Purpose
To assist schools with the costs of wages for departmental personnel undertaking individual travel support for students with disability. This support is provided to eligible students through the School Transport Assistance Program for Students with Disability, as outlined in the
school transport assistance program for students with disability procedure (PDF, 4398KB).
Travel is between the approved transport location and school at the start and end of their school day.
Duration of program
Ongoing
Eligibility
A school arranged travel escort may be considered when all other stakeholder sources to provide individual travel support due to a student's medical or safety requirements have been exhausted. The need for a school arranged escort must be outlined in the student’s approved school transport application, which authorises the school to arrange for one or more suitable persons to undertake this duty as defined in the
procedure (PDF, 398KB).
All Queensland state schools with eligible students approved for a school arranged escort may receive funding.
Where a school arranged travel escort is required and the school does not have an existing staff member available to undertake the escort duty, a suitable person may be employed by the school to cover the hours required. Employment on a casual or fixed term temporary basis may be appropriate in these circumstances, given travel escort hours are subject to student need (i.e. not permanent/ongoing).
Allocation of funds
School arranged travel escort duties are usually undertaken by teacher aides.
Schools should first seek to cover travel escort duties using existing teacher aides before employing new teacher aides (on a casual or fixed term temporary basis).
For existing permanent or fixed term temporary teacher aides, the time required for travel escort duties can be covered via a temporary roster variation to increase the teacher aide’s rostered hours to cover the travel escort time. If the teacher aide does not agree to a temporary roster variation, they are entitled to payment for additional hours for any time worked in excess of their rostered hours in accordance with clause 8.6(b) of the
Department of Education Teacher Aides' Certified Agreement 2022 (note: permanent or fixed term temporary teacher aides are not entitled to casual rates for additional hours worked).
If there is no existing teacher aide available to undertake travel escort duties, the school may employ a new teacher aide on a fixed term temporary or casual basis. Selecting the appropriate basis of employment must be determined in accordance with the industrial instruments—Department of Education Teacher Aides' Certified Agreement 2022 (PDF, 845KB) and the
General Employees (Queensland Government Departments) and Other Employees Award—State 2015 (PDF, 805KB).
Teacher aide hours worked are charged to the available school-purchased funds fortnightly through the same payroll system as all centrally funded staff. Morning and afternoon travel are treated as separate engagements for the purposes of funding (note: employment conditions and entitlements (e.g. minimum hours payable; minimum hours of engagement) are paid in accordance with the relevant industrial instruments).
Funding is based on actual wages incurred, including travel undertaken prior to being informed of the student absence.
School claims are submitted to school transport (central office) for each month in the school year the wages are incurred, after the salary recoveries process is completed.
Payment details
Following the review and approval of submitted claims, payments to schools are made in the next available monthly School Appropriation Payments Application (SAPA) run.
Data requirements
| Claim for teacher aide wages for individual travel support for students with disability | School | Monthly |
| Salary/wage recovery debit note | School | Monthly |
How to apply
Schools are to submit the following information on a monthly basis by email to
schooltransport.facilities@qed.qld.gov.au for review and processing.
Further information
Contact
School Transport
Strategic Engagement
Early Childhood and State Schools
Phone: (07) 3034 4579
Email:
schooltransport.facilities@qed.qld.gov.au