About the policy

What needs to be done

1. Naming or renaming a school

1.1. Develop a proposed name

The Director, Educational Leadership (DEL) and/or principal will develop a proposed name, or shortlist of names, for the school in consultation with the local community. For a new school, the naming process should begin early during the planning phase and be completed well before construction finishes. Until the name is approved by the Minister, the school should only be referred to as ‘the new primary/high school for <suburb/location>’.

The proposed name or shortlist of names:

• must conform with the school categories outlined in Table 1
• should include the official place name of the suburb, town or locality where they are situated. Primary and secondary schools may use the same locality name (for example, Albury Public School and Albury High School). Schools for specific purposes should not use the name of the locality if there is already a school with that locality name, (continuing the above example, they could not choose Albury School)
• must be distinct from the names of other current or previous schools or other locations
• where the name of the locality is not feasible, should include the name of the locality in an Aboriginal language local to the area. The local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) must endorse this before community consultation, unless the name is already the official name of that locality. DELs and/or principals must contact their local AECG committee (refer to About the NSW AECG) for guidance. Where there is no local AECG to contact, schools should contact the AECG regional office
• where it is not feasible to use the locality name in English or a local Aboriginal language, may consider naming a school after significant people in the community or highly respected Australians. Naming schools after people still living will generally not be considered, except under special circumstances
• must not use the names of roads or streets
• must not be named after a commercial product, including land developments, unless the Geographical Names Board lists that name as the official name for that locality
• must not include modifiers (such as North, South, New, Old, Upper, Lower) except where that modifier is a part of the official place name (for example, North Rocks Public School is acceptable, but Burwood North Public School is not)
• must conform to the requirements of the Geographical Names Board of NSW Policy – Place Naming guidelines
• should be no more than 4 words and 25 letters, unless the locality name will make the proposed name longer than this
• must not use the phrase ‘Centre of Excellence’ or variations
• for schools in educational precincts, each school must be named according to its category – refer to Table 1 below. The name of the educational precinct does not need to be included in the school names (for example, Wyndham College is one of the schools located in the Nirimba Education Precinct).

The department must not propose changes to school names unless there is a compelling reason to do so. The department maintains community continuity by retaining school names. These procedures alone do not constitute a compelling reason to rename schools, even where their current names do not conform to existing criteria.

1.2 Undertake community consultation

The DEL and/or principal must undertake community consultation on the proposed school name or shortlist of names. They should allow enough time for consultation to take place, and to respond to any submissions as needed. While this will differ for each school based on its local community and context, 4 weeks is a minimum recommended period for consultation.

Community consultation must:

• be conducted in line with the department’s Community engagement policy. The school community consultation guide [insert link] also provides guidance and resources to support inclusive, fair and responsive consultation
• must include, but not limited to, all aspects of the community, including students, parents, carers, and parents and citizens association
• include the local AECG
• The Community Engagement Manager is available to assist with the consultation.

1.3 Seek feedback and guidance from the Geographical Names Board

The NSW Department of Education is responsible for naming schools, however, the Geographical Names Board can provide guidance and feedback on new school names.

Following community consultation, schools must submit the proposed name to the board for feedback and guidance. DELs may also contact the board early in the naming process, to ensure any proposed names are suitable and in line with the Geographical Names Board of NSW policy – place naming guidelines. Any such consultation does not constitute a formal submission.

The board convenes at set times during the year, with meeting dates and the submission deadlines for items to be included in the agenda listed on their website (refer to About the Geographical Names Board). The DEL must register as a web portal user to submit requests via the web portal (refer to Geographical Names Board proposal system for place naming).

Additionally, the board does not need to be consulted on the names for school facilities.

1.4 Seek approval from the Minister

The DEL must prepare a briefing for the Minister’s approval. The submission must include:

• the derivation, meaning and pronunciation of the proposed name
• summary of the feedback from community consultation and responses to community submissions consultation with Aboriginal representatives, including the local AECG
• evidence of consultation with the Geographical Names Board regarding the proposed school name, or the department’s rationale for determining an alternate name
• a plan to communicate the approved name to the school community. For new schools this should be developed in consultation with the project’s community engagement manager.

