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Finance and Compliance

Funding distribution

The Queensland Catholic Education Commission has responsibility for state-wide policy making and for action in the areas of:

  • funding (distribution of, negotiations concerning and accountability for the funding of Catholic schools by the Commonwealth Government and the State Government)
  • research and collection of statistical, financial and educational data relevant to the Commission’s prime functions.

The Commission’s Finance Committee reviews funding distribution arrangements for all programs and recommends to the Commission arrangements for each program for formal endorsement.

These arrangements take into account:

  • the need for transparency in the Commission’s financial operations
  • the need for good administrative practice, i.e. appropriate authority and adequate documentation to facilitate the making of payments
  • the need for a fair and equitable outcome in terms of student, school and community needs.

Full details are available in the Group Funding Guidelines 2020-2029.

Government programs available to Catholic schools that are being administered by the Commission are listed in the Government Programs section of this website.

The Queensland Catholic Education Commission has an appeals process that applies to all government funding programs where the Commission is responsible for and has endorsed arrangements for the distribution of funds. The endorsed arrangements refer to the Program Funding Arrangements approved by the Commission on an annual basis.

Government Programs

Australian Government Programs

Further information on the programs below is available on the Australian Government Department of Education and Training website, on the Schooling page.

ProgramPurpose
General Recurrent GrantTo assist schools with recurrent costs of school education
Students in Community Detention CentresTo support the education of students living in the community-based detention program in Queensland Catholic schools
Non-Government Reform Support FundFunding non-government representative bodies to support implementation of its school education reform priorities:

  • Quality assurance, moderation and support for the continued improvement of the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)

  • Implementation of online delivery of the National Assessment Program

  • Improving governance and financial management practices in non-government schools


QCEC NGRSF 2020 Work Plan

QCEC NGRSF Strategic Plan 2019-2022
QCEC NGRSF Annual Report 2019
QCEC NGRSF Annual Report 2018
Choice and Affordability Fund

The Government describes the purpose of the Fund as driving government priorities, including:


  • Supporting parental choice and affordability

  • Supporting schools during the transition

  • Strengthening educational outcomes in schools

  • Assisting schools in regional remote areas and in drought-affected areas

  • Enhancing student wellbeing and support initiatives
Local School Community Fund Schools could apply for funding for one project between $1,000 and $20,000. Funding could be for the total cost of the project or part of the cost where the school contributes an amount. Schools need to provide assurance that the project will be completed by 31 December 2020
Capital Programs
Capital Grants Program General ElementTo provide and improve school capital infrastructure
National School Chaplaincy ProgramTo assist schools to engage the services of a chaplain to provide additional social, emotional and spiritual support to students.

For more information about the National School Chaplaincy Program visit our Student Safety and Wellbeing page.
Queensland Government Programs

Further information on Grants and Appropriations is available at the Queensland Government, Department of Education website.

ProgramPurpose
Capital Assistance SchemeTo provide funding assistance to non-government schools for the provision, conversion, refurbishment and upgrade of educational facilities and boarding accommodation.
Education Support Funding To contribute to positive education experiences for Children and Young People in Care of the State.
External Infrastructure Subsidy SchemeTo provide funding assistance (up to 50% of the eligible cost) to non-government schools for infrastructure costs external to the site imposed by local authorities as a condition of a building approval.
Queensland Kindergarten Funding SchemeTo provide funding for kindergarten service providers for students who are at least 4 years old by 30 June.
Living Away from Home AllowanceTo assist families to offset schools’ tuition fees for boarders.
Non State Schools Transport Assistance SchemeTo provide travel assistance to eligible applicants to subsidise the cost of transporting their children to non-state schools.
Special Needs Organisation To assist schools with recurrent operating costs associated with the programs/activities developed to meet the needs of identified special needs students.
Students with DisabilitiesTo assist schools with recurrent operating costs associated with the programs/activities developed to meet the needs of identified special needs students.
State Recurrent Per Capita GrantTo assist schools with recurrent operating costs.
Youth Support Coordinators InitiativeTo support retention and attainment of students in years 10-12. The target group will be students at risk and disengaging from school.
Alcohol Education ProgramTo promote responsible alcohol use.
Vocational Education & Training (VET) in SchoolsTo set out operational targets and activities in addressing industry needs, skill shortages and managing the implementation of the new VETiS Funding framework.
Advancing Teaching and Learning ProgramAims to develop professional teacher capability and school leadership
ETRF – VET Coordination and Career EnhancementProvision of additional support services for young people in the Senior Phase of Learning, with an emphasis on the coordination of VET programs and enhancement of career guidance and counselling.
Special Assistance Schools Program – Capital AssistanceTo provide funding assistance to Special Assistance Schools for the provision, conversion, refurbishment and upgrade of educational facilities.
Student Welfare Worker ProgramTo engage the services of a student welfare worker to provide additional social, emotional and spiritual support to students. For more information visit our Student Safety and Wellbeing page >/a>
eSmartTo promote cybersafety by teaching smart, safe and responsible use of online technology and represent a combined value of up to $6,000 per school.
Refugee and Asylum Seeker Early Childhood Pilot A pilot to provide financial support to families from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds who are experiencing financial vulnerability to participate in kindergarten.
Sector Support for Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme To provide funding relief from the Queensland Government for the provision of free kindergarten to children in the year before Prep by community kindergartens for the 10 week period of Term 2, 2020.
Spotlight Schools The Spotlight Schools initiative provides an opportunity for high performing alternative education settings (i.e. non-state special assistance schools) to further develop their high quality practices and service as exemplars for other schools delivering alternative education

