ISA urges that the continuation of the current Non Government Reform Support Fund is critical for providing on-going support to Independent schools if the sector is to continue to deliver on existing and new national priorities.
For many decades, the non-government sector has been funded to assist in implementing national programs and priorities that strengthen Australia’s system of education. This support is particularly important given Independent schools do not have access to the centralised support mechanisms that are available to government and Catholic systemic schools. This means that the administrative and resourcing impacts of implementing national reforms and any subsequent reporting and accountability requirements fall directly on individual schools.
Given these constraints, significant levels of support are required for the Independent sector to fully participate in the adoption of any current and new initiatives.
The Associations of Independent Schools (AISs) in each state and territory have a long history of successfully supporting schools to implement Commonwealth priorities, initially through the National Equity Program for Schools (NEPS), through a range of Commonwealth Targeted Programs (CTPs), the Student First Support Fund and now through the Non-Government Reform Support Fund (NGRSF).