SPECIAL ASSISTANCE SCHOOLS

Special Assistance Schools provide alternative educational settings for students with high-level social and emotional needs and cater for students who are at risk, have behavioural difficulties, or whose needs are better met by flexible learning structures that may not be available in all mainstream schools.

Special Assistance Schools make an important contribution to addressing educational disadvantage by generally serving young people who are disengaged from mainstream education. Students are often referred from community services, juvenile justice and other schools – both government and non-government. Special Assistance Schools have developed programs and structures designed to re-engage students in education and prepare them for further training and employment.

Since 2016, the number of Special Assistance Schools has more than doubled and enrolments in Special Assistance Schools have increased fivefold. There were 57 schools in 2016 and 109 schools in 2025.

The growth is particularly notable since 2014, the year the reforms to school funding were introduced following the Review of Funding for Schooling, led by David Gonski. Under these reforms increased needs-based funding was made available to support this vulnerable group of students.