This following is a list of words and phrases used when describing Australian Government school funding.
On this page:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| The legal body approved by the Commonwealth Minister for Education to administer recurrent funding for a school. The approved authority for a government school is its relevant state or territory government. The approved authority for a non-government school is the legal body approved for that school. | |
| An approved authority for more than one school that redistributes Commonwealth recurrent funding to its member schools using its own needs-based funding arrangement. All government schools belong to their state or territory approved system authority. Most Catholic and some independent schools also belong to an approved system authority. | |
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Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)
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An independent statutory authority whose work is directed by education ministers. ACARA is the authoritative source of advice on, and delivery of, national curriculum, assessment and reporting for all Australian education ministers. |
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Australian Education Act 2013
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The Australian Education Act 2013 sets out the Commonwealth’s school funding arrangements. |
| Australian Education Regulations 2023 (2023 Regulations) | The Australian Education Regulations 2023 are made under the Australian Education Act 2013 and provides additional information about school funding arrangements. The 2023 Regulations commenced as of 21 July 2023, repealing and replacing the previous regulations. |
| Australian Education Regulation 2013 (2013 Regulation) | The Australian Education Regulation 2013was made under the Australian Education Act 2013 and provided additional information about school funding arrangements. With the commencement of the Australian Education Regulations 2023 on 21 July 2023, the 2013 Regulation ceased to apply in relation to 2023 and future years, but continues to apply in relation to 2022 and earlier years. |
| Australia’s constitutional arrangements | The Australian Constitution is the set of rules about how Australia is governed. It sets out the powers the Commonwealth and state and territory governments have to do certain things. |
| Australian Government | The national government of Australia. Also known as the Commonwealth, Commonwealth Government and Federal Government. |
| Base funding | A school’s Schooling Resource Standard includes base funding and up to 6 needs-based loadings based on the characteristics of students enrolled at the school and the school itself. |
| Block Grant Authority | A legal body the Commonwealth Minister for Education has approved under the Australian Education Act 2013 to administer capital funding for non-government schools. |
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Capacity to Contribute (CTC) score
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A CTC score is an element of the Schooling Resource Standard funding arrangements. It is used when calculating Australian Government recurrent funding for most non government schools. |
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Commonwealth
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The national government of Australia. Also known as the Commonwealth Government, Australian Government and Federal Government. |
| Data capability | The ability to collect and analyse data that can be used to develop and improve policy. |
| Government school | A school owned and operated by a state or territory government. Also known as a ‘public’ or ‘state’ school. |
| Loadings | As well as base funding, a school’s Schooling Resource Standard can include loadings based on 4 categories of student need. There are also 2 further loadings for small schools and regional and remote schools. |
| Majority Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school | Is defined at section 8 of the Australian Education Act 2013. |
| Minister’s delegate | The person occupying a position to which the Commonwealth Minister for Education has delegated certain of their powers under the Australian Education Act 2013. |
| Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) | The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (also known as the NCCD) is an annual collection that counts the number of students at a school receiving an adjustment due to disability, the category of disability and the level of educational adjustment they are receiving to enable them to participate in education on the same basis as other students. For more information, refer to the NCCD Portal. |
| Needs-based funding | A way of distributing funding to ensure all students are supported to achieve at school regardless of where they live, their background, or their socio-economic status. |
| Non-Government Representative Body | A legal body the Commonwealth Minister for Education has approved under the Australian Education Act 2013 to administer certain funding for non-government schools. |
| Non-government school | A school registered to provide education in a state or territory which is not owned or operated by the state or territory government. Also known as a ‘private’ school. |
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Recurrent funding
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Annual funding to support the day-to-day operation of a school, including teaching and non-teaching staff salaries, and school operating costs. |
| Reforms | Changes and improvements to school education which aim to improve educational outcomes. |
| School sectors | The term ‘sector’ is used to differentiate between the main types of schools in Australia: government and non-government. The non-government sector includes Catholic schools (that belong to an approved system authority in each state and territory) and independent schools. |
| School system | See approved system authority |
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Schooling Resource Standard (SRS)
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An estimate of how much public funding a school needs to meet the educational needs of its students. The Commonwealth uses the SRS to calculate a school’s recurrent funding entitlement. State and territory funding for schools is also linked to the SRS. |
| Small school | Is defined at subsection 43(1) of the Australian Education Act 2013 |
| Sole provider school | Is defined at section 6 of the Australian Education Act 2013 |
| Special assistance school | Is defined at section 6 of the Australian Education Act 2013 |
| Special school | Is defined at section 6 of the Australian Education Act 2013 |
| Student Residential Address and Other Collection | The Student Residential Address and Other Information Collection (Address Collection) is undertaken each year by non-government Approved Authorities and their schools. The data is combined with other data to calculate a non-government school’s Capacity to Contribute score and to inform Australian Government school funding policy. |
| Very small school | Is defined at subsection 43(1) of the Australian Education Act 2013 |