The Non-State Schools Accreditation Board (NSSAB) assesses new school applications under sections 21 and 80 of the
Education (Accreditation of Non-State Schools) Act 2017 (the Act) to determine whether:
- the applicant is suitable to be the school’s governing body (section 26 of the Act)
- the school will meet accreditation criteria from the first day students start attending for each type of education offered—known as student intake day (section 11 of the Act and Part 2 of the Regulation)
- the applicant meets the criteria for Queensland Government funding eligibility (section 10 of the Act)—if the governing body has applied for financial support.
Suitability of the governing body
During the application process, NSSAB will determine whether a governing body is suitable to operate a non-state school.
Read more about
governing bodies and directors and
suitability of the governing body.
Meeting accreditation criteria
NSSAB assesses the school's ability to meet and maintain the accreditation criteria from
student intake day. Read more about
accreditation criteria requirements.
The application form outlines the information and documents governing bodies must provide to us to demonstrate compliance with accreditation criteria.
Funding eligibility
Before a governing body can receive Queensland or Australian Government funding for a school, we must approve its eligibility. You can apply for funding eligibility either:
- as part of an application for accreditation
or
- after the school has been accredited.
Eligibility is assessed based on the following criteria (section 10 of the Act):
- if the governing body operates as a company under the
Corporations Act 2001, it must be a company limited by guarantee
- the school must run as not-for-profit
- the governing body must have no prohibited arrangements related to school operations
- the governing body must be able to make independent financial decisions.
Note: Governing bodies that are not companies under the Corporations Act can still qualify for government funding if they are incorporated under a different law such as the
Associations Incorporation Act 1981.
If eligibility is approved, we will notify the Queensland Department of Education's Office of Non-State Education which administers the funding. Read more about
government funding eligibility.
Student-intake day
A student-intake day is the date or dates a school officially begins offering a specific type of education (primary, secondary or special) or a particular year level. When applying for a school's accreditation, governing bodies must propose a student intake day for each proposed type of education and year level. NSSAB reviews and approves these dates during the accreditation process, and the Act prohibits schools to start operating before the approved intake day.
The initial student intake day for a type of education must be within 4 years of submitting the accreditation application. Governing bodies can choose to start certain year levels after the initial student intake day.
We encourage governing bodies to carefully plan student intake days to allow enough time to meet accreditation requirements. Once an application is approved, governing bodies should actively monitor the school's progress in preparation for opening and address any delays that might affect their ability to start operating on the approved date. We will contact you to confirm commencement for the planned student intake day.
Read more about
commencement confirmation.
Learn how to
change a student intake day.
Land and buildings
Governing bodies must follow all laws related to land use, building standards and workplace health and safety. Schools with boarding facilities also need to ensure that accommodation and facilities meet the necessary standards to protect the health, safety and welfare of boarders.
Non-state schools can use one of three legislative approval pathways to develop an educational establishment:
- council development approval process under the
Planning Act 2016
- Economic Development Queensland priority development areas approval process under the
Economic Development Act 2012
- infrastructure designated approval process under the
Planning Act 2016.
We encourage governing bodies to get planning approval before applying for accreditation.
Include your planning and building approval documents and/or a timeline for approval with your application.
Find out more about the
approval documents required for each pathway. You must submit these to us before commencement. Read more about
commencement confirmation.
For specific approval processes, check with your
local government or council.
For information on requirements and responsibilities under the Building Code of Australia, contact the
Australian Building Codes Board.
The Queensland Government assists eligible non-state schools with the cost of capital projects required to facilitate and deliver a quality learning program. Read more about
funding and financial support.