Independent Schools Victoria Compliance Framework

Schools receiving Australian Government General Recurrent Grants must account for those grants both financially and educationally

Australian Government Recurrent Grants

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Do you need to comply?

Yes, if your school has entered into a Funding Agreement with the Australian Government.

Conditions of compliance

A school enters into a Funding Agreement with the Australian Government for a four-year funding period. This Agreement sets out the purposes of the General Recurrent Grants (GRG) Program, and specifies the use of funds and accountability requirements.

If you have to comply, what do you have to do?

For the 2009-2012 quadrennium, the Agreement specifies a range of commitments that are conditions for the provision of grant funds:

• A commitment to the National Goals of Schooling prepared by the Ministerial Council on Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA)
• A commitment to achieving the performance targets and measures as set out in the Quadrennial Guidelines. Currently, the performance measures as specified in the Regulations principally relate to reporting the percentage of students at Years 3, 5 and 7 achieving the national benchmarks for reading, writing and spelling and numeracy
• National student assessments
• National reports on the outcome of schooling
• Provision of individual school information
• Provision to parents of student reports
• Publication of information relating to schools
• Provision of specified school performance information
• Implementation of the national curriculum
• Financial reporting
• Participation in program evaluation
• Report to parents twice a year
• Post information relating to school performance on the internet which is to be made available upon request

The agreement also requires that the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) must be notified in writing of any significant changes in circumstances relating to the Approved Authority of the School

Schools receiving Australian Government GRGs are required to complete the Non-Government Schools Financial Questionnaire and the annual Census

Schools receiving Australian Government GRGs must account for the grants both financially and educationally

Financial accountability requires the submission of a Financial Accountability certificate, signed by a person who is authorised to sign on behalf of the school authority and a qualified accountant (independent of the school) stating that the funds have been expended in the program year and in accordance with the relevant agreement. The certificate is provided and lodged electronically through the DEEWR Schools Service Point (SSP).

Educational accountability involves the following:

1. Participation in the Annual National Report on Schooling (ANR) (if selected) including the provision of reports of a kind required by the Minister addressing the requirements for performance information that are set out in the Regulations as in force from time to time
2. The provision of other reports as required by the Minister in relation to financial assistance provided under the Act
3. Participation in evaluations of the outcomes of programs of financial assistance

What are the consequences if you don't comply?

You may be in breach of the Schools Assistance (Learning Together • Achievement Through Choice and Opportunity) Act 2008 (Cth.)

Who will help you?

Independent Schools Victoria contact:

Nigel Bartlett
Senior Research and Data Analyst
Ph. 03 9825 7228
nigel.bartlett@independentschools.vic.edu.au

Click here to download the Independent Schools Victoria Funding Briefing for Members booklet (password required)

Click here to go to the DEEWR website

Click here to download the DEEWR General Recurrent Grants - Calendar of Events (PDF 20KB)

Submitted 4/3/2006, edited 12/18/2007.