The 8 QHE quality criteria, explained
These are the eight statutory criteria QHE uses to assess every Queensland home education annual report. Set out in the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 (Qld), section 217.
Published by Home Ed Report, an independent tool that helps QLD homeschool families draft the annual report. Not affiliated with QHE or the Department of Education.
The eight criteria form the legal definition of “high-quality education” for QLD home education. Assessors read your report looking for evidence against each one. They’re structured into the official RHE-1 form prompts, but it helps to know what each criterion is actually measuring before you write.
The most common reason reports are sent back for revision is not that the homeschool is poor; it is that the document failed to make the homeschool visible against one or more of these eight criteria. Specifically and concretely is the recipe. See common reasons reports get sent back.
Criterion 1
The education is responsive to the changing needs of the child as indicated by short and long term educational and personal goals.
What it means: Did your homeschool adjust over the year as your child changed? Stagnant programs flag for revision.
What to write: A line or two about a real change you made mid-year. Switching a maths program, slowing pace to build confidence, adding a new interest area, dropping something that wasn't working. Even staying the course is fine if you say why it worked.
Criterion 2
The education has regard to the age, ability, aptitude and development of the child concerned.
What it means: Is the work appropriate for your specific child, not just generic for the year level? Assessors want to see the child you teach, not a generic syllabus.
What to write: Note the child's strengths and challenges. If they're ahead in reading and behind in writing, say so. Generic "they covered Year 4 content" reads as thin.
Criterion 3
The education is conducted in an environment conducive to learning.
What it means: Where does the learning happen? Dedicated space, kitchen table, outdoor space, library trips. All valid; what matters is that you describe it.
What to write: A sentence or two on the physical and routine environment. "Mix of dining table for written work and the garden for nature studies, weekly library trips" is plenty.
Criterion 4
The education is responsive to the child's need for social development.
What it means: How is your child connecting with others outside the household? Co-ops, sport, clubs, faith community, extended family, online communities all count.
What to write: Name specific regular activities. "Tuesday homeschool co-op, Saturday hockey, monthly nature group" is much stronger than "we socialise with others".
Criterion 5
The education utilises suitable and relevant teaching strategies.
What it means: Are your methods matched to your child? Project-based, inquiry-led, direct instruction, unit study, interest-led, are all valid. The question is whether they fit.
What to write: Tie the strategy to the child. "Switched to interest-led for science because direct instruction wasn't holding her attention" beats "we use a variety of methods".
Criterion 6
The education engages the child in a range of rich and varied learning experiences.
What it means: Variety across the year: not just textbook work, but excursions, hands-on projects, community involvement, real-world application.
What to write: List a few specific experiences across the year. Museum trips, cooking, gardening, building, performances, sport. Specificity is read as quality.
Criterion 7
The education is supported by sufficient and appropriate resources.
What it means: What did you actually use? Books, apps, programs, mentors, classes, kits, equipment.
What to write: Name the resources. "Beast Academy, Story of the World, the local library, Khan Academy" beats "various online tools and books".
Criterion 8
The education uses strategies for monitoring educational progress.
What it means: How do you know your child is progressing? This doesn't mean formal tests; observation, dated work samples, learning diary, parent journal all qualify.
What to write: A sentence on how you track progress. "I keep dated samples in a folder per child and a weekly observation journal" is fine. Tie this to the samples you include.
How the report maps to the criteria
The official QHE form (RHE-1 V10) doesn’t label fields by criterion number, but each prompt is built to elicit evidence against one or two of them. The year-in-review prompts cover criteria 1, 2, 5, and 6. The environment and social prompts cover 3 and 4. Resources and monitoring map to 7 and 8. The work samples and annotations work across all of them. See the full report guide for how each section fits together.
A second pair of eyes against these criteria
Every Home Ed Report order includes a separate quality review PDF: an advisory document that grades the draft against these same eight criteria and flags anything that needs strengthening before you sign and submit.
See how it works