Finance & Compliance

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.

Program	Purpose
Capital Programs
Capital Grants Program General Element	To provide and improve school capital infrastructure
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 QCEC Choice and Affordability Fund Annual Report 2023 QCEC Choice and Affordability Fund Annual Report 2022 QCEC Choice and Affordability Fund Annual Report 2021 QCEC Choice and Affordability Fund Annual Report 2020
General Recurrent Grant	To assist schools with recurrent costs of school education
National School Chaplaincy Program	To 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.
Non-Government Reform Support Fund	Funding 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 2023-2024 Work Plan QCEC NGRSF 2022 Work Plan QCEC NGRSF 2021 Work Plan QCEC NGRSF 2020 Work Plan QCEC NGRSF 2019 Work Plan QCEC NGRSF Revised Strategic Plan 2019-2023 QCEC NGRSF Annual Report 2022 QCEC NGRSF Annual Report 2021 QCEC NGRSF Annual Report 2020 QCEC NGRSF Annual Report 2019 QCEC NGRSF Annual Report 2018

Queensland Government Programs

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

Program	Purpose
Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) Sector Support Funding	Funding to support QCEC to conduct a range of activities, ensuring high participation of Queensland Catholic Primary Schools in the 2021 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) data collection and active ongoing utilisation of the data at school and community level.
Alcohol Education Program	To promote responsible alcohol use.
Capital Assistance Scheme	To provide funding assistance to non-government schools for the provision, conversion, refurbishment and upgrade of educational facilities and boarding accommodation.
Education Support Funding	To enhance education support for students in out-of-home care.
ETRF – VET Coordination and Career Enhancement	Provision 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.
External Infrastructure Subsidy Scheme	To 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.
Living Away from Home Allowance	To assist families to offset schools’ tuition fees for boarders.
Non State Schools Transport Assistance Scheme	To provide travel assistance to eligible applicants to subsidise the cost of transporting their children to non-state schools.
Queensland Kindergarten Funding – IT Infrastructure Grant	To support the provision of the following to QCEC and kindergarten services: • purchase new IT infrastructure • undertake minor electrical and communication upgrades • support Services through change management activities • develop and enhance enterprise systems
Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme – A Great start to Kindergarten	To support the successful transition of children into an approved kindergarten program in 2021 who are: • aged three years by June 30, 2022 • experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage, preferably eligible to receive QKFS plus • not currently attending an early childhood education and care program
Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme - Free Access to Kindergarten	Funding is provided to: • address enrolment issues as a result of affordability in regional community kindergartens by providing funding to off-set a child’s fees • provide financial support to vulnerable and disadvantaged children already enrolled in community kindergarten • provide further fee relief for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children across the state • provide kindergartens with the opportunity to attract new enrolments by offering no fees to new families • offset the out-of-pocket expenses for eligible kindergarten aged children
Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme Kindy Uplift Pilot Services	Is to enhance the capability of kindergarten services and educators to support inclusion and children’s learning and development outcomes by providing funding for programs and supports which address educational need.
Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme (QKFS) – Kindergarten Inclusion Support Scheme (KISS)	To support all vulnerable and/or disadvantage children, in particular children with diagnosed or suspected disability, to access and fully participate in an inclusive and quality kindergarten program, as well as successfully transition to school.
Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme - Recurrent Subsidies	To provide funding for kindergarten service providers for students who are at least 4 years old by 30 June.
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.
Special Needs Organisation	To provide programs to re-engage young people who are severely disengaged from education.
State Recurrent Per Capita Grant	To assist schools with recurrent operating costs.
Students with Disability	To assist schools with recurrent operating costs associated with the programs/activities developed to meet the needs of identified special needs students.
Student Welfare Worker Program	To 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.
Textbook & Resources Allowance	To assist parents of secondary school age students to offset the cost of textbooks and other learning resources.
Vocational Education & Training (VET) in Schools	To set out operational targets and activities in addressing industry needs, skill shortages and managing the implementation of the new VETiS Funding framework.
Youth Support Coordinators Initiative	To support retention and attainment of students in years 10-12. The target group will be students at risk and disengaging from school.

