Wealthy private schools are receiving a government assistance payment for students with disabilities up to six times higher than that received in the public system.
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Because the federal government is the main funder of private schools, 80% of the SWD payment flows directly from the commonwealth to the school. For example, Loreto Kirribilli in Sydney was entitled to 134% of the school resourcing standard in 2023, granting it a loading payment also set at 134%, equating to $10,499 per student on average.
“Governments talk a lot about a fully inclusionary education environment, but they haven’t been prepared to fund public schools to provide it,” Haythorpe said. A 2019 report into the student with disability payment undertaken by the board noted that there was a “weak alignment” between the NCCD data and the amount state education departments ended up paying to support students with disabilities in public schools.
Guardian Australia sought information from all state government departments about the link between NCCD status and targeted funding in public schools.