Te Taitokerau Principals Association chair Pat Newman said he was not surprised by the figures and was currently undertaking a survey about the number of homeschooling applications and children not returning to school.
He said while he didn't oppose the concept of homeschooling per se, he felt the Ministry of Education's approach to approving applications was all wrong.
"My concern is how the Ministry is required to approve each application if shown "evidence" of a homeschooling plan where the education is as "regular" and "good" as it would be at a mainstream school," Newman said.
"I have no problems with homeschooling and agree that for some children it provides phenomenal results.
"What we are seeing here, however, is that most applications are using a copy of a plan used by many others, which on paper looks fantastic, but whether that's actually implemented is another question."
According to Newman, usually with homeschool applications, the Ministry will call the principal to let them know they had received an application and to ask if they had any objections.
He said in spite of him raising several concerns, the Ministry allegedly continued to grant all applications regardless.
Newman said he was gravely concerned at what he believed was a lack of foresight from both parents and the Ministry regarding the potential impact on children's education should they return to school later.
"Two things risk happening here - one is you're going to have a hell of a lot of kids miss out on a month, term or lifetime of education," Newman said.
"The other thing is, if you do suddenly send your kids back to the system because homeschooling wasn't easy, then they're going to be way behind everyone else and teachers and principals will have to pick up the slack."
According to Sean Teddy, Ministry of Education Hautū (leader), Operations and Integration/Te Pae Aronui, there had been a significant increase in enquiries from parents about home education from September 2021.
"We are currently assessing a large number of home education applications and decisions are taking longer than usual, on average more than six weeks," Teddy said.
"While waiting for their application to be assessed, legally all children aged over six must be enrolled at and attending school."
Teddy said MOE encouraged parents to send their children to school.
"We know the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of students in school is beneficial, so all those students that can attend should," he said.
Cynthia Hancox, Government Liaison, National Council of Home Educators of NZ (NCHENZ), said she didn't expect applications to slow down significantly any time soon.
Hancox assists families getting started with homeschooling by providing information and support, especially around the exemption process.
She said lockdowns had created the opportunity for parents to learn a lot about their children's education, with some realising homeschooling was more accessible than previously believed.
Hancox said some had experienced dissatisfaction or concern about what and how their children were being taught, while others identified their child needed additional support.
Other factors such as disruption to education and concerns about mandates, mask-wearing and exposure to Covid-19 were also front of mind for some parents.
"Parents want their children to be safe and feel safe," Hancox said.
"They want their children to gain a quality education and for their learning to be able to continue without disruption.
"Keeping their children at home and taking personal responsibility for their education is what a lot of parents believe is the most effective way to do all of that right now."
Hancox said the changes in homeschooling since she began with her own children had shown there were now greater opportunities to connect with others, attend events and activities, as well as gain information and support.
"It's more accessible now than ever. There are a plethora of curriculum options, accessible resources, online learning options, books, activities and people to share about it," Hancox said.
Brit Rollo, a long-time homeschooling mother based in Peria, said she believed the pandemic had been a tipping point for some who had seized the opportunity to deepen relationships with their children.
Rollo, whose daughters, aged 8 and 10, have been exclusively homeschooled, said she believed it was time for society to consider the purpose of our education systems.
"It's unique to your family, how you decide to define what education is. By definition, it has to include everyone's unique way of being and doing things," Rollo said.
"Part of the choice has to be wanting to be around your children and being an intimate part of their lives.
"We're in the privileged position of caretaking land so we want them to know and understand that life can be about that, rather than strictly a human-centred structure.
"We feel it's important for the kids to learn where their food, water and power come from."