Capital Programs

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

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.

Change of school details form (SchoolsHUB)

For more information please refer to memo number 2024/045

Form: Change of school details form

Request for User Access (SchoolsHUB)

Form: User Access Request

January - March 2025

January

2025 School Directory

Please complete the School Directory Form if a submission was not completed in the 2024 collection window, or if further updates are required. School Authorities are required to review the existing school directory and complete the School Directory Form to: 

add a new school/campus 
update an existing school/campus’s details 
or confirm that the details in the existing school directory are correct.

Please note that this year all school authorities are requested to confirm that the details for their schools/campuses are correct even if no updates are required. 

Data collection tool: School Directory Form 

Due date: Friday 10 January 2025

Statement of Unspent Funds – Kindergarten Capital Works Upgrade Fund

Bi-annual collection of expenditure data relating to Kindergarten Capital Works Upgrade Fund.

Due date: Tuesday 14 January 2025

Kindergarten Data Report (Forecast Semester 1 2025)

Forecast kindergarten enrolment and attendance data for Semester 1, 2025 is to be submitted by Delegated Catholic Agencies via QGrants API.

Due date: Tuesday 28 January 2025

February

2025 Initial Enrolments

Each Catholic School Authority is to report on enrolments by grade at start of the school year as of 7 February 2025. This is to allow QCEC to respond to the National Catholic Education Commission and the media on preliminary enrolments for 2025.

Data collection template: 2025 Initial Enrolments Survey

Due date: Friday 7 February 2025

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 Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority NAPLAN Portal can be accessed here.

The key dates are as follows:

28 January 2025: RI/MPJP upload and check student details
13 February 2025: Diocesan Catholic schools verify and update student details
18 February 2025: Due date for verification of all school data in QCAA Portal

Consent and Respectful Relationships Education Funding

The Annual Progress Report covering the 2024 school year and the Final Implementation Plan detailing all activities and anticipated activities, funding and funding allocation/expenditure is due by 7 February 2025.

Reporting for this funding is facilitated by nominated Diocesan contacts. QCEC will communicate directly with these contacts when the reporting template is received from the Commonwealth Government. Reporting for non-diocesan schools is completed by the Education Consultant – Respectful Relationships at QCEC and no further action is required by non-diocesan schools.

Due date: Friday 7 February 2025

Data collection method: To be provided to diocesan representatives when received

Consent and Respectful Relationships Education Funding – Financial Accountability

Diocesan Catholic School Authorities are required to complete a Financial Accountability Certificate to confirm the expenditure of 2024 funding. The Certificate must be signed by an authorised representative of the recipient entity and certified by an independent qualified accountant.

Due date: Friday 21 February 2025

Student Residential Address and Other Information Collection

The Student Residential Address and Other Information Collection is a Commonwealth Government data collection. The 2025 collection will open on Wednesday 12 February 2025 and will close on Wednesday 12 March 2025. The data collected will be used to refine the calculation 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 opens: Wednesday 12 February 2025

Due date: Wednesday 12 March 2025

New Schools/Schools Undertaking Changes in 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 2025.

Data collection template: Approved Authority Application Form

Due date: Friday 14 February 2025

Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) Periodic Financial Return and Performance Report – 1 July 2024 to 31 December 2024

As part of the reporting requirements under the service agreement, QCEC is collecting information relating to the use of AEDC Sector Support Funding from each Catholic School Authority (CSA). This Periodic Financial Return is required to be completed throughout the term of this program. The next collection will take place in August 2025.

The template for Financial Return will be sent to CSAs by the end of January 2025.

Due date: Friday 14 February 2025

Queensland Government Census

The Office of the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board conducts the State Government Census to collect information for state funding.

