Registration standards for non-government schools

The governing body has measures in place for the school’s safe, legal and financially viable operation.

This includes:

• governing body - the school has a governing body that:
  • is accountable for the school’s safe, legal and financially viable operation
  • has corporate governance arrangements for safe, legal and financially viable operation
• school purpose - the school is legally established and its principal purpose is the provision of school education.

The governing body has measures in place for the effective administration of the school’s finances, teaching and learning and student safety and wellbeing.

This includes:

• financial management - the school’s financial management practices comply with:
  • recognised accounting standards
  • legislation if operated as a not-for-profit organisation
• financial viability - the school is financially viable
• student safety and wellbeing - the school oversees:
  • policy for safe learning environment
  • approaches for the safety, health and wellbeing of students
• safe grounds and facilities - the school oversees policy for ensuring built environments, infrastructure, grounds, and facilities are safe
• emergencies and critical incident management - the school oversees policy for responding to emergencies and critical incidents
• teaching and learning - the school ensures curriculum, teaching, assessment and reporting policy and practice meets student needs
• leadership and staffing - the school has appropriate school leadership and sufficient staff to deliver its services
• school policies - the school has a schedule for the review of school policies
• annual reporting - the school complies with annual, financial, and self-assessment reporting requirements
• complaint management - the school has a policy for managing complaints.

The governing body has measures in place for appropriate records and information management.

This includes:

• student records - the school has processes for obtaining a complete, retrievable record for each student
• recording and monitoring enrolment and attendance - the school:
  • has a policy for student enrolment,
  • records and monitors student enrolment and attendance
  • implements strategies to address non-attendance
• records management - the school implements and oversees systems and processes to assure orderly creation, storage and retention of school records
• information privacy - the school oversees procedures for:
  • maintaining privacy of staff and student information
  • third-party access to school information and information systems.

Approved curricula for each relevant stage of schooling is delivered.

This includes:

• approved curriculum - the school delivers the Australian Curriculum or other approved curriculum to meet student learning needs
• scope and sequence - the school has scope and sequence documents that detail content, sequence and assessment for each curricula it delivers.

Teaching and learning approaches are evidence-informed to meet the diverse learning needs of students.

This includes:

• instructional approaches - the school uses evidence-informed instructional approaches
• differentiated teaching - the school plans for and implements differentiated teaching to meet the diverse learning needs of students
• teaching and learning resources - the school has sufficient and appropriate resources, information technology and connectivity to deliver quality teaching and learning programs.

Student progress and performance are monitored, assessed and reported.

This includes:

• student academic progress and performance - the school:
  • regularly monitors, assesses and reviews individual student performance
  • has plans and structures to support student progress
• mandated assessment program participation - the school participates in mandated assessment program activities
• reporting to parents - the school provides written reports to parents at least once a semester about their child’s academic performance
• reporting to community - the school reports at least once a year to the school community on school performance and student outcomes
• verification of student work - the school has policies to address undue levels of assistance and plagiarism.

Adequate staff, contractors and volunteers.

This includes:

• staff numbers - the school has adequate staff to deliver the school's education programs
• staff recruitment - the school hires registered teaching staff, relief teachers and appropriate non-teaching staff, contractors and volunteers in compliance with legislation and policy
• professional learning and capacity building - the school implements a whole-school induction and professional learning agenda to build staff capability.

Child safety and wellbeing are embedded in school leadership, governance, and culture.

This includes:

• national principles for child safe organisations - the school applies the national principles for child safe organisations and has a schedule for regularly reviewing their implementation
• student safety, health and wellbeing laws compliance - the school has policies requiring compliance with legislation, policies, and standards that apply to student safety, health and wellbeing
• behaviour management - the school has a behaviour management policy and supports positive behaviours.

Children are informed about their rights and responsibilities and children participate in decisions affecting them.

This includes:

• children are informed of their rights and responsibilities - the school informs children about:
  • their rights and responsibilities and
  • about participating in decision-making that affects them.

