A community-led initiative to open a culturally focused school approached us to secure registration under the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). The proprietor wanted a fully compliant pathway from initial application through approval—including every policy, governance document and operations procedure NESA expects before the doors open.

In this case study, we dive deep into how our firm managed the full process so the school could open with confidence and correct regulatory footing.

What Happened

A new school sought NESA registration (initial/provisional registration) to operate Early Stage 1. Because it was a new school the application needed to demonstrate capacity to comply with the Manual’s registration requirements (policies, plans and documentary evidence) and to maintain full evidence of compliance once operating.

NESA’s process required detailed material across governance, curriculum mapping, staff accreditation, premises/facilities, child protection, financial viability and specific notifications via RANGS Online.

What We Did

We managed the end-to-end registration and compliance work, preparing the full governance and proprietor documentation (constitution, delegation schedule and fit-and-proper declarations), conflicts and related-party policies, and a financial-viability pack with budgets and auditor arrangements. Our team also mapped Early Stage 1 curriculum and assessment to NESA requirements, compiled teacher accreditation and WWCC records, and set up staffing contingencies and induction registers.

We also documented premises, WHS and emergency procedures, drafted child-protection and mandatory-reporting policies, and lodged the application and all required notifications through RANGS. Finally, we implemented record-retention systems, audit timetables and ongoing reporting processes so the proprietor could demonstrate capacity-to-comply from day one.

The Outcome

NESA accepted the package of capacity-to-comply evidence and granted initial registration (provisional year). The school opened on schedule with: a published enrolment policy; a governance framework and induction procedures in place; teacher accreditation records and WWCCs verified; financial systems and an auditor engaged; curriculum programs for Early Stage 1 ready to implement; and an agreed notification process for NESA.

The proprietor now holds a clear roadmap and compliance system to meet ongoing evidence-of-compliance requirements. (All action items mapped directly back to the Manual’s requirements so the school is primed for renewal and any accreditation steps later.)

More Than Just Project Management

Registering a new school is as much project management as it is legal work. The Manual asks for granular proof across governance, finance, child protection and curriculum, and NESA will probe the systems not just single documents.

For community and faith-based schools the extra care is to translate cultural identity into policies and evidence that meet universal regulatory standards without diluting the school’s character. When a proprietor treats compliance as an integrated operating system, approvals become predictable rather than precarious.