Student Resource Package – Core Student Learning Allocation Funding (Student-Based Funding)

Policy

This policy provides information about how funding is allocated to schools through the Student Resource Package (SRP) for core student learning needs.

Details

Core student learning allocation funding is one of two types of student based funding. The other type of student based funding is Equity funding.

Student based funding represents the main funding source for all schools and comprises approximately 90% of the total SRP provided to schools. This funding is designed to cover core teaching and learning, leadership, teaching support, professional development, relief teaching, payroll tax and superannuation costs for the school.

The Core Student Learning Allocation is designed to recognise the differing costs associated with different levels of learning, different types and sizes of schools, and the additional costs imposed by rurality and isolation. The specific types of Core Student Learning Allocation funding are listed below.

The Guidance tab provides information about each of the specific types of Core Student Learning Allocation funding.

• Student per capita funding Years Prep-12 Students
• Enrolment Linked Base
• Small School Base
• Rural School Size Adjustment Factor
• Core Index Stages 1-3
• Size Adjustment Supplementation
• Approved Early Education Program
• Principal Salary Adjustment
• Language and Learning Disabilities Support Program
• Mental Health Practitioners
• Camps Payment

Not all types of funding are available to all schools. Funding is assessed according to school or campus type and student need.

Schools are expected to use SRP funds for the purpose for which it was allocated.

For more general information on the SRP, please refer to the Student Resource Package — Overview page.

Related policies

• Finance Manual — Financial Management for Schools
• Framework for Improving School Outcomes
• Student Enrolment Census
• Student Resource Package — Overview
• Student Resource Package — Equity Funding (Student Based Funding)
• Student Resource Package — Managing the Budget
• Student Resource Package — School Infrastructure
• Student Resource Package — School Specific Programs
• Student Resource Package — Targeted Initiatives
• Students with Disability

Other contacts

Mental Health

Email: mental.health.practitioners@education.vic.gov.au

Guidance

The Core Student Learning Allocation is designed to recognise the differing costs associated with different levels of learning, different types and sizes of schools, and the additional costs imposed by rurality and isolation.

The funding items within this section are:

• Student per capita funding Years Prep-12 Students
• Enrolment Linked Base
• Small School Base
• Rural School Size Adjustment Factor
• Core Index Stages 1-3
• Size Adjustment Supplementation
• Approved Early Education Program
• Principal Salary Adjustment
• Language and Learning Disabilities Support Program
• Mental Health Practitioners

Student per capita funding Years Prep-12 students (Reference 1)

In the Student Resource Package, the majority of funding provided to schools has been specified as per-student rates (i.e. in student per capita form).

Research conducted by The University of Melbourne has allowed the differing costs associated with delivering effective educational outcomes at the various levels of learning to be recognised by differing rates. The relativities are an initial assessment of the most effective way of allocating existing funds. These relativities may be adjusted over time through further research and a rolling benchmark process.

Eligibility

Schools with the following campus types are eligible for the student per capita funding at campus level:

• Primary
• Secondary
• Primary/Secondary Combined
• Community
• Training Center

The following campuses do not receive this allocation.

Funding is calculated at the Indicative, Confirmed and Revised budget cycles. Funding is allocated through credit and cash funding.

Calculation

Student per capita funding = Student enrolments (P-12) × Student price

Example: A campus with 62 Year 2 students would calculate their funding as 62 (Year 2 students) × Year 2 student price.

Rates 2023

Enrolment Linked Base (Reference 2)

The Enrolment Linked Base (ELB) is provided to ensure that all schools, regardless of size, have sufficient resources to operate effectively. The flat base with taper provides a safety net for small schools whose enrolments are insufficient to generate viable funding. The taper also recognises the economies of scale achievable in larger schools through per student rates.

The base is made up of a flat amount, adjusted by way of a per-student taper that reduces the allocation beyond certain thresholds.

For multi-campus colleges the formula is applied for each campus. To be eligible for multi-campus, each campus must be at least 1km apart.

Eligibility

Schools with the following campus types are eligible for the Enrolment Linked Base funding at a campus level:

• Primary
• Secondary
• Primary/Secondary Combined
• Community
• Training Center

The following campuses do not receive this allocation.

Funding is calculated at the Indicative, Confirmed and Revised budget cycles. Funding is allocated through credit and cash funding.

Calculation

Enrolment Linked Base Funding = Base + (Enrolment × Taper)

• Refer to the matching school type configuration from the options below.
• The base is fixed up to an enrolment threshold. Above this level, the per student taper is applied, until the base amount is exhausted.

Example: A primary campus with 600 enrolments would calculate their funding as: Primary base + [100 (enrolment >500) × Primary taper]

Rates 2023

The following campus configurations P-8, P-9, P-10, P-12 and Split Site P-12 – use Primary and Secondary tapers.

Small School Base (Reference 3)

A Small School Base is provided to primary schools with less than 80.1 students and secondary schools with less than 400 students.

For primary schools, the base reduces as enrolments increase. For multi-site primary schools, the base and taper is applied for each site.

For secondary schools, the base is a flat amount up to 110 enrolments after which it reduces as enrolments increase. For multi-campus colleges, the base and taper is applied for each campus.

