"There's no school uniform, shoes are not compulsory, we don't do exams, there's no detention and we don't always take holidays in school holidays," explained Linda Hoadley, mother to homeschooled children Tess (seven), Mali (10) and Ivy (five).

"What I've found with homeschooling is that every week is different.

"It's great to have the flexibility to adjust our plans as we go along - for example if we get really interested in a topic or something new arises that we decide to explore further."

In New South Wales, homeschoolers are required to meet specific learning outcomes for their children, as specified by the NSW Board of Studies. These are the same outcomes teachers are required to use.

They only difference is homeschooling teachers can choose how they meet these outcomes.

There are numerous ways, including purchasing a pre-prepared curriculum, designing their own curriculum or following an unschooling approach, which is less focused on a set program.

"The great thing about homeschooling is that you have the flexibility to choose a style that best suits your family and change your approach as required," Linda said.

"In our family, we don't follow one set curriculum, we have a variety of resources we use. This includes giving the girls hands-on experiences rather than just using workbooks."

To ensure the children get regular social interaction, two Mondays a month are spent doing activities with the larger Manning Valley homeschooling group.

This can be all sorts of things, explains Linda, "...from abseiling and canoeing, to a farm tour, army survival skills or an indigenous art day, or just to hang out and support one another."

They also spend the other two Mondays of the month spending time with smaller homeschooling groups.

"We tend to see the ideal way to socialise as being something similar to how we, as adults, socialise," explained Linda. 

"Adults don't hang out in large groups for long periods of time - adults usually have smaller groups of friends, of varying ages, that they see semi-regularly."

Linda prefers homeschooling her children for a number of reasons, though the tailored learning aspect is a definite standout to her.

"Children learn in all different ways and homeschooling allows us to tailor the learning to our children's individual needs, their gifts, talents and interests.

"We see homeschooling as a lot more than meeting our kids' academic needs - it's a holistic thing, where we are building their characters, helping them be self-aware, helping them understand who they are and what their strengths are, and teaching them to ask questions and work things out for themselves."

Linda says people often try to compare homeschooling to teaching, but they are quite different.

"I think teachers are amazing and do a fantastic job.

"Homeschooling isn't about trying to emulate what a teacher does because we are working with our own children, not a class for 20-plus kids who we don't know intimately.

"Homeschooling is a totally different approach to helping children learn and preparing them for life as an adult, and I don't like to compare the two, as being a teacher and being a homeschooling parent are two quite different things.

"I think of myself as a parent who helps her children learn, I don't think of myself as a teacher."

Linda Hoadley is one of the contacts for the Manning Valley homeschooling community. If anyone is interested in knowing more about homeschooling they are welcome to contact her on 0418 456 541 or manningvalleyhomeschoolers@gmail.com.