Overview
Data you provide in the School Survey Data for Non-State Schools – Queensland 2025 (the Census form) assist the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board (the Board) to perform its statutory functions. The Queensland Department of Education (the Department) also uses these data when assessing entitlement to allowances distributed to governing bodies of non-state schools on behalf of the Queensland Minister for Education.
Overseas students are responsible for the cost of their own education. They do not receive state recurrent funding. Please do not include these students in any section of the Census form, except the Overseas students section.
You should also not include Students on visitor visas, bridging visas with study limitations or no visa in any section of the Census form, except the section Students on visitor visas, bridging visas with study limitation or no visa. These may be students who do not currently hold a visa to stay in Australia or are on a temporary/bridging visa that has limited study rights.
Census Day (Relevant day)
Census Day is the last Friday of February of each year. Complete the Census form using data as at Friday, 28 February 2025, except for Boarding fee concessions, which refers to 2024 data.
Return date
You will need to submit the completed Census form to the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board Secretariat (NSSAB Secretariat) by Friday, 7 March 2025 (the Friday following Census Day).
Information collected
The Census form collects data on:
Retention of documentation
All enrolment, attendance and related documentation that you use to complete the Census form should be retained by the school/governing body for a period of five years from Census Day, and in a way that ensures the integrity and security of the data and documents.
Retention of birth certificates or other identity documentation
Authorised persons may request schools provide evidence of a school’s compliance with section 5(1) of the Regulation.
From 2025, they will not require that schools demonstrate that copies of birth certificates have been obtained for each student where an alternative process has been adopted to verify a student’s identity.
Schools do not need to keep copies of birth certificates for enrolled students; however:
- if schools have obtained copies of birth certificates, they are required to be retained for at least 5 years, in accordance with section 5(1)(a) of the Regulation; and
- schools are required to sight birth certificates (or other suitable identifying documentation) and retain documentation evidencing this process.
The Board will accept a written record, such as a signed file note from an identified school officer, recording that a birth certificate (or other suitable identifying documentation) has been sighted, and recording the details of that document.
>> Enrolment verification program
Last updated 31 January, 2025