Policy
This policy outlines the requirements and resources available for schools to participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD).
Summary
- The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) is an annual collection of information about Australian school students with disability.
- The NCCD enables schools, education authorities and governments to better understand the needs of students with disability and how they can be best supported at school.
- All Australian schools are required to participate in the NCCD.
- Victorian government schools must submit their data for the collection via CASES21 by the first Friday in August each year.
Details
About the NCCD
The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) is an annual collection of information about the number of students across Australia receiving adjustments due to a disability. All Australian schools are required to participate in the NCCD.
The data collected is used by schools, education authorities and governments to better understand the needs of students with disability and how they can best be supported at school.
Through the NCCD process, school teams use their professional judgment, based on evidence, to collect information about students who are receiving reasonable adjustments to access education because of disability. The information collected relates to the level of adjustment being provided for each student with disability and the broad category of disability identified as the main focus or driver for the adjustments.
The NCCD reflects and supports the ongoing work of schools. The NCCD draws on teachers' professional judgement and practices throughout the year supporting students with disability to access and participate in education on the same basis as other students.
The NCCD model is based on mandatory obligations to students under the national Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) and Disability Standards for Education 2005 (DSE). Understanding the legal obligations to students with disability is essential for all staff.
For more information refer to: Students with Disability.
Students who are eligible to be included in the NCCD
Students must satisfy the following conditions for eligibility to be included in the NCCD:
- the student has a disability that meets the broad definition of disability in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992
- the student has been provided with reasonable adjustments to address the functional impact of a disability to enable the student to access and participate in education.
Where staff are unsure of whether a student’s condition or presentation meets the definition of disability under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (such as medical conditions or mental health) refer to relevant case studies on the NCCD for guidance.
Students receiving individualised funding
All students receiving individualised funding due to disability (Program for Students with Disabilities or Disability Inclusion Tier 3 funding) should be included in the NCCD. Students receiving adjustments with this funding are considered individually for the purposes of the NCCD but would in most instances be included in the NCCD as receiving a substantial or extensive level of adjustment.
Disability Inclusion Profile
A Disability Inclusion Profile meeting will not generate a student’s level of adjustment for the purpose of the NCCD. However, it will provide information and evidence to support the school team's professional judgement when implementing the NCCD.
Specialist settings
All students enrolled in specialist settings are considered individually for the purposes of the NCCD, however, it is expected that they would be included in the NCCD as receiving a substantial or extensive level of adjustment due to a disability. The nature of specialist school settings and the enrolment verification process implies that the adjustments to support the student are in place all or most of the time, and that they are significant in scope and scale.
Undiagnosed (imputed) disability
Students are not required to have a formal medical diagnosis to be included in the NCCD. Under the national guidelines, a disability may be ‘imputed’ to a student who is receiving educational adjustments for the purpose of including them in the NCCD. An imputed disability is an undiagnosed disability the school team reasonably considers a student to have that is having a functional impact on their learning.
The school team must have reasonable grounds to impute disability based on the definition of disability in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 , and evidence to support the decision. At a minimum, the school team must:
- ensure that the student’s parents, guardians or carers have been consulted about concerns the school has and been involved in identifying reasonable adjustments to address the identified concerns
- be confident, and have evidence to support the decision that the adjustments are being made to support the functional impact of a disability, and not in response to other factors, for example, to support a student for whom English is an additional language, or as a temporary response to circumstances or environmental factors experienced by a student, such as a familial disruption, economic factors, a natural disaster, or a gap in learning.
Detailed guidance for imputing disability for the is available on the NCCD Portal.
All students who meet NCCD criteria, including those with imputed disability, must be included in the annual collection. When inputting the data into CASES21, schools must record whether a student has a diagnosed or imputed disability. For detailed instructions, schools can refer to page 69 of the CASES21 Administration Guide Chapter 5 (PDF) (staff login .
Adjustments or learning support for reasons other than a disability
Students receiving adjustments for reasons other than a disability are not eligible for inclusion in the NCCD. Case studies where a student is receiving an adjustment and not eligible to be included in the can be found on the NCCD portal.
Further eligibility information is available in the Student eligibility for inclusion in the NCCD guidance chapter.
Evidence and recordkeeping
Schools must retrospectively report the level of adjustments provided to students with disability over a minimum of 10 weeks, and the broad category of disability identified as the main focus or driver for the adjustments.
