Victorian schools should be aware that they must comply with the VRQA’s updated Guidelines to the Minimum Standards and Requirements for School Registration (Guidelines) by 1 July 2019.
The changes to the Guidelines call on schools to provide evidence of how they comply with the Guidelines.
While the Guidelines touch on many areas of school operations, we encourage schools to focus on the following key areas ahead of Monday’s deadline:
Enrolment Policy
Does it make clear who is eligible for enrolment?
Enrolment Agreement
- Is it ready to be made publically available?
- Does it cover your Parent Code of Conduct and Student Code of Conduct?
- Does it set out the school’s fees, the services it provides and grounds on which enrolment may be terminated?
- Have you checked it’s not discriminatory, noting that all schools must make reasonable adjustments for students with disability.
Behaviour Management Policy
Does it set out the school’s policy and procedures for managing suspension and expulsions, while affording procedural fairness?
Conflict of Interest
Does your school have a conflict of interest register for all responsible persons (usually, but not always, the school’s board members), including how these conflicts will be managed?
Third party arrangements
Does your school have written agreements in place with all third parties that work with the school? This is very broad, including any governing body you work with and all the way to the cleaning company you engage to clean the school.
How we can help?
Moores can assist your school in reviewing and updating your documents to meet the requirements of the new Guidelines. For more information, please do not hesitate to contact us.