87% of children’s education and care services now meeting or exceeding standards

The latest quarterly NQF Snapshot finds 87% of services are rated Meeting National Quality Standard (NQS) or above – the highest proportion since quality ratings began in 2012. The report summarises quality rating results and other information about education and care services operating under the National Quality Framework (NQF).

“Our sector has made enormous progress in the past 10 years. The proportion of services rated Meeting National Quality Standard (NQS) and above has risen remarkably – from 56% in 2013 to 87% today,” said ACECQA CEO Gabrielle Sinclair.

“This progress is driven by the efforts of the thousands of service providers, teachers and educators who have improved their programs and practices over the past decade and achieved higher quality ratings,” Ms Sinclair added.

More than two-thirds (67%) of services rated Working Towards NQS improved their overall quality rating at reassessment, demonstrating the continuous improvement in service quality the NQF intends to foster is taking place.

A significant amount of regulatory work also occurs outside of quality assessment and rating. The report shows state and territory regulatory authorities have undertaken more than three times as many other types of visits as assessment and rating visits since 2017.

Other types of visits include checking and monitoring compliance with the requirements of the NQF, investigating complaints and responding to events such as serious incidents or changes of service ownership, as well as visits for educative purposes.

The NQF Snapshot provides analysis and information on the profile of the education and care sector, the quality ratings of services, and the distribution of ratings by service type, provider management type and geographic location.

In addition to detailed information about the quality of education and care services, the Snapshot and interactive Online Snapshot include data about temporary service closures related to the impact of COVID-19 and other aspects of service regulation, such as staffing waivers.