Evidence of adjustments can be collected anytime between the census dates from one school year to the next. Adjustments may be delivered over consecutive weeks, or alternatively, may be delivered cumulatively, provided the cumulative period is at least 10 weeks.
Schools are not required to create new evidence for the purposes of the NCCD. Schools will already have documented evidence that support their decisions as standard practice to meet their legal obligations. This includes:
- Individual Education Plans (IEP)
- Student Support Group (SSG) minutes
- Disability Inclusion Profile
- teacher work programs and notes
- records of conversations or other communications with parents and allied health professionals.
Timeline for schools to collect and submit data
Schools must submit their data for the NCCD collection by the first Friday in August each year (August census date).
The department encourages schools to begin entering their NCCD data into CASES21 from Term 2. Schools are not required to wait until the census date in August to begin entering data.
The following timeline is a recommendation of actions for schools to collect, submit and review data for the NCCD.
Term 1 – Preparation
- Identify the staff in the school responsible for implementation of the NCCD (school team)
- Staff implementing the NCCD are recommended to complete professional learning on the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) and requirements under the Disability Standards for Education 2005
Term 2 – Data moderation and entry
- Provide all teachers with the NCCD fact sheet and encourage staff to engage in professional development through the NCCD . School staff can also complete a short NCCD eLearning available on the LearnEd portal on eduPay
- The school team are recommended to apply the NCCD to determine which students will be included in the collection, the level of adjustments that are being made, and the broad category of disability for each student
- The school team leads professional discussions to confirm that decision making has been applied consistently through moderation meetings with teachers at the school and, where possible, other schools. Teachers use the evidence collected throughout the year to make decisions that are consistent, reliable, and defensible
- Nominated school staff member begins entering data into CASES21
Term 3 – Data verification and submission
- Data entry into CASES21 continues, any time before the census date
- School principal verifies and finalises any changes to NCCD data, supported by evidence held by the school
- Schools submit final data by the August census date
Term 4 – Review and evaluation
- The school team evaluates the application of the NCCD model and how school practices and processes could be improved to facilitate next year's NCCD. School teams can refer to the Reflection
Information to support schools with the NCCD process
- What is the NCCD
- The Data Collection (interactive)
- Step 1 – Is there an
- Step 2 – What is the level of
- Step 3 – What is the category of
- Step 4 – How do you record and submit the
NCCD data entry
Victorian government schools submit their data through CASES21. This is explained further in the guidance tab, and on page 69 of the CASES21 Administration Guide Chapter 5 (PDF) (staff login .
Moderation of student data
School staff are encouraged to meet in teams to discuss and the collected data. This practice ensures that the NCCD data submitted is accurate and consistent.
When moderating school-based decisions, staff are recommended to engage in professional discussions using the evidence collected throughout the year about their students’ level of adjustment and category of disability to make decisions that are consistent, reliable, and defensible.
Schools undertake moderation processes during Term 2. This allows schools sufficient time to address any significant discrepancies in judgements that can affect the consistency and reliability of data.
A professional learning is available on the NCCD Portal to support school teams to engage in moderation discussions.
Professional learning
The department provides training for all school-based staff on their role in the NCCD via the LearnEd portal on (staff login required).
The department also provides a factsheet for schools to pass on to teaching staff when collecting and moderating NCCD data. This can be found in the Resources tab of this policy.
The NCCD Portal provides information and professional learning resources for teachers, school leaders, support staff, parents and carers. The portal includes a significant amount of information and guidance to help teachers and school teams work through the steps to complete the NCCD.
To access these support materials, visit the NCCD .
The NCCD is designed to complement and reinforce the legislative requirements that apply to all Australian schools and education institutions under the:
Before completing the NCCD, it is recommended all school staff undertake professional learning to develop or refresh their knowledge and understanding of the legal obligations relating to students with disability.
eLearning on the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) and the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Cth) are freely accessible on the professional page on the NCCD Portal.
Practical guides about the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Cth) for individuals, families and can be accessed on the NCCD Portal.
Related policies
- Disability Inclusion Funding and Support
- Disability Inclusion Profile
- Individual Education Plans
- Program for Students with
- Students with Disability
- Student Support Groups
Relevant legislation
Reviewed 09 April 2025