Resources for schools

NESA’s regulatory approach promotes student safety and quality of education which NSW schools do a good job of every day.

We recognise the culture of self-assurance in schools with school leaders putting steps in place to ensure they remain on track and make improvements.

We provide an added assurance that this occurs in all schools by:

• being clear about expectations so schools are confident that they are doing the right thing
• working alongside schools to provide advice and resources
• adjusting our process where a school presents greater risk
• monitoring schools at short notice to review documents that should already be in place and
• following up information that a school may not be meeting requirements.

Advancing from a one size fits all review of schools to a more strategic risk-based approach, registration is no longer a big 5 yearly event.

Rather it is an ongoing focus on standards with a range of shorter, sharper targeted monitoring tools that can be applied on a case by case basis.

We focus on what has the greatest impact on teaching, learning and child safety.

That is why when NESA finds an area for improvement or concern, schools are provided with opportunity to implement improvements needed and to demonstrate they are meeting registration requirements.

To learn more about NESA’s approach to regulating schools, access the updated resources on the NESA website.

NSW school registration requirements promote a quality education for students in a safe and supportive environment.

Schools are required to meet these standards daily - not just when renewing registration.

A key step in the registration process is for the Principal and proprietor to certify that they comply and commit to ongoing responsibility.

How can a Principal make this certification with confidence?

There is a growing culture of self-assurance in schools where there are robust systems for monitoring, processes to keep on track and a responsibility to make improvements. Schools do this because they are committed to providing a quality education, not because a regulator might check.

What does self-assurance look like in practice?

It is the ability to rely on internal systems that

• Establish clear policies and practices
• Ensure everyone knows their role and responsibilities
• Maintain evidence and implementation records that demonstrate you are meeting requirements
• Set a timetable for tracking progress at regular intervals
• And maintain a regular schedule to evaluate and continuously improve these policies and practices

Where a school has strong self-assurance systems, the registration process is straightforward, focussing only on documents held at the school on a daily basis.

NESA relies on the school’s self-assurance and complements this with a shorter, sharper risk-based monitoring program, allowing schools to get on with the important work of teaching and supporting student welfare.

To better understand registration requirements and access resources that assist in assuring the school is on track, visit NESA’s website.

NESA’s focus on child safety and the quality of education forms the basis of the inspection process.  This tailored inspection process helps NESA be assured that schools continue to meet the minimum requirements every day.

NESA monitors compliance of NSW Schools by reviewing evidence that they meet  registration requirements as identified in the NESA Registration Manuals.

NESA has recently moved from a one size fits all inspection program to a more strategic risk based approach tailored to individual schools.

This involves NESA reviewing and sampling a selection of evidence from identified curriculum and policy areas.

Schools do not need to develop any new documents or materials for an inspection and NESA will not observe classrooms or meet with teaching staff.

Instead, NESA will review the school’s records from its usual day to day procedures and operations to help determine if a school’s policies and procedures align with actual practice.

An Inspector then makes an on-balance judgement about the school’s compliance.

Where an Inspector identifies compliance issues, the school is allowed additional time to make the necessary improvements. In a small number of cases, NESA may need to use further measures to assist schools to comply.

Find out more at NESA’s website and review the Registration Manuals for the supporting evidence expected during inspections.

NESA’s regulatory approach promotes student safety and quality of education which NSW schools do a good job of every day.

We recognise the culture of self-assurance in schools with school leaders putting steps in place to ensure they remain on track and make improvements.

We provide an added assurance that this occurs in all schools by:

• being clear about expectations so schools are confident that they are doing the right thing
• working alongside schools to provide advice and resources
• adjusting our process where a school presents greater risk
• monitoring schools at short notice to review documents that should already be in place and
• following up information that a school may not be meeting requirements.

Advancing from a one size fits all review of schools to a more strategic risk-based approach, registration is no longer a big 5 yearly event.

Rather it is an ongoing focus on standards with a range of shorter, sharper targeted monitoring tools that can be applied on a case by case basis.

We focus on what has the greatest impact on teaching, learning and child safety.

That is why when NESA finds an area for improvement or concern, schools are provided with opportunity to implement improvements needed and to demonstrate they are meeting registration requirements.

To learn more about NESA’s approach to regulating schools, access the updated resources on the NESA website.

NSW school registration requirements promote a quality education for students in a safe and supportive environment.

Schools are required to meet these standards daily - not just when renewing registration.

A key step in the registration process is for the Principal and proprietor to certify that they comply and commit to ongoing responsibility.

How can a Principal make this certification with confidence?

There is a growing culture of self-assurance in schools where there are robust systems for monitoring, processes to keep on track and a responsibility to make improvements. Schools do this because they are committed to providing a quality education, not because a regulator might check.

What does self-assurance look like in practice?

It is the ability to rely on internal systems that

• Establish clear policies and practices
• Ensure everyone knows their role and responsibilities
• Maintain evidence and implementation records that demonstrate you are meeting requirements
• Set a timetable for tracking progress at regular intervals
• And maintain a regular schedule to evaluate and continuously improve these policies and practices

Where a school has strong self-assurance systems, the registration process is straightforward, focussing only on documents held at the school on a daily basis.

NESA relies on the school’s self-assurance and complements this with a shorter, sharper risk-based monitoring program, allowing schools to get on with the important work of teaching and supporting student welfare.

To better understand registration requirements and access resources that assist in assuring the school is on track, visit NESA’s website.

NESA’s focus on child safety and the quality of education forms the basis of the inspection process.  This tailored inspection process helps NESA be assured that schools continue to meet the minimum requirements every day.

NESA monitors compliance of NSW Schools by reviewing evidence that they meet  registration requirements as identified in the NESA Registration Manuals.

NESA has recently moved from a one size fits all inspection program to a more strategic risk based approach tailored to individual schools.

This involves NESA reviewing and sampling a selection of evidence from identified curriculum and policy areas.

Schools do not need to develop any new documents or materials for an inspection and NESA will not observe classrooms or meet with teaching staff.

Instead, NESA will review the school’s records from its usual day to day procedures and operations to help determine if a school’s policies and procedures align with actual practice.

An Inspector then makes an on-balance judgement about the school’s compliance.

Where an Inspector identifies compliance issues, the school is allowed additional time to make the necessary improvements. In a small number of cases, NESA may need to use further measures to assist schools to comply.

Find out more at NESA’s website and review the Registration Manuals for the supporting evidence expected during inspections.