Standards Australia has recently released a new draft standard on boarding for Australian schools and hostels. Prepared by the Technical Committee ED-001 the draft standard's full title is AS 5725: Boarding standard for Australian schools and hostels (AS 5725 or Standard). The draft Standard is available on the Standards Australia website and, more accessibly, on the Australian Boarding Schools Association (ABSA) website. It is intended to apply to all schools across Australia, including non-government schools.
Purpose of the Standard
According to Standards Australia's media release, the objective of AS 5725 is 'to provide owners, operators, managers and staff of boarding services with a set of requirements that will deliver a safe, healthy and productive environment for boarders. While legislative requirements vary between states and territories, this Standard aims to provide a common framework across all jurisdictions and is intended to benefit service providers and users.
The ABSA has played a key role in the drafting of the Standard and on its website it describes the Standard as offering 'an evaluative instrument that brings together the best state and territory school boarding standards found throughout Australia. It also adds best practice from boarding schools overseas.'
That said, the ABSA makes the important point that the Standard is an industry-based standard, rather than a legally mandated standard and it is intended to complement a school's compliance with relevant legislative requirements. However, regular readers of School Governance will know that we encourage schools to follow standards like AS 5725 (once finalised) and others such as international standard ISO 31000 Risk Management Principles and Guidelines (which is referenced in AS 5725), as best-practice blueprints for any school designing and implementing a sustainable governance framework.
Key requirements
The Standard is a set of minimum requirements and it has been drafted around schools being able to show compliance in the following five areas:
- Governance and management - implementing policies and procedures to govern staff, records and financial management;
- Boarders – including safety, health and well-being (implementing policies and procedures to provide for their safety, welfare and development);
- Staff – including competence and professional development (implementing policies and procedures to provide for their health, safety and well-being, competence and professional learning and management in general);
- Parent, family and community engagement - implementing policies and procedures to develop partnerships between parents/families and boarding services management and staff and developing protocols to build positive relationships with partner schools, community services and organisations; and
- Facilities - implementing policies and procedures to ensure quality, safe, functional and comfortable facilities.
Importantly, ISO 31000 is referred to twice in the Standard as the reference Standard for the implementation of risk management processes for 'governance and management' and 'boarders'. See our previous article explaining the principles of IS0 31000 and how your school can develop a framework to comply with this standard.
What is the relevance of the Standard?
We've previously written about the increased scrutiny being placed on non-government schools and their governance practices in the wake of new registration standards being implemented in NSW.
The introduction of the Standard, although only in draft format at this stage, will assist all Australian schools with boarding facilities to develop good governance systems and to meet their local registration standards. Importantly, compliance with the final AS 5725 will enable schools to better identify and manage risks which may arise in relation to their boarders, which, if not identified and effectively controlled, could lead to a breach of their legal and regulatory obligations.
Providing feedback
The Standard is not yet finalised and its introduction may not be welcomed with open arms by schools which, according to the ABSA, operate in an industry 'wearied by regulation and reporting requirements'. The ABSA recognises that 'the concept of standards can be unsettling. The very word reeks of stern governance, intrusive measurement and punitive measures.'
However, the Standard does not have to be feared and School Governance will continue to write about the proposed requirements and our recommendations for school governance policies and procedures. We would welcome your views.
Public comment on AS 5725 opened on 31 October 2014 and will close on 16 January 2015. To make a comment on AS 5725, a Standards Australia account must first be opened. See the ABSA or Standards Australia websites for more information about the public commentary process.
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