Grants and allowances > Non-State Schools > Grants and Allowances > State recurrent grant >

Preparatory Year funding

Introduction of the Preparatory Year

From 2007, a full-time, non-compulsory Preparatory Year will replace the Preschool Year in Queensland schools. Preschool will cease to be an official year of schooling. Pre-Prep educational programmes may be offered in association with childcare services affiliated with schools but do not attract school funding.

Level of State Government Recurrent Grant Funding

As the Preparatory Year will be included within the primary years of schooling, eligible enrolments in the Preparatory Year will attract the full primary school funding rate.

Prior to this change, enrolments in the Preschool Year that were eligible for funding attracted recurrent funding at half the per capita rate for primary school enrolments. To have been eligible for funding, the students must have been four years of age or older on the day of the State Data Survey Collection undertaken in February each year by the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board.

Eligibility for funding in 2007

To be eligible for funding in 2007, a Preparatory Year student must:

have been born between 1 January 2002 and 30 June 2002;
or
have been born in 2001 and been granted special consideration for enrolment under the 'exceptional educational need' category. The assessment of need must be based on a developmental summary of the child addressing learning readiness, and physical and social development criteria leading to a realistic view that the student will be materially, educationally disadvantaged by starting Year 1;
or
be transferring from an equivalent formal educational program in another State, Territory or country.

Students not born between 1 January and 30 June, 2002, but who have been enrolled on the basis of a formal contract between the school and parents, in place on 1 July 2005, will not be eligible for funding.

The Non-State Schools Accreditation Board's audit program for 2007 will include a check on Preparatory Year enrolments. Schools must hold all relevant documentation relating to their Preparatory Year enrolments.

Eligibility from 2008

In 2008, Preparatory Year enrolments eligible for funding will be those students who are born during the twelve month period from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003, or, if born earlier, have been assessed as having 'exceptional education need'.

This funding eligibility policy will apply from 2008.

^ Top of page