About Independent Schools

1.      What are independent schools?

Independent schools are non-government schools. They are a diverse group of schools serving a range of different communities. Many independent schools provide a religious or values based education. Others promote a particular education philosophy or interpretation of mainstream education. Independent schools include small and large day schools, boarding schools, co-educational, and single-sex schools. Independent schools include:

• Schools affiliated with larger and smaller Christian denominations;

• Non denominational Christian schools;

• Islamic schools;

• Jewish schools;

• Montessori schools;

• Rudolf Steiner schools;

• Aboriginal community schools;

• Schools that specialise in meeting the needs of students with disabilities.

Most independent schools are set up and governed independently on an individual-school basis – hence the name independent schools. However some independent schools with common aims and educational philosophies are governed and administered as small systems, for example the Lutheran system.

The independent school sector makes up just over a third of the overall non-government school sector. The Catholic sector makes up the remaining two thirds. The two groups are not mutually exclusive as there are some Catholic schools with an independent tradition that maintain affiliations across both sectors.

2.      How many independent schools are there in Australia?

In 2009, there were 1,022 independent schools in Australia which enrolled some 484,493 full-time equivalent (FTE) students. This represented 14 percent of all Australian school enrolments. More information is available in School Statistics.

3.      Can anyone enrol in an independent school?

Each school has its own enrolment policy reflecting the characteristics of the school, for example single sex, religious denomination or educational philosophy. Some schools may have academic merit entry requirements, but many do not. Parents choose a particular school because they believe in the school’s ethos and educational philosophy and they believe it is best for their child. In addition parents agree to pay the fees required for their child to attend that school. Most schools offer a range of scholarships and bursaries to students to assist with the payment of fees.

4.      Are all independent schools religious schools?

No. The independent schools sector comprises a diverse range of schools. While many schools offer a religious based education, others promote a particular philosophy of education, such as Montessori or Rudolf Steiner, or interpretation of mainstream education. Some independent schools are Aboriginal community schools while others are special schools designed to meet the needs of students with disabilities.

5.      Who owns the schools?

In most instances, the school, as an independent entity, owns the school. Some schools are owned by the church to which they are affiliated or a local community organisation. Independent schools are not-for-profit organisations and are governed by their own Boards of Management.

6.      Are teachers paid more in independent schools?

Teachers’ salaries and conditions of employment vary from school to school. All States and Territories have awards, some independent schools have certified agreements and some schools negotiate pay and conditions for teachers on an individual basis. Some independent school teachers may receive higher salaries than their government school colleagues but this may reflect more out of school hour activities or supervision that teachers may be required to undertake.

back to top

7.      Are there any independent schools in rural and remote areas?

There are a number of independent schools in rural and remote areas of Australia, some of which are Aboriginal community schools. In addition, schools in metropolitan locations cater for students from rural and remote areas by operating boarding facilities.

8.      Do any of these schools cater for indigenous students?

There are fifteen Aboriginal Independent Community Schools in Western Australia and other non-government Indigenous governed schools in Queensland, the Northern Territory, New South Wales and Victoria. Indigenous students also attend other independent schools throughout Australia.

9.      Why do parents send their children to independent schools?

Parents choose to send their children to independent schools for many different reasons, but common considerations include:

• provision of an education that would prepare the child to fulfil their maximum potential;

• good discipline;

• the school encourages a responsible attitude to school work;

• they want their child to have a values-based or religious education;

• they value the different teaching and educational philosophies available at independent schools and

• the availability of boarding facilities.

But above all, they choose independent schools because they feel a particular independent school will best serve their child and their child’s education.

10.  Do independent schools have better facilities than government schools?

As with the government school sector, the quality of facilities varies widely between independent schools. This often reflects the age of the school and the circumstances of the communities that the school serves. Independent schools primarily rely on school fees and fund raising to finance the development of their facilities.

11.  Do independent schools set their own curriculum?

Independent schools are required to be registered to operate in their State and Territory. Part of that ongoing registration process ensures that schools are implementing a suitable curriculum. All schools have some flexibility in terms of how the curriculum is delivered and additional learning areas which are covered.

Funding for independent schools

12.  How much funding do governments give to independent schools?

Total expenditure by governments on school education was $36.4 billion in 2007-08 (the most recently available figures), with $28.8 billion going to government schools and $7.7 billion to non-government schools, including independent schools.

In this period, government schools accounted for 79 percent of this expenditure compared to 66 percent of full time equivalent (FTE) student enrolments. In comparison, non-government schools accounted for 21 percent of total government expenditure compared to 34 percent of FTE student enrolments.

While government expenditure per student varies between schools, on average, students attending independent schools receive considerably less government funding than their counterparts at government schools. In 2007-08 government expenditure per student in independent schools was in the order of $6,067, some 48 percent of that spent on students in government schools.

More information is available in Funding of Independent Schools.

13.  Does the government give more to independent schools than to government schools?

On average, total government spending per student in independent schools is some 48 percent of that for government schools. Independent school funding varies considerably with schools serving communities with a higher level of need receiving more funding.

