face meeting before releasing your child
• Imply that the school must give permission
• Suggest that you wait until the end of a term

None of these requests have any legal basis. Section 20 of the Education Act 2016 grants the authority to assess and approve home education programs exclusively to the OER. The school's role, by law, is administrative notification — not gatekeeping.

If a principal requests a curriculum review or implies their approval is necessary, a calm, written response is more effective than a verbal argument. Reference Section 20 directly. Confirm that Provisional Registration has already been granted by the OER. State the withdrawal effective date clearly. If the school continues to resist, the OER can and will clarify the legal position if you contact them directly.

School funding is tied to enrollment numbers, which is the primary reason some administrators resist withdrawals more than others. Understanding this makes it easier to remain focused on the legal facts rather than getting drawn into an emotional dispute.

The Timing Question: Mid-Year vs. Start of Year

You can withdraw your child at any point during the school year. The legal requirements are identical regardless of timing.

Start-of-year withdrawal: The cleanest approach. Submit your OER application in November or December. Receive Provisional Registration before the new school term begins. Your child does not return to school after the summer break. No disruption, no half-term friction.

Mid-year withdrawal: Entirely valid, but requires your child to continue attending school while your OER application is processed — typically up to 14 days. If your child is in genuine distress (school refusal, bullying, acute anxiety), this is the hardest part. Some families manage this by submitting the application urgently and explaining the circumstances to the OER; Registration Officers are generally aware of the acute situations that drive many applications.

If your child has had more than 20 days of unexplained absences in the prior 12 months, you will also need to include an attendance record and explanation with your OER application. This is not a disqualifying factor, but it is required documentation.

Requesting Your Child's Records

When you withdraw, request a complete transfer of your child's educational and health records. These records are yours as the parent, and schools are required to provide them.

Records worth requesting include:

• Academic progress reports and assessments
• Any Individual Education Plan (IEP) or support documentation
• NAPLAN results if applicable
• Health and immunisation records held by the school

For home educators who later move interstate or re-enrol their child in the school system, having these records on hand avoids having to reconstruct the history.

If You Ever Want to Return to School

Tasmania's system allows full flexibility in both directions. If at any point you decide to return your child to mainstream schooling, you notify the OER in writing. The OER issues a Certificate of Completion and informs DECYP. To physically re-enrol in a Tasmanian government school, you complete a specific enrolment validation form. Grade placement is based on chronological age, though the school may conduct internal diagnostic testing to identify any specific support needs.

Getting the Paperwork Right

The withdrawal letter, the HESP, the OER application sequence — when you have never done this before, it is easy to miss a step or phrase something in a way that creates unnecessary friction. The Tasmania Legal Withdrawal Blueprint includes a ready-to-use withdrawal letter template citing Section 20 of the Act, the complete HESP builder, and a step-by-step checklist for the full registration process so nothing falls through the gaps.

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