Module Scope
- Does your school understand the legal and regulatory obligations it must comply with as a non-government education provider in Western Australia?
- Does your school understand the mandatory requirements imposed by the registration standards for non-government schools and the associated guidance?
- Does your school understand how to navigate and comply with the framework of legislative and compliance requirements that govern the funding, staffing, safety, facilities, and operation of non-government schools?
Module Application
The WA NON-GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS module provides information to schools in the independent and Catholic sectors of Western Australia about how to comply with legal responsibilities when dealing with the following:
- School registration and governance
- Government funding
- Working With Children checks
- Physical safety of school premises
- Child protection
- Mandatory reporting
- Discrimination prevention
- Overseas student management
- Privacy of personal information
- Interventions by State authorities
The WA NON-GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS module also comprehensively covers the requirements created by the Registration Standards for Non-Government Schools, which address:
- Staffing levels
- Enrolment processes
- Attendance requirements
- Curriculum delivery and adjustment
- Weekly hours of education
- Student assessments
- Minimum facilities and support services
The governing bodies, principals, and executive staff of non-government schools are all expected to be familiar with the broad landscape of legal and regulatory obligations to which they are subject, as well as more specific obligations relevant to the independent school sector. The WA NON-GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS module is designed for every non-government school with a campus in the state. The aim of the module is to equip the subscriber with knowledge of their requirements under the Western Australian laws and the relevant systems and processes that should be implemented to ensure an effective compliance management system within the school.
The specific questions and answers covered by the module include:
- How to obtain and maintain registration as a non-government school in Western Australia
- How to comply with governance requirements applying to governing bodies and school systems
- How to manage changes to registration and renewal of registration
- How to understand and comply with State and Commonwealth funding requirements
- How to ensure teaching staff are properly registered and other workers hold required Working With Children checks
- How to maintain appropriate staffing levels, induction processes, and performance management systems
- How to manage student enrolment, cancellations, attendance, and student records
- How to deliver curriculum and educational programs in accordance with registration requirements
- How to comply with minimum hours of instruction and requirements relating to online education
- How to implement lawful and effective assessment and reporting practices
- How to provide safe, suitable, and compliant school premises and facilities
- How to manage work health and safety duties, hazards, incidents, emergency planning, and first aid
- How to establish lawful student behaviour management, suspension, and expulsion processes
- How to implement child safety, complaint handling, and mandatory reporting systems
- How to meet obligations relating to disability, discrimination, and reasonable adjustments
- How to comply with requirements for overseas students, where applicable
- How to manage privacy and personal information in a school environment
- How to respond to inspections, information notices, directions, and quality improvement notices
The WA NON-GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS module covers a non-government school’s key legal and regulatory obligations in Western Australia and provides practical guidance to assist schools in understanding and meeting those obligations through the implementation and maintenance of appropriate governance, operational, and compliance processes.
Serious consequences can apply if a school fails to meet its legal obligations. Depending on the nature of the requirement, those consequences may include fines, loss or recovery of funding, registration conditions, quality improvement notices, directions to comply, suspension or cancellation of registration, investigation by regulators, civil liability, and, in some cases, criminal penalties. The range of consequences that may apply to schools and relevant personnel is addressed throughout this module.
The WA NON-GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS module focuses on the obligations of non-government school operators and school leadership. It does not comprehensively address parent, student, or community complaint pathways except to the extent necessary to explain the school’s own compliance obligations.
LexisNexis Regulatory Compliance is a legal obligations register and alerting solution that combines regulatory content with technology to empower you to take control of your compliance obligations.