Schools Registration Board

Establishment and function

The Schools Registration Board (the board) was established on 1 July 1995 under Part 5 of the Education Act 1994. The board is an independent statutory body with its composition and powers defined under the Act and its supplementary Regulations. Its primary function is to ensure that non-government schools comply with the educational standards determined by the Minister for Education. In addition, it must assess and determine applications for:

(a) the registration of new non-government schools

(b) the renewal of the registration of existing schools.

Members

Members of the board are appointed by the Minister (Education Act 1994 section 45 (1-3)) and as of 30 June 2006 included:

Standards for the registration of schools

The matters on which the Minister may determine a standard are contained at section 53(1) of the Education Act 1994 and have been revised as a result of the amendments to the Act proclaimed on 1 January 2004.

The standards for registration are:

(a) the proposed curriculum of a school

(b) the qualifications required of teachers at a school

(c) the facilities to be provided at a school

(d) the minimum number of students to attend a school

(e) the kinds of students to attend a school

(f) the enrolment and attendance procedures of a school

(fa) the financial viability of a school

(fb) the governance of a school

(fc) impact of a new school on other schools

(fd) grievance process

(g) any other prescribed matter.

Board meetings

The board met five times in 2005-06 when it considered matters relating to applications for new schools, changes to registration and reviews of existing schools, as well as other procedural and policy issues. All meetings were held in Hobart. The meeting dates in 2005-06 were:

• 25 July 2005
• 26 September 2005
• 28 November 2005
• 27 March 2006
• 22 May 2006

Registration of schools

For a current list of non-government schools in Tasmania see www.srb.tas.gov.au/materials/schoollist.htm

1. Application for new school

The board received an application to register the Australian Technical College - Northern Tasmania as a senior secondary school. The board is in the process of ensuring that the school complies with all standards and will make a registration determination at its July 2006 meeting.

2. Review of registered schools

In Tasmania, there are 68 registered schools. Seven of the schools have additional campuses in other parts of the state; of these, three have more than one additional campus.

The following schools were reviewed between July and December 2005 and January and April 2006:

• The Hutchins School, Sandy Bay
• St Virgil’s College, Austins Ferry and Hobart
• St Aloysius School, Kingston Beach
• Star of the Sea College, George Town

On consideration of reports provided by the review panels on the schools, the board approved the re-registration of these schools for periods up to six years.

The following schools were reviewed between May and June 2006:

• Geneva Christian College, Latrobe and Geilston Bay
• Holy Rosary School, Claremont
• Peregrine, Nicholls Rivulet
• St James’ College, Cygnet
• St Joseph’s School, Queenstown

The board will make determinations on the re-registration of these schools at its July 2006 meeting.

3. School closures/amalgamations

There were no closures or amalgamations in 2005-06.

4. Changes to registration

Schools are required to notify the board of any significant changes in relation to their registration details.

In November 2003 the Schools Registration Board determined that, in order to fully consider proposals to change registration, schools are to notify the board six months before the intended change is to take place.

Two registered schools requested that significant changes to their registration be considered by the board. One application was deferred. The other application, from Christian Schools Tasmania to open an additional campus for the kindergarten in Kingston, was approved in March 2006.

Policy, operational and procedural issues

1. National conference

A National Conference of Managers of Non-Government Schools Programs was hosted by the NSW Board of Studies, in Sydney, in October 2005.

The annual conference of managers provides an important forum for the discussion of developments of national interest in the registration and funding of the non-government education sector. The issues considered at the 2005 conference included:

• accountability in terms of state and commonwealth requirements
• challenges for registering authorities, including:
• • distance education across jurisdictions, along with initiatives in online schooling
  • Australian technical colleges
  • for-profit schools
  • criteria for classification as a special school
• legislative compliance, ranging from school attendance to complaints processes.

2. Expanded curriculum standard-review and development

Following a request from the Minister, to investigate ways in which schools can provide evidence of “…school based evaluation processes…”, the board expanded the curriculum standard to include a school review and development standard. The board and the Office of Educational Review have been working through an implementation process with pilot schools.

3. Code of conduct

The board has developed a code of conduct standard, as requested by the Minister, along with guidelines and explanatory notes. The standard will be distributed to schools once it receives Ministerial approval.

4. Facilities

While the standard itself has not altered, the board has changed the way in which schools will comply with the standard. The change, and accompanying explanatory notes, focuses on schools signing off on their compliance with all relevant legislative requirements.

5. Bulletin to schools

At the beginning of 2006 the chair, in a bulletin to schools, outlined:

• the need for the board to achieve a balance between ensuring schools’ compliance with new or amended standards and supporting schools in the management of the standards
• the background to amended and new standards
• clarification of the notion of ‘supervised teacher’
• the requirement of six months notification of changes to school registration.

6. SRB website

The information contained in the handbook and amendments to the Education Act are included in the board’s website (www.srb.tas.gov.au).

Statement of revenue and expenditure

1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006

Janine Romaszko
Registrar