NATIONAL QUALITY STANDARD
The National Quality Standard (NQS) sets a national benchmark for the quality of early childhood education and care services across Australia which all schools are expected to meet.
The National Quality Standard comprises of 7 quality areas and 15 standards. The standards are high level outcome statements. Under each standard sit elements that describe the outcomes that contribute to the standard being achieved. There are 58 elements in total.
| Quality Area 1 | Educational program and practice |
| Quality Area 2 | Children’s Health and Safety |
| Quality Area 3 | Physical Environment |
| Quality Area 4 | Staffing arrangements |
| Quality Area 5 | Relationships with Children |
| Quality Area 6 | Collaborative partnerships with families and communities |
| Quality Area 7 | Governance and Leadership |
Verification Process
- Staff in Kindergarten to Year 2 use the NQS as a reflective tool to gauge collective program quality and identify priorities for improvement.
- The Executive Team completes an internal audit on each quality area each year. The findings of this audit are submitted to the Department of Education.
- External reviews are undertaken by the Department of Education. Schools are then provided with a report on each element. Our most recent review was undertaken in June 2023. A copy of the review report is available here.