Families and communities are informed about and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.

This includes:

• promoting child safety and wellbeing - the school:
  • informs and involves parents and
  • the school community in promoting child safety and wellbeing.

Policy and practice uphold equity and respect diverse needs.

This includes:

• compliance with anti-discrimination legislation and support for students with diverse needs - the school has policies, practices and training to assure compliance with:
  • the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) and the Anti-Discrimination Act 1992 (NT)
  • other relevant legislation and standards that support students with diverse needs
• cultural safety and inclusivity - the school provides a culturally responsive, safe, and inclusive environment.

Staff and volunteers are supported to have the necessary knowledge and skills to keep children safe.

This includes:

• child safety training - the school:
  • has a child safety training schedule
  • supports staff and volunteers to participate in child safety training.

Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing and minimise the opportunity for children to be harmed.

This includes:

• risk mitigation - the school conducts regular risk identification and mitigation activities for safe physical and online environments
• community groups are child safe - the school ensures community groups that access school facilities comply with the school’s child safety policies and requirements.

Policies and practice include and address distance learning governance, budgeting and financial management.

This includes:

• annual and financial reporting - the school’s annual and financial reports to the registrar separately identify:
  • Australian and NT Government funding
  • participation data for distance education enrolments
• enrolment and attendance - the school has policy for the enrolment of distance education students and verification of attendance.

The school has distance education curriculum, teaching, learning, assessment and reporting policies.

This includes:

• ICT capacity and place to learn - the school only enrols students who:
  • meet the school’s minimum distance education ICT requirements
  • have an appropriate place for learning inclusive of sufficient resources
• verification of student work - the school has policy for verifying distance education student work
• NT-registered teachers - the school provides a written declaration that all teachers delivering distance education are registered with the Teacher Registration Board of the NT.

Safety and wellbeing policies and practice are inclusive of students studying by distance education.

This includes:

• daily care and supervision - the school has a policy for the:
  • daily care and supervision responsibilities of the school, family and
  • any other stakeholders delivering or supervising the distance education program
• residential programs - the school has policy for the safe travel, accommodation and supervision of any distance education residential component.

Systems are in place to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of boarders.

This includes:

• mission statement - the school has and communicates to boarders and stakeholders a mission statement outlining:
  • boarding facility philosophy
  • core values
  • health and safety measures,
  • community rights, responsibilities and behavioural expectations.
• care and supervision of boarders - the school has policy for the safety, security and daily care and supervision of boarders whether onsite or off site
• providing for boarder needs - the school has policy for meeting diverse boarder health, nutrition and wellbeing needs
• emergencies and critical incidents - the school has policy for responding to, recording and communicating:
  • boarding facility and student emergencies and
  • critical incidents
• boarder behaviour management - the school has policy for managing behaviour in the boarding facility
• complaint and conflict management - the school has mechanisms for recording and managing boarding complaints and conflicts
• student transport and travel - the school has policy for ensuring boarder transport and travel arrangements are appropriate and safe
• facility access - the school has documented protocols and procedures for:
  • families, visitors, trades peoples and
  • others visiting the boarding facility.

Sufficient, appropriate staff to deliver quality boarding services.

This includes:

• staff structures, recruitment and capacity building - the school has:
  • staffing structures, recruitment processes and
  • capacity building programs for delivering safe, secure and appropriate services for boarders.

Communications to facilitate positive community relationships.

This includes:

• regular communications and community engagement - the school:
  • has processes for positive family and community engagement
  • provides boarding-related information to students, families, staff, external agencies and community stakeholders.

Boarding facilities and resources are well-maintained, safe, functional and fit-for-purpose.

This includes:

• fit-for-purpose facilities - the school has adequate accommodation, homework, recreation, dining, medical and other facilities for boarders and staff
• secure, well-maintained facility - the boarding facility is secure and well-maintained.