Frequently asked Questions

Please watch our getting started video which covers a lot of the questions you may have.

Home schooling applications are different in each country and region. Before you apply to have a homeschool exemption we suggest you follow these steps:

1. Go onto our website and sign up for the free trial https://www.functionaleducation.com/freetrial to establish whether or not your children would enjoy this style of learning.  If you need access to more than one class level, let me know once you are signed up and I can go in and manually open up access to more levels for the trial.
2. Select the class levels that you feel would best suit your children based on their learning needs.  We are numbered Class 1 - first year at school, Class 2 -second year at school etc.  Age doesn't matter so much, it's more about matching the level of learning to what your child needs.
3. On our website under the 'Courses' tab https://www.functionaleducation.com/courses copy and paste any of the descriptions into your application that you feel would assist
4. Email us and request the planning documents for the specific class levels you have chosen to enrol in.  Then we can send them through to you when you are ready to submit your application.

If you are in New Zealand, and need further help with your exemption, Cynthia Hancox has various resources on her website that can help, as well as an application writing service. Cynthia and her team have processed many exemptions for families planning to use Functional Education.

Below is a playlist of videos that cover the learning steps for each class, in reading, writing and maths. You may find this useful when applying for an exemption. There is also a short description of what we cover in each course on the course overview page.

Use the playlist button (top right of this youtube player) to skip between classes and subjects)

We have numbered our classes as follows:

Class 1 - first year of schooling  (could be any age between 5-7 depending on when you choose to start your child at school)

Class 2 - second year of schooling

Class 3 - third year etc

Class 6 and Class 7 are the 'Intermediate' years

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This question is on the MoE application form in New Zealand.

Functional Education delivers lessons that align with the standard NZ curriculum.  They are designed to sequentially follow the natural learning progress for each year level.  There are planning sheets provided for each topic covered and these sheets contain learning goals and outcomes so that parents can clearly see what the child is aiming to achieve.  The senior classes from Class 4-7 have weekly spelling tests.  Each topic is designed to have a project/presentation at its conclusion.  Some children will present to their families, others will access our platform and share their projects with 'classmates' and receive/give peer feedback as part of this process.

School workbooks are kept as a record of the child's learning throughout the year, along with handcrafts, art and photographs.

Our videos are all prerecorded.  You can choose to watch them at any time of day, any day of the week that suits your schedule.

Its easy to cancel your subscription at any time.

When you are logged in, just click on your name at the top right corner of the dashboard, then 'My Account' then go to Billing, and click 'Cancel Current Plan' and follow the prompts.

Your educational choices are your own.  We provide a series of videos that you are welcome to access.  If a topic doesn't interest you, you can move on to the next.  If a topic totally engages you, then feel free to stay with it as long as you like and move on when you are ready.

If you are based in a rural area or living/working/schooling all together trying to access the same internet connection it can cause strain on the speed of the videos.  You are in control and able to change the size of the video data to help speed it up.  When you open a video, on the right hand side of the screen at the bottom there is a settings icon that looks like a wheel.  Click on that and lower the quality of the video a few levels and it should help.  We have IT people available to talk you through this if you require assistance.

You are in control of your subscription.  You only pay for what you use.  Subscriptions are renewed on a monthly or weekly basis.  If you are planning on going away, login to your account and cancel your subscription. This stops the billing process.   When you return, re-enrol with the same email address and carry on where you left off.

You will find an equipment list at the start of each weeks lessons.

As well as a device connected to the internet (laptop, smart TV, mobile phone, tablet etc.) your child will need some items each week. These are usually things found around the home like: books to write in, coloured pencils, play dough, dice, playing cards etc.

No. Functional Education teaches children gratitude, to care for their environment, to respect others, and live in awe of the world around them. It's suitable for children from all backgrounds and cultures.

You can start your child anytime.

It is important that your child interacts with other kids a similar age. Sports groups, drama classes, school holiday programs, art and craft groups, reading clubs, play dates, and even homeschool social groups are fantastic ways to allow your child to grow positive social skills. Over 3,000 families homeschool in New Zealand, so there's probably a local homeschool group near you. It is not a case of hiding children from the ‘real world’ and wrapping them up in cotton wool so that they never experience the negative situations in life.  It is more a case of opening the world up to your children, allowing them to discover and interact with the world in a positive way. Educating your children at home means they become independent big picture thinkers, confident and self-motivated to learn and with a thirst to immerse themselves in the world amongst all ages, cultures and backgrounds and to see the world with observant eyes, not biased judgements limited to standardised opinions.

If you are homeschooling more than one child, you can enrol using a family pass. Use the link on the enrolment page

A family pass allows a single login to see all content across all courses. We don't offer different logins under one payment plan.

Up to 5 members of the family can use the same login details to access content, and this can happen simultaneously.

While this is not strictly possible, there is a work-around that you are welcome to use:

1. Cancel your subscription
2. At the end of your billing cycle, we will keep your login active, but you will lose access to your course content.
3. When you are ready to join us again, purchase a new subscription using the same email address and login as you had before. You will now have access to your content, including which courses you have already completed.

A family pass gives you access to every year level, so your dashboard may look a bit overwhelming to start with.

The easiest way to sort the modules is by using the search box. For example, type in 'Class 2' and press enter to see all the class 2 content.

Then start at the lowest module number.

A family pass gives you access to every year level, so your dashboard may look a bit overwhelming to start with.

The easiest way to sort the modules is by using the search box. For example, type in 'Class 2' and press enter to see all the class 2 content.

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If you're currently doing a trial, you may find it hard to signup to the paid course.

The solution is to either:

• Wait until your trial is over, then signup using the enrol page
• Cancel your current trial (see the FAQ on how to cancel), then signup using the enrol page.

If you cancel your trial, and signup with the same email address, our plaform will remember which modules you have completed and you'll be able to continue where you left off.

To view all the relevant laws and requirements for homeschooling in New Zealand. You can read the entire Education and Training Act 2020 here

Our friend Cynthia Hancox has written a fantastic summary of the act here: http://www.cynthiahancox.com/information/relevant-laws-education-and-training-act-2020

Please try signing in here: https://functionaleducation.thinkific.com/users/sign_in

If you don't know the password, or haven't set one yet, use the forgot password button.

If you still need support, please email support@functionaleducation.com

You will need to cancel your current plan, then when your access runs out (at the end of your billing cycle), you can re-enrol using the weekly link. Here's how:

1. When you are logged in, go to your account (click your name on the top right of the dashboard and choose 'My Account').
2. Choose 'Billing' from the left-hand menu.
3. Cancel your subscription by following the prompts on the screen.
4. When your access runs out, which will be at the end of your billing cycle, you can re-enrol, and this time choose weekly billing.
   • Note: Make sure you use the same email address when you re-enrol to avoid losing your progress.

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Holidays are now a lot easier with weekly billing. Simply cancel your plan during the last week of school. Enjoy your holiday, then re-enrol when you want to start learning again.

If you are on a monthly plan, be aware that you are paying in advance for a whole month, so if your payment went out on the 2nd of Feb, you should have access until the 2nd of March. If you want to take a holiday during that time, there is no point in cancelling your plan as you have already paid for those weeks in advance.