Census date: Friday 28 February 2025

Due date: Friday 7 March 2025

Applications for Capital Grants

All capital grant applications are made via the QCEC website on the Capital Projects site. See QCEC Circular 2024/092 of 21 October 2024 for further information.

Due date: 5pm Friday 28 February 2025

March

Financial Accountability

As the approved authority and funded organisation, QCEC is obliged under the Australian Education Act and relevant service agreements to ensure that grant funding is spent or committed to be spent for the permitted purposes.

Each year, QCEC seeks confirmation from Catholic School Authorities (CSAs) and other grant recipients regarding the receipt and expenditure of government funding.

From 2025, grant recipients will complete a separate acquittal certificate for each government funding that they receive from QCEC. Each Certificate must be signed by an authorised representative of the recipient entity and certified by an independent qualified accountant.

For the 2024 calendar year, subject to the funding eligibility of your school/s, a certificate will be issued for each of the following government funding programs.

Commonwealth

Choice and Affordability Fund
Commonwealth Recurrent Grant
Non-Government Reform Support Fund (NGRSF) – Diocesan CSAs Only
Consent and Respectful Relationships Education Funding – Due 21/02/2025
Capital Grants Program

State

Australian Early Development Census (AEDC)
Chaplaincy and Student Wellbeing Officer Program
ETRF Coordination and Career Enhancement
National Student Wellbeing Program
State Students with Disabilities (SWD) Program
Youth Support Initiative
CAS Capital Assistance Supplementary Scheme
CAS Capital Grant
CAS External Infrastructure Subsidy
Education Support Funding (FY based, to be issued by June)
Vocational Education & Training in Schools (FY based, to be issued by June)

Kindergarten funding

A Great Start to Kindergarten
Administration Funding
Advisory Support and Organisational Capability
Child Care Subsidy System Licensing Fees
Kindergarten Inclusion Support Scheme
Kindy Uplift Pilot
Recurrent Subsidies

Non State Schools Transport Assistance Scheme (NSSTAS)

Bus Fare Assistance Program
Students with Disability

To fulfil our reporting obligations, additional information will be sought from grant recipients in relation to the following government funding programs.

Funding Programs	Additional Reporting Requirements
Choice and Affordability Fund	Annual report summarising the progress of CAF activities and expenditure
NGRSF (Diocesan CSAs Only)	Final annual report detailing expenditure against the 2023-24 Workplan
Consent and Respectful Relationships Education Funding (Diocesan CSAs Only)	Annual progress report covering the 2024 school year due on 7 February 2025 Financial Accountability due on 21 February 2025
State SWD Program	Provide the amount of grant funding amount provided to each school Provide the amount of grant funding retained by Catholic School Authority for centralised services Education Accountability was completed in November 2024
Youth Support Initiative	Details of the Permitted Purposes the Catholic Schooling Authorities used the Allocated Funds for.

Acquittal certificates and templates for the collection of additional information (if applicable) will be available by the end of February 2025.

Due date for Consent and Respectful Relationships Education: Friday 21 February 2025

Due date for other programs: Friday 28 March 2025

Financial Questionnaire (FQ) – Provision of Data to QCEC

Catholic School Authorities are required to enter FQ data into the QCEC FA and FQ template.

Information to be entered into the FQ must be extracted from the entity’s audited financial statements.

Data will be made available in March 2025

Due date: Friday 2 May 2025

April - June 2025

April

ACARA Student Background Data Collection

Student Background Data (SBD) is collected annually by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) to enable the recalculation of ICSEA scores. The data collected will also inform the calculation of Low SES Loading and Low English Proficiency Loading of Commonwealth Recurrent Grant.

More information about the SBD can be found on the ACARA website and in the ACARA Privacy Policy.
As in previous years, ACARA will liaise with Diocesan School Authorities. RI/MPJP schools will be contacted by QCEC and provided with further information about this collection. We encourage RI and PJP schools to submit their data to QCEC as soon as possible to allow enough time to resolve exceptions.

