Purpose
This grant provides state government funds to assist eligible non-state schools in meeting recurrent costs.
Expenditure guidelines
The governing body of a non-state school may use funds provided only for teaching and general staff salaries, professional development, curriculum development and implementation, maintaining the school's land and buildings and general operating expenses of the school. The state recurrent grant must not be expended, or committed to be expended, on the purchase of land or buildings.
The payment of state recurrent funding to non-state schools is issued under and is subject to the conditions of funding as outlined in the
non-state schools recurrent grant policy.
The governing body of each non-state school in receipt of the recurrent grant must submit to the Minister, by 30 June each year, allowance acquittal details for the school relating to the previous calendar year. Failure of the governing body to provide acquittal details within the legislated timeframe is grounds for future payments to the school to be withheld.
The Office of Non-State Education is responsible for the collection of
allowance acquittal details for non-state schools.
Duration of program
Ongoing
Policy reference
Eligibility
For a school to be eligible for state recurrent funding:
- the school must be accredited by the
Non-State Schools Accreditation Board (the Board)
- the Board must be satisfied that the governing body of the non-state school meets the government funding eligibility criteria.
Enrolments
Funding is provided to schools based on enrolment data collected by the Board in the annual School Survey Data for Non-State Schools (census) which occurs annually on the last Friday in February.
Form of assistance
Formula-generated cash grant
Payment details
| 1 | 9 January | 1/4 of estimated annual allocation | Payment based on student numbers for the previous year |
| 2 | 29 May | 1/2 of annual allocation less January payment | Payment based on student numbers for the current year |
| 3 | 9 July | 1/4 of annual allocation | Payment based on student numbers for the current year |
| 4 | 7 September | 1/4 of annual allocation | Payment based on student numbers for the current year |
Allocation of funds and recurrent rates
The allocation of funds is outlined in the
non-state schools recurrent grant policy.
The per student funding rates for the following calendar year are determined and advised to each school early in Term 4 each year.
Current and historical recurrent funding rates for all schools are available.
Recent recurrent rates—new schools
New opening non-state schools are funded in the first year of operation at the new schools per student rates (the common base component rates and the needs component rates determined for an 'average needs' school). The new schools per student rates are:
| Primary (includes preparatory) | $1,955 | $2,017 | $2,039 | $2,072 | $2,121 |
| Secondary | $2,933 | $3,026 | $3,059 | $3,109 | $3,182 |
Recent recurrent rates—Special Assistance Schools
Special Assistance Schools and special assistance sites of mainstream schools receive a guaranteed minimum rate of state recurrent funding per student as follows:
| Primary (includes preparatory) | $2,573 | $2,677 | $2,757 | $2,853 | $2,961 |
| Secondary | $3,860 | $4,016 | $4,136 | $4,280 | $4,442 |
Total annual recurrent payments to non-state schools are reported each year in the departmental
Annual Report.
For information concerning the Commonwealth General Recurrent Grants, schools should consult the
Commonwealth Government's Department of Education website.