Initial accreditation for new schools
An application from the approved authority for a registration system on behalf of a proposed new member school that intends to become accredited must be made not later than 31 March in the calendar year before the year that the proposed proprietor or approved system authority intends to commence operation of the new school. The application should be made using the relevant application and recommendation Form.
New accredited member non-government schools must meet the requirements of the Act upon commencement of operation.
It may not be possible for a proposed new member school to provide evidence of compliance with all sections of the Act relating to the Record of School Achievement and/or Higher School Certificate prior to commencement. It is expected, however, that the applicant will provide evidence of policies and procedures that are appropriate to ensure compliance of the school with the requirements of the Act should the application be successful. If the application for initial accreditation is successful, the new school is required to meet all the requirements for accreditation and must, throughout its period of initial accreditation, maintain evidence of compliance with those requirements.
The requirements for initial accreditation of a new non-government school and the evidence of capacity to comply with these requirements that an applicant seeking initial accreditation needs to demonstrate are detailed on this website. Any difference in the description of accreditation requirements and those for initial accreditation are only intended to take account of the fact that compliance with some requirements can only be demonstrated once the school begins operation. In the event a difference occurs for any other reason, applicants should refer to the accreditation requirements as these requirements take precedence.
The maximum period of initial accreditation that can be granted to such member schools is twelve (12) months.
Evidence of compliance
The approved authority for a registration system must:
- make application to NESA for registration of any new member non-government member school not later than 31 March in the calendar year before the year that the proposed proprietor, proprietor or approved authority intends to commence operation of the member school
- describe the process that the proposed proprietor, proprietor or approved authority for the registration system has in place to determine the capacity of a proposed new member school to meet the requirements for initial accreditation