Capital Programs

For information about Capital programs for Queensland Catholic schools click here.

Reporting Timetable

2021 Reporting Timetable

There are a number of data collections that occur each year, some of them are government collections, others are to fulfil requirements that meet funding accountabilities or to provide statistical data for annual reporting on Catholic schools. This facility is intended to help authorities with their planning.

 

January - March

January


Kindergarten Inclusion Support Scheme (KISS) Funding – Statement of Unspent Funds

The purpose of the Kindergarten Inclusion Support Scheme (KISS) is to further build the capability of community-based kindergarten program providers to meet requirements to support the inclusion of children with additional needs, in particular, children with diagnosed or suspected disability, to fully participate in a kindergarten program and transition to school. 

Delegated Catholic Agencies are required to complete this annual exercise to confirm the receipt and expenditure of KISS funding. 

The template was sent to the relevant contacts via email on 8 January 2021. 

Due Date: Friday, 15 January 2021

 

2020 Advancing Teaching and Learning Financial Accountability

Final payment for Advancing Teaching and Learning (ATL) program was made in December 2020. All program funds must be fully expended by the end of 2021. School Authorities are required to provide the amount of ATL funding expended and declare that the fund has been spent or committed to spent for the purpose stated in the program. 

The template was sent to the relevant contacts via email on 19 January 2021. 

Due Date: Monday, 25 January 2021

 

2021 School Directory

For School Authorities who missed out on the first round of this collection in December 2020, this collection allows School Authorities to review and update the existing and add new school details for any last-minute changes for this school year.  

School Details 2021 

Add / Update School Details

Due Date: Friday, 29 January 2021

February


2021 Initial Enrolments

2021 QCEC Online Data Collection 

Report from each Catholic School Authority on enrolments for each year level on Friday, 5 February 2021. This is to allow QCEC to respond to the National Catholic Education Commission and the media on preliminary enrolments for 2021. 

Due Date: Friday, 5 February 2021

 

NAPLAN Student Background Data

Data collection process for the National Assessment Program – Literacy & Numeracy (NAPLAN) testing of students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. 

The estimated key dates for collection of the data (subject to verification from Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority) are: 

Tuesday, 9 Feb 2021 – NAPLAN portal will open for receipt of data 
Monday, 15 Feb 2021 – Catholic Diocesan will finalize data upload for all member schools 
Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 – Catholic Diocesan schools will be able to access the NAPLAN portal to edit their data 
Thursday, 4 Mar 2021 – NAPLAN portal will close for the provision of all data

Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) NAPLAN Portal 

QCAA NAPLAN Portal – User Manual 

 

Drought Relief Special Circumstances Funding – Financial Accountability

In 2020, the Australian Government provided special circumstance funding to schools with students from drought affected areas. The funds must be used to provide direct benefits to students who reside in the drought-affected areas identified under the program. School Authorities are required to provide an acquittal certificate signed off by an independent accountant with evidence showing that the funds have been used for the permitted purposes. 

Template was sent to the relevant contacts via email on 7 December 2020. 

Due Date: Friday, 12 February 2021

 

Student Residential Address and Other Information Collection

Student Residential Address and Other Information Collection is a Commonwealth Government data collection which has started as an annual practice since 2018. The collection window for 2021 is opened between Monday, 15 February 2021 and Friday, 12 March 2021. The data collected will be used to refine the calculation methodology of each school’s Direct Measure of Income (DMI) score. Approved authorities are legally required to complete this collection in accordance with the Australian Education Regulation. 

Collection Starts: Monday, 15 February 2021

Due Date: Friday, 12 March 2021

Application for new schools/ schools undertaking changes to operation

Catholic School Authorities must complete an application for new schools or schools undertaking changes to their operation (e.g. a new level of schooling where a primary school adds secondary year levels). Details are available on the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board (NASSAB) and Department of Education and Training website. 

