Appeals for demountable accommodation
Direction and guidance on key processes and requirements for demountable accommodation in NSW public schools.
Audience
All department staff who manage demountable accommodation, including NSW public school principals and/or delegates.
| Version | Last updated | Description of changes | Approved by |
|---|---|---|---|
| V01.0.0 | 13/05/2024 | Under the 2023 Policy and procedure review program, consolidated instructions previously provided in the Demountable Accommodation for Schools policy. Updated to:
|
Secretary, NSW Department of Education |
About the policy
This procedure supports the Asset management policy.
| Term | Definition |
| ASO | Asset Services Officer. They provide advice and support to schools and are the primary point of contact in the local School Infrastructure Regional Office for asset-related matters. |
| AMS | Asset Management System |
| EFSG | Educational Facilities Standards and Guidelines |
| Demountable building | These are temporary buildings that support schools:
|
| Demountable Review Committee | Demountable Review Committee comprises:
|
| School Infrastructure | The School Infrastructure division manages the department’s Asset Management Framework in compliance with the NSW Treasury Policy for asset management (TPP19-07). It is responsible for the Asset Management Policy and related procedures. |
| OMSEE | The Online Management of School Enrolment and Entitlement system is where principals enter school enrolment numbers and projected enrolments for planning purposes. |
Principals:
- as the site manager, must ensure demountable buildings located at the school are in good condition and serviceable (in collaboration with their local School Infrastructure Regional Office)
- must seek advice and approval from their local Asset Services Officer (ASO) or School Infrastructure Regional Office to proceed with any asset-related inspections, maintenance, repairs or works on school sites, including on demountable accommodation
- must adhere to instructions provided by their local ASO or School Infrastructure Regional Office about any works on school sites, including demountable accommodation, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the school community
- are responsible for updating their school enrolment numbers in the Online Management of School Enrolment and Entitlement (OMSEE) system and communicating any changed accommodation needs to their local School Infrastructure Regional Office, including any proposed alternative use of demountable accommodation
- may lodge an appeal for demountable accommodation identified as surplus to the school’s entitlement, following consultation with their local ASO
- develop contingency plans for school operations when a demountable building is released from the site.
Directors, Educational Leadership:
- review and provide comments on appeals prepared by principals before submission to the Demountable Review Committee
- assist principals and School Infrastructure Regional Office in resolving demountable accommodation issues.
Executive Director, Public Schools:
- reviews and provides comments on appeals prepared by principals before submission to the Demountable Review Committee.
Asset Services Officers:
- are the primary point of contact for schools in School Infrastructure Regional Office
- must provide advice and support to school staff on asset-related queries, which includes demountable accommodation
- liaise with principals for installation and release of demountable accommodation
- must ensure that any maintenance, repairs or works on school sites, which includes demountable accommodation, are appropriately assessed and have received necessary approvals before any works start
- must communicate clear instructions to schools about any maintenance, repairs or works on school sites to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the school community
- seek advice to ensure that relevant approvals are obtained before any works commence and that the maintenance and supply of demountable accommodation is undertaken in compliance with relevant department policies, commitments, legislation and supporting guidelines, such as statutory approval pathways
- deliver maintenance activities required for demountable accommodation located on school sites (in consultation with principals)
- arrange hygienist contract services to undertake site assessments and complete the asbestos checklist as required, in accordance with the department’s Asbestos Management Plan
- direct anyone undertaking works on demountable buildings to the site asbestos register and Asbestos Management Plan
- provide advice and support to schools for the Demountable Review Committee application form.
School Infrastructure Regional Offices:
- conduct an annual review of current and future enrolments and identify schools that need supplementary teaching spaces
- must ensure appropriate consultation and approvals occur before any maintenance, repairs or works are undertaken on a school site, including on demountable accommodation
- must assist the ASO to ensure clear instructions are provided to schools regarding any works on school sites, including demountable accommodation
- consider school facility design requirements in accordance with the Educational Facilities Standards and Guidelines
- liaise with learning and wellbeing coordinators and principals to support class establishments with accommodation requirements
- make recommendations to the Demountable Program team, based on local knowledge of the school and community
- forward completed Demountable Review Committee appeal forms from schools to the Demountable Program team.