Having independent schools saves Commonwealth and State governments in order of $3.1 billion a year. That is, for the governments of Australia to educate in government schools those students currently attending non-government schools would cost an additional $7 billion per annum of which approximately $3.1 billion is attributed to students attending independent schools. In the absence of the non-government school sector, either total government spending on education (and most likely taxation) would have to increase or average government funding per student in government schools would need to be reduced.

The difference between government funding received and the cost of educating a child at an independent school is met by parents from their after tax income.

back to top

14.  Why do ‘wealthy’ schools receive government funding?

All Australian children are entitled to the best possible education and should be entitled to at least a basic grant from governments to meet the cost of their school education. It is reasonable that as taxpayers, parents of students attending independent schools should receive some government assistance in meeting the cost of their child’s school education. Further savings to governments from children attending independent schools are in the order of $3.1 billion per annum.

Schools serving well off communities receive substantially less government funding than those serving less well off communities. Under the new Commonwealth funding scheme, schools serving the most well off communities receive an amount per student equivalent to 13.7 percent of the average recurrent cost of educating a child in a government school. Once State or Territory funding is taken into account this increases to between 20 and 25 percent of the average cost of educating a child in a government school in the relevant State.

More information is available in Funding of Independent Schools.

15.  Why did the government change the funding arrangements from 2001?

The Commonwealth government changed the funding arrangements for non-government schools in 2001 because of longstanding dissatisfaction with the mechanism used to determine the relative need of individual independent schools. Prior to 2001 “relative need” was determined by reference to a measure of the schools’ accumulated resources – the Education Resource Index or ERI. For more information about the ERI see question 16 below.

16.  What was the ERI funding model?

The Education Resources Index (ERI) was primarily an indicator of the capacity of non-government schools and systems to generate funds on their own behalf. It measured the need for government assistance on the basis of the shortfall between a school’s private income and a standard level of resources based on government school per student costs. However, over time the formula had been amended a number of times.

The ERI was seen as:

• inequitable - schools serving the same community were funded at different levels

• inflexible - some schools had been locked into a particular funding level when the nature of the communities they served had changed

• lacking transparency - the ERI was calculated on the basis of information generated within schools. Individual schools could be relatively advantaged or disadvantaged depending on their knowledge of the detail of the ERI mechanism

• a disincentive to private effort. Income from fund raising activities (such as fetes) could raise a school’s ERI score and result in reduced government funding

• complex - the ERI was administratively burdensome for schools and changes to the ERI formula over time had distorted the ERI and made it unworkable.

 back to top

17.  What is the SES funding model?

The SES model is the basis on which Commonwealth general recurrent funding for independent schools is allocated. It assesses relative need of individual independent schools by reference to the Socio Economic Status (SES) of the communities from which the school draws its students. The SES index takes into account income levels, occupations and educational attainment within these communities. It provides a proxy measure of the circumstances of the families of students attending the school and therefore of the relative capacity of a given school community to support its schools as well as the relative barriers to education faced by students.

The SES model uses Census Collection District data. This avoids the need to ask individual parents intrusive questions about their income and other personal information and the associated administrative complexity. Census Collector Districts contain approximately 250 homes and as far as possible are defined so that the characteristics of the community within each district are relatively homogeneous.

Using residential addresses, each student at an independent school is assigned to a Census Collection District and in turn assigned the SES score of that district. The SES scores of all the students in a school are averaged to determine the score for the school.

Schools that predominantly draw their students from high SES Census Collection Districts receive less Commonwealth recurrent funding than those that predominantly draw their students from low SES Census Collection Districts.

More information is available in Funding of Independent Schools.

18.  Do schools have to account for government funding?

Yes. Non-government schools have contractual obligations to report to the Commonwealth and their State or Territory governments for the use of public funds. As many independent schools are registered companies, they are also required to report to the Australian Securities and Investment Commission.

Independent school finances

19.  How expensive are fees?

Fees vary widely between independent schools, with this being related to the level of government funding they receive. Some schools receive only a small amount of government funding and consequently have to charge quite high fees. Other independent schools, serving more needy communities and receiving significantly higher levels of government funding, are able to charge modest fees.

20.  Are fees paid by parents tax deductible?

No. Parents are required to pay school fees from their after tax income.

back to top

21.  Are bursaries and scholarships available in independent schools? 

Some independent schools are able to offer bursaries and scholarships.  Schools often join together to operate a single test for students who are seeking scholarships to their schools. This is advertised widely in the press each year. Parents are encouraged to contact the particular independent school directly to obtain details about any scholarships or bursaries that are available at that school.

22.  Are independent schools profit making organisations?

No. All independent schools which receive government funding are not for profit organisations. Any income they receive is directed to meeting the operating costs of the school or invested in providing resources or improving the school’s facilities.

Other questions

23.  Can the public use facilities of independent schools?

Independent schools see themselves as being part of their community. Depending on the facilities available these may be used by the public.

24.  Are uniforms or participation in sport compulsory?

These depend on the policy of the particular independent school.

25.  Where can I get a list of independent schools in Australia?

Some State and Territory Associations of Independent Schools provide a copy of the names and contact details of schools through their websites.

A National Register of Independent Schools of Australia is published by ACER Press and is available for purchase on the ACER Shop website.

back to top