Reporting to the Community on School Programs and Performance Policy

1. What is this policy about?
   1. This policy supports schools in developing positive partnerships with their communities through reporting and complying with ACT and Australian Government requirements.
2. Policy Statement
   1. Each school will develop, in consultation with its community, procedures for reporting school programs and performance to the community.
   2. Schools will use a variety of formal and informal communication strategies to ensure a range of rich information about school achievements, expectations and events is continually shared with school communities in a timely manner.
   3. The annual school board report is the official record of school activity for the year and will be made available to all school stakeholders and the wider school community.
   4. The annual school board report is to be provided to the Director-General by 27 May of the following year.
   5. The report will be uploaded to the school’s website and made available to the community on request.
3. Who does this policy apply to?
   1. This policy applies to principals and school boards.
4. Context
   1. The key purposes of reporting on school programs and performance are to develop positive partnerships between schools, parents and the community which contribute to the learning outcomes of students, to help parents make informed educational choices and to meet requirements for reporting to the Director-General and the community.
   2. The annual school board report is the means through which school boards meet ACT and Australian Government legislative requirements, including the provision of financial statements.
5. Responsibilities
   1. The school principal: is responsible for implementing this policy.
   2. The school board: is responsible for preparing the annual school board report.
   3. The Directorate: is required to report on a range of indicators in its Annual Report and to the Australian Government.
   4. Policy Owner: The Senior Manager, School Leadership is responsible for this policy.
6. Monitoring and Review
   1. The Policy Owner monitors the policy, including an annual scan of operation and review. A full review of the policy will be conducted within a three year period.
7. Contact
   1. For support contact School Leadership on (02) 6205 7374 or email Professional.Learning@act.gov.au.
8. Complaints
   1. Any concerns about the application of this policy or the policy itself, should be raised with:
      • the school principal in the first instance;
      • the Directorate’s Liaison Unit on (02) 6205 5429.
      • online at https://www.education.act.gov.au/about-us/contact_us.
      • see also the Complaints Policy on the Directorate’s website.
9. References
   1. Definitions
      • Formal communication strategies: can include, in addition to the mandatory Annual School Board Report, the school plan, external validation report, audit report.
      • Informal communication strategies: can include school newsletters, website, information sessions, parent meetings, handbooks, workshops and celebrations.
      • School reporting: is the formal process of communicating with the community about the school’s programs and achievements, strengths and areas for development.
   2. Legislation
      • The Education Act 2004 provides for the operation and governance of ACT public schools.
      • The Australian Education Act 2013 and associated Australian Education Regulation 2013 outlines the expectations for school education and reforms related to school education.
   3. Related Policies and Information
      • Annual School Board Report (School Management Manual - intranet).
      • Education Capital: Progressing Parental Engagement

Reporting to the community on School Programs and Performance Policy: RCS200605 is the unique identifier of this document. It is the responsibility of the user to verify that this is the current and complete version of the document, available on the Directorate’s website at http://www.education.act.gov.au/publications_and_policies/school_and_corporate_policies/A-Z.