Reporting to the registrar for non-government schools

From 2 January 2024, new rules for reporting will apply to non-government schools.

These rules include:

• submitting the results of yearly self-assessments
• notifying the registrar of changes to school operations

Submitting annual self-assessment results

Under the new rules, non-government schools must provide the registrar with the results of their annual self-assessment, before the end of the school year.

Previously, a school only had to provide results at the registrar’s request.

To find out more, read section 145 of the Education Act 2015.

Changes to school operations

Changes to the Act require a non-government school to notify the registrar of any changes to its hours or days of operation.

It must also notify the registrar of any incident that requires the school to close or reduce the number of students attending for a period of time.

Incidents may include:

• short-term disruptions such as:
  • a change to the hours of operation of the school
  • suspension of specific programs offered by the school due to staffing shortages
• long-term disruptions such as:
  • suspension of a class or classes due to infrastructure damage caused by fire, flood or cyclone.

To find out more, read section 145A of the Act.

Why these changes are important

Despite best efforts and planning by non-government schools, external factors and conditions may create circumstances where a non-government school may experience financial difficulties.

Letting the department know early about these issues will assist the department to better understand barriers to effective operation of non-government schools.