School registration and compliance

NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) oversees the regulation of schools in NSW. Find out how NESA regulates non-government schools, government schools and school providers of courses for overseas students.

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Registration and compliance of NSW schools

Discover how NESA administers policy on compliance with regulations on NSW school services in all sectors.

Non-government schools

NESA is responsible for registering and accrediting all non-government schools in NSW. Find out the requirements for compliance with registration and accreditation.

Government schools

Find out about the inspection processes, reporting and documentation that NESA uses to monitor and assess NSW government schools.

School inspections

Schools in all sectors are selected by NESA at random for a short-notice inspection. Discover more about inspection processes.
 

Resources for schools

Find information and resources to support schools to comply with requirements and implement effective compliance practice. These factsheets should be read together with the relevant school registration manual.

Starting a new non-government school

NESA is responsible for registering and accrediting all non-government schools in NSW. Find out how to apply to open a new non-government school in NSW,

Delivering courses to overseas students (CRICOS)

NESA approves school providers that offer courses to overseas students who enter Australia on a student visa (subclass 500). Read the Guidelines and find the list of approved providers in NSW.

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Compliance support for schools

Schools are responsible for complying with the requirements for registration. Find resources to help understand NESA's requirements and strengthen capacity.

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Complaints about a school

If you have a complaint about a non-government school, there are various ways your concern can be raised. Find out more about what your next steps should be.

 

Stay informed with NESA newsletters

Subscribe to NESA newsletters for all the latest news, media releases and official notices. 

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Get in contact with NESA

You can contact NESA by phone or post

Call: +61 2 9367 8111

NSW Education Standards Authority
PO Box 5300
Sydney NSW 2001

Stay connected

Keep in touch by following NESA on social media.

For more information on how to contact a specific team or make a complaint, visit NESA's contact us page.

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