1.5. Update the Schools Lifecycle Pipeline

Once the Minister approves the proposed name:

• the Deputy Secretary’s Public Schools Office emails the School Lifecycle Pipeline administrator about the name approval
• the Schools Lifecycle Pipeline administrator will update the School Lifecycle Pipeline Dashboard and notify necessary divisions advising them the school name has been approved. This advice allows business units dependent on the approved school name to proceed
• the Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation (CESE) will send email notifications to all registered external stakeholders, including the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), Commonwealth Department of Education and NESA
• the DEL will notify the principal (if already on duty).

2. Naming or renaming a school facility or functional unit

Principals should adopt the general principles for naming the school and consider the following when naming school facilities or functional units:

• Facilities such as assembly halls, canteens, libraries and sporting fields may be named after a person, but only where that person has been deceased for at least one year. The person nominated for a facility, unit or specific part of the school premises should have had a significant role in the development of the school.
• Names for functional units must include both the unit and school name.
• Names should be brief and free of jargon, preferably no more than 4 words and 25 letters, unless it is named after a significant person whose name is longer than this.

Feedback and guidance from the Geographical Names Board is not required for names of school facilities or functional units.

Principals:

• must prepare a submission for approving the name of school facilities or functional unit, in consultation with their DEL, to the Deputy Secretary, Public Schools
• after approval, should communicate the name to the school community.

3. Developing a school motto, logo and uniform

3.1 Develop a proposed motto, logo and uniform for a new school

All new mottos, logos and unforms must be approved by the Deputy Secretary Public Schools and noted by the Minister.

The DEL and principal:

• must develop the proposed motto, logo and unform in consultation with the school community
• must engage their local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) where possible, throughout the development of the school motto and logo
• must propose a motto, logo and uniform that reflects the Values in NSW public schools
• ensure mottos and logos are suitable for digital and promotional use
• engage the school community in developing a school motto and logo that represents the school’s vision and priorities
• must propose a motto as a short statement written in plain English or in an Aboriginal language local to the area
• may propose logos that use imagery that represent the local natural environment, the history of the locality, or the school itself. Use of Aboriginal imagery or artistic elements must be locally endorsed and, where appropriate, developed in partnership with Aboriginal artists and community members. Imagery is not required for a logo, and it may comprise simply the name of the school or an appropriate abbreviation
• may propose uniform designs to reflect the origins of the area and integrate local flora and fauna into the colour palette, as well as reviewing the colour schemes of surrounding schools, if appropriate.

3.1.1 Undertake community consultation

The principal, in consultation with the DEL, must consult with the local community on the proposed or shortlisted school mottos, logos and uniform to gather community feedback and establish support for a preferred option.

3.1.2 Consult with the local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group

Principals and DELs should complete consultation on the proposed motto and logo with the local AECG at the same time as community consultation. The AECG must endorse any mottos using a local Aboriginal language or logos using local Aboriginal imagery.

3.1.3 Seek approval from the Deputy Secretary, Public Schools

The DEL must prepare a briefing for the Deputy Secretary, Public School’s approval and the Minister’s noting.

The briefing must include:

• the derivation, meaning and pronunciation of the proposed motto, and/or description and meaning of the proposed logo, and blocks of the uniform design
• a summary of the community consultation, including AECG involvement, and responses to community feedback
• specific consultation with Aboriginal representatives when the proposed motto is in an Aboriginal language, or the proposed logo includes local Aboriginal imagery
• a communication plan of the approved motto and logo to the school community.

3.2 Develop a proposed motto, logo and uniform for an existing school

The department must not propose changes to existing school mottos and logos unless there is a compelling reason to do so. The department maintains community continuity by retaining school mottos and logos.

Where a change of existing motto or logo is unavoidable due to duplication, ambiguity, or no longer aligning with the values of the department, the new motto and logo must conform to the requirements outlined above.

Note: changes to the uniform at an existing school can be agreed to at school level, in consultation with the school community. Refer to the Uniforms at school procedures for further information.

Record-keeping requirements

• The principal must summarise all submissions and feedback received from the community, Geographical Names Board, local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group, and any other relevant stakeholders, about the proposed name, motto and/or logo and/or uniform of a school.
• The DEL must save the registered briefing/s to the Deputy Secretary and Minister and accompanying documents in CPM.

Supporting tools, resources and related information

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