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Complaints

Complaints about non-state schools

NSSAB assesses a governing body’s suitability, monitors whether non-state schools and their governing bodies comply with accreditation criteria, and approves eligibility for government funding under the Education (Accreditation of Non-State Schools) Act 2017 (the Act).

In Queensland, non-state schools are non-government and include Catholic and independent educational settings.

Before lodging a complaint with us, you should first raise the issue directly with the school or governing body and give them an opportunity to respond. This helps ensure concerns are considered at the local level and may lead to a quicker resolution.

Read more about complaints we can deal with and how to make a complaint. NSSAB is not a tribunal or industry ombudsman and there are some complaints we cannot deal with.

It is important for complainants to understand that the Board is not a review body. This means the Board cannot review the merits of a decision made by a non-state school. The Board will examine whether the school acted fairly and in accordance with their policy and procedures and any relevant accreditation criteria but will not review the substance of the decision.

Complaints about us

NSSAB deals with complaints about our performance and statutory functions, welcoming this feedback as valuable for improving our service delivery.

To make a complaint about NSSAB, its secretariat or a person NSSAB has appointed as an authorised person, choose one of these options:

Please add your contact details including phone number to your correspondence.

Read about how we will manage your complaint.

Make a complaint about a non-state school

The Non-State Schools Accreditation Board (NSSAB) manages complaints that relate to our regulatory responsibility. The regulatory role of NSSAB does not involve ownership, governance or management of non-state schools.

Read more about our role or to make general enquiries, feedback and complaints about us.

Complaints we can deal with

Under its policy, NSSAB requires you to raise any issues directly with the school or governing body before making a complaint to us.

Contact us if you have concerns about a non-state school or governing body and their compliance with the Education (Accreditation of Non-State Schools) Act 2017 (the Act) and the Education (Accreditation of Non-State Schools) Regulation 2017.

This could include, for example:

Complaints we cannot deal with

NSSAB is unable to deal with complaints about:

If NSSAB can’t assist with your complaint, the below options will help guide you to the right place.

Raising a complaint with a school and escalating to their governing body

  1. Contact the school first by following their complaints process. You can escalate your complaint to the school’s governing body if it is unresolved. It is important to give the school time to consider your complaint and make a response.
  2. If you are dissatisfied with the initial outcome of your complaint, the school’s policy may indicate who you could escalate to for further review. Escalation is often to the school’s governing body. The governing body is responsible for the operation of the school and responsible for matters we can’t deal with.

How to lodge your complaint with NSSAB

Before you make your complaint about a non-state school, please follow these steps:

  1. Check the information about complaints we can deal with and complaints we cannot deal with.
  2. Include the following details so that we can effectively investigate your complaint:
    1. your name, address, and contact details
    2. any other information required to verify your identity
    3. the school’s name and location
    4. the issue and how it relates to non-compliance
    5. relevant and sufficient evidence to support the complaint, for example, copies of correspondence to and from the school, and other key documents
    6. relevant and sufficient evidence of how the matter has been raised with the school, the governing body and any response received
    7. the outcome you are seeking, noting we cannot undertake a merits review of your complaint.

Submit your complaint to us by:

If you do not have internet or computer access, lodge your complaint with us by mail.

Anonymous complaints

Where relevant, the Board may accept anonymous complaints however it will limit our ability to assess and investigate concerns if we require further information from you as your information will be recorded as anonymous. Read about our commitment to protecting your privacy [PDF 843KB].

Please note that while we will keep your information confidential if requested, your identity may become obvious to the other party when we make enquiries or investigate your complaint.

How NSSAB will manage your complaint about a non-state school

An officer from the NSSAB secretariat will handle your complaint about a non-state school using the following process:

  1. Acknowledge

    We will acknowledge that we have received your complaint within 3 business days.

  2. Assess

    We will assess your complaint to establish whether:

    • the complaint relates to matters that NSSAB can deal with
    • the school has had an opportunity to respond to the complaint
    • the allegation is supported by sufficient evidence.

    Sometimes, a secretariat officer may need more information to complete their assessment. If this happens, they will contact you and/or the governing body of the school to seek further information or evidence. They will also ask for permission to share your identity with the school (if you didn’t agree to this when you made your complaint).

    If your complaint is not something we can deal with (not related to the accreditation criteria or the Act), we will explain why we cannot investigate and, if possible, refer you to the relevant authority or agency.

  3. Investigate

    Where complaints relate to the accreditation criteria or the Act and there is sufficient evidence, NSSAB will investigate.

    The investigation will focus on whether:

    • the school’s policies and procedures comply with the accreditation criteria and Act
    • the school has followed its policy and procedure in relation to the complaint
    • the school is compliant with the accreditation criteria and the governing body is compliant with the Act
    • any non-compliance is an isolated instance or part of a systemic pattern.

    We deal with complaints as quickly as possible. The more complex or serious it is, the longer it may take to investigate. If there is a delay, we will advise you. Some complaints can take time to resolve, so we appreciate your patience.

    Where the Board investigates a complaint, it will determine what, if any regulatory action is appropriate using a risk-based approach. This means the Board will consider the risks associated with the case and respond in a way that is proportionate to the risks.

    More information about the Board’s regulatory practices can be found in its Regulatory Approach Statement which is on its website.

  4. Notify you of an outcome

    NSSAB will advise the complainant in writing of the outcome of the investigation, where appropriate. In most cases, confidentiality provisions in the Education (Accreditation of Non-State Schools) Act 2017 (the Act) limit the information that we can give you about our dealings with the school or governing body, including any compliance action that has been or may be taken.

Complaints policies and procedures

NSSAB, a NSSAB committee, a NSSAB or committee member, a person NSSAB has appointed as an authorised person

Information about how we deal with complaints about us is outlined in the:

Non-state schools, governing bodies or unaccredited places

More information about how we deal with complaints about non-state schools, governing bodies or unaccredited places is outlined in the:

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Last updated 24 September, 2026

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