Due date: Monday, 14 April 2025 for EREA, RI/MPJP (to QCEC)
Thursday, 8 May 2025 for Diocesan School Authorities (to ACARA)

Kindergarten Data Report (Acquittal Term 1 2025)

Validation of kindergarten enrolment and attendance data for Term 1, 2025 is submitted by Delegated Catholic Agencies via QGrants API.

Due date: Monday, 28 April 2025

May

Financial Questionnaire (FQ) – Provision of Data to QCEC

Catholic School Authorities are required to enter FQ data into the QCEC FA and FQ template. Information to be entered into the FQ must be extracted from the entity’s audited financial statements.

Data will be made available in March 2025.

Due date: Friday, 2 May 2025

Applications for Capital Grants

Refinement of a valid QCEC Online Capital Application close at 5pm.

Due date: Monday, 12 May 2025

Applications for Capital Grants

Any items within the Capital Projects Online Application Form under dispute as of the QCEC’s Capital Project Online Portal closing date of 12 May 2025 will be discussed and reviewed at the Final Eligibility Review Meeting.

Due date: Monday, 26 to Tuesday, 27 May 2025

Applications for Capital Grants

Capital Project Presentation due to the Capital Assistance Assessment Committee (via QCEC Secretariat) at 5pm.

Due date: Wednesday, 28 May 2025

National Student Wellbeing Program (NSWP) Reporting – Semester 1

All schools in receipt of this funding must ensure a suitably qualified worker has been appointed and their mandatory eSafety training is complete. Reporting templates will be shared with relevant Catholic School Authorities when available.

Due date: Friday, 30 May 2025

Chaplain and Student Wellbeing Officer Program (CSWOP) – Semester 1

All schools in receipt of this funding must ensure a suitably qualified worker has been appointed. Reporting templates will be shared with relevant Catholic School Authorities when available.

Due date: Friday, 30 May 2025

Applications for the Non State Schools Transport Assistance Scheme

Online parent applications can be made for Student Travel Assistance – Semester 1, 2025 via the School Transport website.

Programs available:

Bus Fare Assistance Program (BFAP)

Students With Disability (SWD)

Due date: Saturday, 31 May 2025

June

Applications for Capital Grants

Applications that have been formally accepted as valid applications and comply with the requirements of the QCEC Capital Assistance Guidelines are presented to the CAAC for assessment and evaluation.

Due date: Monday, 2 to Thursday, 5 June 2025

State Allowance Acquittal Form

Under section 374 of the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 (the Act) and section 9.3 of the Non-State Schools Recurrent Grant Policy, the governing body is required to provide to the Queensland Minister for Education school allowance acquittal details for each non-state school for the previous year of operation.

Please ensure the forms are signed by an authorised person from the governing body and an accountant who is independent from the school and the governing body. Further information regarding the allowance acquittal is available here.

The acquittal forms have already been forwarded to CSAs. Please send the completed acquittal form to schoolfunding@qcec.catholic.edu.au by Friday 13 June 2025. Please do NOT send the form directly to the Office of Non-State Education.

Due date: Friday, 13 June 2025

Preliminary National Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)

The preliminary collection of indicative student numbers for the NCCD from Catholic School Authorities is due to QCEC by Monday 16 June 2025. CSAs are encouraged to submit their preliminary data as soon as it is available. The purpose of the data collection is to provide an anomaly check of the indicative student data, as a quality assurance measure, prior to the actual collection of NCCD on Friday, 1 August 2025.

Data collection tool: 2025 NCCD Preliminary Data Collection Template.xlsx

Due date: Monday, 16 June 2025

School Annual Report – School Report

Schools are required to publish their school annual report on the school website, and in at least one other format (e.g. hard copy, newsletter, handbook, noticeboard or sign), which the school can choose. To assist schools in completing their Annual Report the following Apparent Retention Rates for 2025 will be provided.

