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National Partnerships Low SES School Communities Grant (YNST)

Purpose

Funds are provided to schools participating in the Low Socio-economic Status School Communities National Partnership (Low SES NP).

Expenditure guidelines

NPS grant funding should be used to facilitate strategies identified as aligned to NP outcomes in the school's Four-Year Strategic School Plan. These outcomes include:

All children are engaged in and benefiting from schooling.
Young people are meeting basic literacy and numeracy standards, and overall levels of literacy and numeracy achievement are improving.
Schooling promotes the social inclusion and reduces the education disadvantage of children, especially Indigenous children.
Australian students excel by international standards.
Young people make a successful transition from school to work and further study.

These funds should not be used for capital expenditure, including plant and equipment, facilities development, and maintenance.

The Low Socio-economic Status Communities Final Implementation Plan includes a table of suggested strategies for possible inclusion in the Four-Year Strategic School Plan. The reform areas in the table of strategies are:

incentives to attract high performing principals and teachers
adoption of best practice performance management and staffing arrangements that articulate a clear role for principals
school operational arrangements which encourage innovation and flexibility
providing innovative and tailored learning opportunities
strengthened school accountability
external partnerships with parents, other schools, businesses and communities and the provision of access to extended services (including through brokering arrangements).

If expenditure is not directly related to a strategy in the table of suggested strategies, there must be:

a clear indication in the School Plan of how the strategy supports the achievement of NP outcomes
an evidence base for the strategy
data to illustrate the need for that strategy at the school.

With the exception of funding used for the cost of consultation, NPS grant funding should not be expended before the Executive Director (Schools) and the Parents and Citizens' Association have approved the school plan.

Grant revenue is to be recorded against cost centre YNST. To provide for future data extraction, expenditure is to be recorded against cost centre/s L99*, S99* and/or W99*, where * is a school-determined character A-Z or a number 0-9. Provisions are to be identified in cost centre/s X99*. This "99" coding logic should not be used for other school program budgets.

More information can be found at the Low Socio-economic Status School Communities National Partnership page.

Duration of program

Funding will be provided to each targeted school for four years.

Policy reference

Low Socio-economic Status School Communities National Partnership Final Implementation Plan

Trim reference: 09/174048

Eligibility

Schools participating in the Low Socio-economic Status School Communities National Partnership (Low SES NP)

Form of assistance

Cash grants direct to school

Payment details

Payment details for National Partnerships
Payment	During month of	Proportion of allocation paid
Semester 1	March	50% of annual allocation
Semester 2	September	50% of annual allocation

In addition, as schools commence involvement in the NP, they will receive a payment to carry them through to the next regular March or September payment.

Allocation of funds

Funds are allocated based on $800 per student FTE as of February 2009.

Data requirements

Data requirements for National Partnerships
Data required	Data source
Enrolments FTE, February 2009	Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW)

Contact

A/ Principal Advisor
Strategic Initiatives Branch
Telephone: (07) 3237 0908

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