Suitability of the governing body refers to its ability to demonstrate strong governance, integrity and accountability in operating a school.
Suitability requirements
When reviewing applications for new schools and monitoring existing ones, the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board (NSSAB) assesses governing bodies to ensure they can effectively manage the school.
When deciding if a governing body is suitable we may consider:
- how the governing body interacts with other organisations
- whether it has clear principles and procedures to identify, declare and manage potential conflicts of interest
- the behaviour and conduct of the governing body and its directors
- whether the governing body or any director has been convicted of an offence
- any criminal history reports about the governing body or its directors
- reports from authorised persons
- any other relevant matters.
We also take into account whether each director holds a current blue card or exemption card, and whether the governing body is a corporation (sections 17 and 26 of the Act). Read more about
accreditation requirements.
NSSAB has broad discretion in the matters it can consider when determining the suitability of a governing body and we may undertake assessments or take enforcement action as required.
Learn about
assessments and
enforcement action.
Ensuring the governing body's suitability
To maintain suitability and uphold accountability, transparency and effective management, governing bodies should focus on the following key areas:
- monitoring the blue cards of directors, staff and relevant members of the school community (for example, parents, volunteers, business operators on school grounds)
- understanding roles, responsibilities and relationships within the organisation and with other entities
- establishing clear conduct requirements for the governing body and its directors
- effectively managing conflicts of interest
- implementing appropriate systems and processes to ensure compliance, including knowing when to apply to or notify NSSAB.
Read more about
blue cards and
required notifications.
Supporting eligibility for government funding
Governing bodies that receive government funding must demonstrate strong leadership and effective governance by complying with funding criteria. Failure to meet these standards may result in losing funding eligibility.
Key areas to support compliance include:
- maintaining company eligibility
- ensuring school is not operating for profit
- understanding and avoiding prohibited arrangements at the school
- ensuring the governing body makes independent financial decisions.
Read more about
eligibility for government funding.
Demonstrating good governance
The Regulation outlines specific administration and governance requirements for schools under the accreditation criteria (Part 2, Division 2), including that governing bodies must:
- securely store school survey data (section 5 of the Regulation)
- have a clear and documented structure that outlines roles, responsibilities and reporting processes to ensure governance is effective, transparent and accountable (section 6 of the Regulation)
- have written processes for managing complaints (section 7 of the Regulation).
The Act also requires governing bodies to remain suitable to operate a non-state school (section 26).
Together, the Act and Regulation provide a framework to help governing bodies establish and maintain good governance. We closely monitor compliance to ensure governing bodies remain suitable.
Beyond these legislative requirements, governing bodies can strengthen governance practices by:
- providing staff with annual training on policies and procedures to support students’ health, safety and wellbeing
- keeping policies up to date with proper version control, accurate legislative references, and ensuring they are easily accessible to the school community
- reviewing and approving school responses before submitting them to us
- regularly reviewing relevant laws to ensure ongoing compliance.
Read more about
accreditation requirements and
monitoring and reporting processes.