Base school allocation
The base school allocation provides funding for the core cost of educating each student and operating a school. This includes staffing (teaching, school administrative and support and non-teaching staff) and operational components.
Staffing
The staffing allocation includes teaching and non-teaching staff on published school enrolment and entitlement reports and can only be used for staffing.. Where applicable, this may include allocations such as Quality teaching, successful students (QTSS) and Schools as community centres (SaCCs). Equity positions shown on published enrolment and entitlement reports are funded through the relevant equity loading.
Operational funding
Operational funding supports the operation of the school and reflects the school type. It includes:
School operational funding is provided to support and enhance the operations of the school..
School operational funding is allocated according to input parameter rates generated by school type.
The input parameters are:
- base allocation per school
- primary enrolment
- secondary enrolment
- senior enrolment (Years 11 and 12)
- primary teacher staff entitlement
- secondary teacher staff entitlement
- immediate school administrative and support staff (SASS) entitlement, which includes:
- Aboriginal education officer (AEO)
- school learning support officer (SLSO)
- primary non-immediate SASS entitlement, including all categories of SASS with the exception of AEO and SLSO
- secondary non-immediate SASS entitlement, including all categories of SASS with the exception of AEO and SLSO.
The school types are:
- primary school
- secondary school
- central school
- schools for specific purposes
- environmental education centre
- intensive English centre
- community care schools (also known as education and training units).
This funding allocation is provided to cover water and waste utility costs.
The per capita funding allocation helps principals meet the needs of students in their school.
Data is collected from the National Schools Statistics Collection (NSSC) data – full-time equivalent (FTE) enrolments for mainstream and support classes.
Some specialised settings receive a higher weighted per capita loading due to the intensive nature of teaching support required. Notional enrolments apply for specialised settings and the number of classes.
In the School Budget Allocation Report, schools are provided with a table showing the per capita allocation by enrolments in:
- preschool
- primary
- primary support
- secondary
- secondary support
- specialised settings.
Schools have flexibility with this operational resource and may choose to use this allocation to:
- release classroom teachers to support new curriculum implementation
- allocate additional resources to support specific programs
- employ staff to support student learning needs.
Remote and/or isolated schools receive funding through the location allocation in the base school allocation.
In 2024 the location allocation delivers funding to 1004 schools to recognise needs in relation to:
- remoteness – disadvantage due to distance from population centres and the additional cost of goods and services
- isolation – disadvantage due to distance from other schools and educational resources.
The location allocation measures remoteness using the Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA+). ARIA+ is widely used across Australia and has become recognised as a nationally consistent measure of geographic remoteness.
How are remoteness and isolation calculated?
The remoteness allocation provides funding to all schools classified under the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) remoteness area classification as outer regional, remote and very remote or migratory.
The road distances measured between populated localities are used to generate an index with values ranging from zero (high accessibility) to 15 (high remoteness). It forms the basis for the ABS remoteness area classification and has been the standard ABS endorsed measure of remoteness since 2011.
Weighting - enrolments are multiplied by a weighting factor that increases according to the school's ABS remoteness area classification:
- outer regional Australia – 1.0
- remote Australia – 1.5
- very remote Australia and migratory – 2.0.
The isolation component of the location loading is based on 2 main components:
- distance – isolation is determined by the total road distance from one school to its nearest 5 schools (of any type)
- enrolments – isolation is multiplied by the school's enrolments divided by the sum of its enrolments and the enrolments of its nearest 5 schools (of any type).
Schools have the flexibility to decide how these resources will be best used to address school needs associated with remoteness and/or isolation.
Location funding must be used in the calendar year for which it is provided.
Schools must report on the impact of location funding to meet reporting requirements in their annual report.
The urgent minor maintenance allocation supports costs for emergencies or unforeseen maintenance incidents.
The teaching principals relief allocation is provided to support relief days for teaching principals 1 and 2 (TP1 and TP2) from classroom teaching.
Initiative funding
Initiative funding supports designated programs and initiatives. Examples include:
professional learning
school support allocation (principal support).
Site specific
Site specific allocations are provided to meet the requirements of specific sites and will differ for each school. Each school will only see applicable site specific allocations in their School Budget Allocation Report. Examples include:
- year adviser
- personal leave and additional training days (incentive schools)
- Aboriginal learning and engagement centre
- schools for specific purposes supplementary funding.
Staff only information
Staff can find more information on our Strategic Schools Resourcing intranet.