Regional Office Director, Asset Management:
- reviews and approves proposals for demountable provisions at a school.
Manager, Demountable Program:
- responsible for managing the department's demountable portfolio
- assesses applications recommended by School Infrastructure Regional Office for supplementary and emergency accommodation
- coordinates the equitable distribution of demountable resources, including the allocation, relocation and release process for demountable accommodation, in the best interests of public education
- reviews and submits appeal documentation to the Demountable Review Committee.
Demountable Review Committee:
- assesses and determines appeals submitted by schools to retain demountable accommodation that is surplus to their entitlement
- communicates the outcome of an appeal to the principal; Director, Educational Leadership; Executive Director, Public Schools; and School Infrastructure Regional Office.
What needs to be done
As the site manager, principals have the same responsibilities for demountable buildings as with other assets. This responsibility covers the duration that the demountable accommodation is onsite.
To ensure the safety and wellbeing of the school community, School Infrastructure Asset Management must:
- approve and manage any maintenance, repairs or works on a school site, including on demountable accommodation
- ensure any maintenance, repairs or works are completed in compliance with relevant department policies, commitments, legislation and supporting guidelines.
When a demountable building becomes surplus to the school’s entitlement and permanent facilities can accommodate the local enrolment, the principal must release the demountable building back to the department for reallocation.
1. Determine demountable provisions
Principals:
- must update their enrolment numbers regularly in the Online Management of School Enrolment and Entitlement (OMSEE) system
- should contact their local School Infrastructure Regional Office as soon as possible if their enrolment data supports the need for demountable accommodation.
Asset Services Officers:
- review the school’s accommodation and discuss findings with the principal to determine the required accommodation for the number of enrolments
- send a proposal to the Regional Office Director outlining the proposed demountable provision
- send a letter to the principal confirming the request.
Demountable accommodation is not provided for non-local enrolments or school-funded classes.
2. Remove demountables
If a demountable building has been identified as surplus to the school’s entitlement and is needed at another NSW public school, School Infrastructure Regional Office will inform the principal when the demountable building will be released from the school site. The notice period can be affected by exceptional circumstances, such as a significant emergency or natural disaster.
If a principal disagrees with a decision to release a demountable building, they should:
- first discuss the issue with their Asset Services Officer and Director, Educational Leadership
- provide reasons for retaining the demountable accommodation at their school.
Part of the decision-making process is consideration of the school’s permanent accommodation capacity against enrolments.
3. Appeal a decision
The principal should raise disagreements about a decision to release a demountable building with the ASO and Director, Educational Leadership.
After this discussion, the principal:
- can lodge an appeal to the Demountable Review Committee (DRC) within 10 working days of receiving notice from School Infrastructure Regional Office
- must complete relevant sections in the DRC appeal form
- must provide educational justification for the appeal
- must include comments from themselves, School Infrastructure Regional Office and the Director, Educational Leadership to be valid.
After the Executive Director, Public Schools reviews and endorses the DRC appeal form, School Infrastructure Regional Office will send the completed and signed DRC appeal form to the Demountable Program team, who submits it to the DRC for consideration.
The DRC is responsible for determining the validity of an appeal and will consider:
- Educational Facilities Standards and Guidelines
- current use of learning, specialist and administration spaces
- reasons for retaining the demountable
- enrolment data and projected enrolment trends against capacity of permanent facilities
- permanent accommodation that is surplus to the school’s current entitlement, if any.
The DRC will write the appeal’s outcome to the principal, relevant Director, Educational Leadership, Executive Director, Public Schools and School Infrastructure Regional Office. The determination will be made within 3 months of the lodgement date.
4. Changing the use of a space
Operational decisions regarding the use of school spaces will not:
- change the entitlement of a school
- reclassify the space
- be considered a feasible reason or justification for the provision of a demountable.
Mandatory tools and templates
Supporting tools, resources and related information
Policy contact
Local Asset Services Officer, Regional Office, School Infrastructure
Contact details are at the top of the FMWeb 2.0 webpage after logging in
Manager, Demountable Program
demountable.admin@det.nsw.edu.au
The Executive Director, Asset Management monitors the implementation of this procedure, regularly reviews its contents to ensure relevance and accuracy, and updates it as needed.