Setting Up a System for Organising Paperwork

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Day 25 of #Write28Days Challenge

In Singapore, to be granted exemption from the Compulsory Education Law, besides agreeing to send our child to sit for PSLE the year he/she turns 12, we also have to provide documentation of what we do in our homeschool. This means we need a system for organising paperwork MOE requires of us.

Paperwork Requirements for Homeschooling

We need to show them that the child has done seatwork (they love seatwork proof) and even outings need to be substantiated and documented with photos or a write-up. More paperwork.

Recently, the demands for paperwork has increased even more. The last I heard was that MOE now requires 5 samples of written work and 5 samples of assessment for EACH subject, for EACH academic year. Woah!

I don’t know if this will change as MOE has been changing things up the past few years. Thankfully, I have escaped this recent change since ky youngest is now Primary 5.

Also, by the grace of God, our youngest cleared all 4 subjects at the Primary 4 exams and so I did not need to provide any documentation to prove that I have what it takes to help her clear her PSLE exams. I had to do so for one child but back then, the paperwork requirements were much less.

The thing with the new MOE requirements is that we are not sure exactly what they want. Some were told that what they submitted were not acceptable and they had to scramble to find other paperwork for submission.

A Simple System for Organising Paperwork

Regardless, I believe my system for organising paperwork works because it is easy to implement and there is an element of “kiasu-ness” in it. 🙂

And I know it works because I have now been able to keep on top of the paperwork. When I had four children reporting to MOE, it was a nightmare trying to keep on top of the paperwork requirements which compared to now is nothing.

I tried to be clever by setting up different files for different children. It worked great when I set aside time to hole punch and slip the right set of papers into the right file. But….there were too many files to manage.

Box Them Up

Then I discover the box-them-up method – yes, I totally made that up! I buy box files (I prefer plastic because they are easier to dust but paper is cheaper) from Popular or Ikea and then label them with the child’s name. Then I chuck all things pertaining to a child into his box.

The End.

When it is time for me to send my reports to MOE, I re-read what they require, go through each box and pull out what they want. The rest is thrown out.

For Textbook Learning

Because we homeschool using textbooks and assessment books, what I do when they are done with a book is to tear out the cover of the book and 2 or 3 different units of assessment done. I staple them and they all go into the box.

For Non-textbook Learning

If you do not use textbooks for your homeschool, you will want to either scan or take a photo of the cover and print it out for the file so show them what you have used.

Yes, the box files take up space but they can be stacked and put neatly into a corner of my balcony. Which is also why I prefer plastic box files to plastic.

For the Tech Savvy

If you are savvy with tech and love to use apps and all, you can create a digital file and dump the information in there. But I hate spending time scanning or photographing their work for submission so I don’t.

Snail Mail Them to MOE

Then I send all the paperwork they require – lock, stock and barrel – to MOE via registered snail mail. I do not scan them or keep any digital files of what I send across. They are clutter to me. After all, no teacher keeps their students work once the child is done with their class.

Once MOE acknowledges that it has received my package, which they will via email, I throw everything out.

Unless I am expecting a visit from them (at Primary 3 and at Primary 5 if the child did not clear her Primary 4 exams), I throw everything out.

If you are worried that they may ask for more paperwork from you, you may wish to keep the box for another year.

*Disclaimer: Do read carefully what they require of you before you throw everything out. As I said, they are requiring a lot more paperwork documentation now than during my time.

Outdoor Learning and Craftwork

If a lot of your homeschool is done outdoors or you do a lot of craftwork in your homeschool to help your child learn, then you must remember to take photos to document your journey.

They want to see learning take place visually, preferably with paperwork. But I understand that photos are acceptable. Also, be careful not to include other people’s faces in your submission unless you have their permission.

Want to Be More Organised?

My most basic method of organising paperwork without going crazy is to just throw everything in a box with the child’s name labelled if you are homeschooling more than one child.

if you prefer to be more organised, you can do what I did before: still box-them-up BUT get box files with hanging drawers or just plain plastic files for each subject for each child which does make it easier for you to find the relevant information for submission at the end of the year. It works but you have to be diligent in maintaining it.

Organising Paperwork for Other Aspects of Life

Our system for organising paperwork for the other aspects of our lives is similar to the homeschooling system. We have files for general categories of our home life and nowadays we often request digital updates rather than physical updates to reduce paper clutter. Every once in a while, we go through them and throw out anything older than 3 years old.

Keeping it simple is an important way of keeping on top of paper clutter as well as keep what we need organised.

Tomorrow, I will provide a “day in the life” to show you how I combine our homeschool and housework without going mad.

See you!

Related Links

Homeschool Paperwork in our Large Family
Tackle Your Paper Clutter

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