All applications must be accompanied by the NSSAB accreditation documentation and are to be sent to QCEC Data Collections email (datacollections@qcec.catholic.edu.au) for submission. Separations and amalgamations can only be approved for Australian Government funding from the commencement of the following year.  

Please note: the cut-off date to submit the DET forms for separations or amalgamations is 1 July 2021. 

Application for New School and Change of School Attributes 

Due Date: Friday, 19 February 2021

 

Onshore Education Program Student Claims Process Term 1 2021

School authorities are required to provide a list of students in the categories of Illegal Maritime Arrivals (IMAs):  

  • Living in the community under Community Detention (CD) arrangements   
  • Being accommodated in alternative places of detention (APOD) such as Immigration Transit Accommodation (ITA) in Brisbane   

The list is then collated by the Secretariat and forward to the Department of Home Affairs for invoicing of associated funding.  Please refer to the Onshore Education Program – Student Claims Process for non-government for more information.  

Data collection tool: Onshore Education Program Student List 2021 Term 1 

Students who have special needs requiring additional support can also apply for special need loading by completing a Special Needs Business Case form. 

Due Date: Friday, 26 February 2021

 

Queensland Government Census on Students

Queensland Government data collection: The Queensland Government census day is Friday, 26 February 2021 and is conducted by the Office of the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board. 

Census Date: Friday, 26 February 2021

Due Date: Friday, 5 March 2021

 

March


Queensland Government Census on Students

Queensland Government data collection: The Queensland Government census day is Friday, 26 February 2021 and is conducted by the Office of the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board. 

Census Date: Friday, 26 February 2021

Due Date: Friday, 5 March 2021

 

Student residential address and other information collection

Student Residential Address and Other Information Collection is a Commonwealth Government data collection which has started as an annual practice since 2018. The collection window for 2021 is opened between Monday, 15 February 2021 and Friday, 12 March 2021. The data collected will be used to refine the calculation methodology of each school’s Capacity to Contribute (SES) score. Approved authorities are legally required to complete this collection in accordance with the Australian Education Regulation. 

Collection starts: Monday, 15 February 2021

Due Date: Friday, 12 March 2021

 

Youth Support Initiative (YSI) Financial Report

Under the funding agreement, Catholic School Authorities are required to provide details of how the allocated funds were used for the reporting period 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020. This information will be included in the financial report to be submitted to the Queensland Department of Education and Training. 

Note: Only Diocesan offices and Edmund Rice Education Australia are required to complete this exercise.

The template was sent to the relevant contacts via email on 19, January 2021. 

Due Date: Friday, 19 March 2021

 

Applications for Capital Grants

QCEC data collection: For General Capital (State and Australian Government) requests for funding; see QCEC Circular 2020/093 of 18 September 2020 for relevant details. 

Due Date: Wednesday, 31 March 2021

 

Choice and Affordability Fund – Accountability

Catholic school authorities are required to complete the acquittal certificate, expenditure profile and activity report in the provided template. An independent qualified accountant needs to confirm the actual receipt and expenditure in the collection period to ensure the accountability requirements of this program are met. Please refer to QCEC Circular 2020/090 for further details about this program. 

Finalised template was sent to the relevant contacts via email on 8 January 2021. 

Due Date: Wednesday, 31 March 2021

 

 

April

April

Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) Pre-Population

Each school sector in each jurisdiction holds a range of demographic and background information about children in the first year of full-time school (Prep Year), some of which relates directly to items on the Australian version of the Early Development Instrument (AvEDI). All schools with Prep Year offered must participate in this survey.  

Pre-population is where personal information (e.g. name, residential address, demographic characteristics) of children in their first year of full-time school is entered into the data collection system before data collection commences. 

Nominated Data Managers from each diocese were contacted by The Social Research Centre with details about this collection directly. 

Due Date: Thursday, 1 April 2021

 

Non-Government Reform Support Fund – Accountability

Catholic school authorities are required to complete the acquittal certificate to confirm the actual receipt and expenditure in the collection period. The certificate needs to be signed off by a qualified independent accountant before submitting to QCEC. Please refer to 2020 Non-Government Reform Support Work Plans for further details about this program. 

Template will be sent via email by the end of January 2021. 

Due Date: Friday, 2 April 2021 

 

QCEC Financial Accountability for Government Funded Programs

QCEC provides to each payee a statement of government funds paid to that payee in the preceding year. The statements are to be signed by the authorised officer and the auditor responsible for signing off on the payee’s financial statements. The statements were issued in February 2021. 

Due Date: Friday, 2 April 2021 

 

Kindergarten Enrolment Collection

Validation of kindergarten enrolment and attendance data for Semester 1, Term 1 – 2021 is to be entered in the QCEC data collection instrument. 

Due Date: Wednesday, 7 April 2021 

 

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