What's involved in opening an Independent School?

OPENING A SCHOOL | timeline + processes

A few of you have asked when Green Mountain Community School will open. We certainly can’t wait to welcome children into our school! The answer depends very much on when all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. As a guide, right now (April 2022) we are aiming for a 2024 opening date.

Here’s a brief guide on the process of opening an independent school:

Step 1: Secure site and submit DA to Shoalhaven City Council.

• We can not submit our application for registration as a school until we have secured a site and lodged a DA (the DA can be in process, it doesn’t have to be fully approved at the time of our submission).

Step 2: Prepare policies, procedures, curriculum and other documentation to submit to NESA (NSW Education Standards Board) for approval.

• Due Date March 31st every calendar year.

• If we miss this date, we need to wait to submit our application for the following calendar year.

Step 3: Assuming our application is successful, we can start hiring staff and open for enrolments in September following the submission of our NESA application.

Step 4: Our school will open in the February of the following calendar year in time for the start of the school year.

• Eg. Submit NESA application by 31st March, 2023 = school start date 2024*.

• Eg. Submit NESA application by 31st March, 2024 = school start date 2025*.

*Assuming our application is successful.

Where we are at:

• We’ve done so much preparation work already including Financial viability, policy and curriculum development, fundraising, community and council consultation.

• We have a committed core team and other partners who consult when needed.

• Our focus is now on securing a site AND fundraising to cover the costs of our DA.

• The actual documentation for NESA is the easy part for us! We have a team of skilled and experienced people who are ready to pull this together when the time comes.

How you can help:

• Offer your skills and time - we will be regularly asking for the help we need but if you want to get involved please reach out.

• Assist with fundraising - either by contributing funds to GoFundMe, connecting us with potential donors, participating in our fundraising events or volunteering your time and skills to help us implement a fundraising strategy.

• Spread the word - share this post with friends and parents who you think might support our initiative. Follow us on Facebook and/or Instagram, like and share our posts. Tell people in your circle what we are up to!

If you want to become part of bringing Green Mountain Community School to life, then please get in touch via email: info@greenmountainschool.com.au

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