Refer to the Queensland Government’s Department of Education website for more information.

Due date: Monday, 30 June 2025

Financial Questionnaire (FQ) – Online Declaration

Schools and school authorities are required to upload their audited financial statements, review the uploaded FQ data, provide comments for any anomalies and confirm the data in the SchoolsHUB portal by 30 June 2025. Please notify the QCEC Secretariat as soon as this is completed.

Due date: Monday, 30 June 2025

July

Safety in Schools Collection

The Queensland Department of Education and Training requires each school to complete a Safety in Schools Statement under the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006. Each Catholic School Authority should complete the survey once for each school that has made or reviewed a direction in the last financial year. For all remaining schools who have not made or reviewed a direction, please complete the survey selecting “All Other Schools” in the school selection dropdown for your diocese.

Survey: Safety in Schools Collection 2024-2025

Due date: Friday, 11 July 2025

Kindergarten Periodic Performance and Data Reports (Semester 1 2025)

Under the service agreement, QCEC as the Central Governing Body (CGB) for Catholic kindergarten services are required to collect information from Delegated Catholic Agencies to meet a wide range of reporting requirements throughout the year. Reports covering the following funding streams are required for July 2025:

Subsidies for Kindergarten Services
Administration Funding
Inclusion Funding
Great Start to Kindergarten
Kindy Uplift
Advisory Support and Organisational Capability Funding
Capital Works Upgrade Fund

An email containing a link to the Performance Report (Microsoft Word) and the accompanying Data Report (Microsoft Excel) will be sent to Delegated Catholic Agencies.

Due date: Friday, 11 July 2025

Education Support Funding Program (ESFP) Financial Acquittal and Student Data Report

As required under the service agreement, we must provide to the Queensland Department of Education the following information annually:

Financial acquittal covering funding allocation and expenditure for the period 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025.

Number and detail of eligible Out-of-Home Care students as at 30 June 2025. Students must have an Education Support Plan developed and signed within 30 days of the student enrolling at the school or becoming eligible, revised at the start of every year. This information will be used by the Department to determine funding allocation for the 2025/2026 Financial Year. .

The template will be made available by early July.

Due date: Friday, 18 July 2025

Students in Out-of-Home-Care Data Sharing Exercise for Semester 1, 2025

This data collection aids the Queensland Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services in the maintenance of accurate data on students living in Out-of-Home Care. In the template provided by the Department, Catholic School Authorities are required to confirm the enrolment status of students and provide detail of eligible students who are not currently listed

The template will be made available by early July.

Due date: Friday, 18 July 2025

VET in Schools: Financial Acquittal

QCEC data collection – information to be provided for financial acquittal of VET in Schools funding. The template will be made available for relevant parties in early July.

Due date: Friday, 18 July 2025

Kindergarten Data Report (Actual Term 2 2025)

Validation of kindergarten enrolment and attendance data for Term 2, 2025 is to be submitted by Delegated Catholic Agencies via QGrants API.

Due date: Friday, 25 July 2025

Kindergarten Data Report (Forecast Semester 2 2025)

Forecast kindergarten enrolment and attendance data for Semester 2, 2025 is to be submitted by Delegated Catholic Agencies via QGrants API.

Due date: Friday, 25 July 2025

Student Attendance – Semester 1 2025

Student Attendance (STATS) collects student attendance rate data by grade, gender and Indigeneity for the Semester 1 reporting period on SchoolsHUB. Approved Authorities complete the STATS collection under the Australian Education Act 2013 and associated regulations. Student attendance rates are published annually on ACARA’s My School website and contribute high level data for ACARA’s National Report on Schooling in Australia and the Productivity Commission Report on Government Services.

Submissions open: Wednesday, 18 June 2025

Submissions close: Friday, 1 August 2025

Next Fact Sheets

Previous Position Statements & Guidelines