Draft Excellent Rating Criteria

Under the Education and Services National Law, ACECQA is responsible for assessing applications for the ‘Excellent’ rating.

 

Services that have already been rated by their regulatory authority as ‘Exceeding National Quality Standard’ level may then apply for the Excellent rating. The first applications for Excellent ratings are likely to be made towards the end of 2012.

 

The Excellent rating will carry significant weight in the wider community and the services carrying the highest rating will be seen as leaders in the sector. Accordingly, it is very important that the criteria for the Excellent rating has widespread support and acceptance. ACECQA is now inviting feedback on each of the criteria presented in the draft Criteria for Excellent rating as well as the format of the application as described below.

 

• Part A will require the applicant to address one mandatory, overarching criterion, and any three of the remaining five elective criteria;
• Part B will require the applicant to provide a ‘forward plan’; a statement of how the service intends to provide leadership and mentoring to the sector as a model provider, if awarded the Excellent rating.

The draft Criteria for Excellent rating is available for comment until 2 March 2012, at which point feedback will be taken into consideration by the ACECQA Board and the final criteria for Excellent rating agreed upon.

Following the consultation period, guidelines will be developed to support services rated at Exceeding National Quality Standard who wish to apply for the Excellent rating. It is anticipated these guidelines will be available on the ACECQA website towards mid 2012.