Eligibility

Schools with the following campus types are eligible for the Small School Base funding at a campus level:

• Primary
• Secondary
• Primary/Secondary Combined
• Community
• Training Center

The following campuses do not receive this allocation.

Funding is calculated at the Indicative, Confirmed and Revised budget cycles. Funding is allocated through credit and cash funding.

Calculation

Small School Base (Primary where enrolment is less than 80.1) = Primary base + (Primary enrolment × Taper)

Small School Base (Secondary where enrolment is less than 400) = Secondary base + [(Secondary enrolment − 110) × Taper]

Example: A secondary campus with 300 enrolments would calculate their funding as: Secondary base + [(300 − 110) × Secondary taper]

Rates 2023

Rural School Size Adjustment Factor (Reference 4)

This funding line recognises that small rural schools require additional resources to provide a high-quality education that is equal to that of schools in urban areas.

Funding is provided to eligible primary schools, secondary schools and combined schools that are situated in non-metropolitan and non-provincial locations.

Allocations are determined at campus level using a per student rate. The per student rate is split into credit and cash and contains provisions for payroll tax, superannuation, relief teaching and professional development.

Eligibility

Campuses with the following campus type, enrolments and location are eligible for RSAF funding.

Campus type:

• Primary
• Secondary
• Primary/Secondary Combined
• Community.

Enrolments:

• less than or equal to 200 Primary enrolments
• less than or equal to 500 Secondary enrolments.

Locations:

• Outside the 'Major Cities of Australia' Remoteness Area category, as defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), with reference to the 2016 Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA).
• Outside provincial locations with more than 20,000 population, as defined by the ABS Urban Centres and Localities (UCL). Using ABS 2016, campuses in Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton-Mooroopna, Warrnambool, Albury-Wodonga, Mildura and Traralgon are ineligible.

Funding is calculated at the Indicative, Confirmed and Revised budget cycles. Funding is allocated through credit and cash funding.

Calculation

Allocation = Primary enrolments × Primary per student rate + Secondary enrolments × Secondary per student rate

Note:

• The rates for each enrolment level are provided in the Rurality Rates spreadsheet (XLSX).
• Enrolments are rounded down to the nearest whole number to identify the relevant per student rate. The actual campus enrolments are applied to the per student rate to determine the allocation.

Other relevant information

It is intended that location measures will be updated with the release of new ABS data every 5 years. The last ABS data survey was completed in August 2021. The result of this will be applied in the future releases post-2024. Funding for school year 2023 is based on ARIA 2016.

ARIA+ is a continuous index, which the ABS uses to define the Remoteness Area categories, including: Major Cities of Australia, Inner Regional Australia, Outer Regional Australia, Remote Australia and Very Remote Australia. These categories of remoteness are based on a measure of relative access to services. Further information can be found at Defining Remoteness Areas.

More information about UCL definitions and sources can be found on the ABS website.

To determine a campus’s Remoteness Area category and UCL boundary, use the ABS map tool.

To determine a school’s geographic parameters, refer to Steps to determine a school’s geographic parameters.

Peri-urban funding from 2023

The implementation of the location changes in 2021 affected schools in peri-urban areas. Substantial urban growth has meant that some schools that were once identified as rural, are now part of major city areas as identified through the ARIA.

Schools located between the Urban Centres and Localities (UCL) boundary and the ABS metropolitan Melbourne boundary according to Remoteness Areas are eligible to receive 50% of the RSAF allocation from 2022.

Current schools in receipt of rural transition and eligible for peri-urban funding will transition to peri-urban funding in 2023. If the peri-urban allocation is less than the scaled transition in 2023, the higher allocation will prevail.

Schools in receipt of rural transition and have been designated as peri-urban have been contacted individually.

Additionally, schools that may be eligible for transition should refer to: Transition Funding (Rural) (Reference 126)

Core Index Stages 1–3 (Reference 5)

Core Index Stages 1–3 provides funding to specialist schools for eligible and approved enrolments based on a student's age range.

Eligibility

The following school/campus types receive the Core Index funding at school level:

• Specialist Schools
• Special campuses of mainstream schools

The following campuses/schools do not receive this allocation:

• Deaf facilities attached to mainstream schools
• Training Centre campuses
• Hospital schools and campuses
• Victorian College For the Deaf
• Aurora School

Funding is calculated at the Indicative, Confirmed and Revised budget cycles. Funding is allocated through credit and cash funding.

Calculation

Core Index allocations are determined based on census student enrolment details.

Core Index allocation = Census student enrolments × Stage funding rate

Example: A school with 10 stage 2 enrolments would calculate their Stage 2 funding as:

Stage 2 enrolments (10) × Stage 2 rate. This is repeated for all stages dependent on school enrolments.

Rates 2023

Notes

Specialist school enrolment eligibility and regional approval needs to be established for each student.

If it is deemed appropriate, a regional director has the discretion and the authority to approve the enrolment of a student that does not meet the specialist school’s enrolment criteria.

For the Indicative budget cycle, total enrolments are sourced from the Principal Projections and distributed by existing age profiles. If Principal Projections totals are not provided, existing totals will be rolled over.

For the Confirmed budget cycle, total enrolments are sourced from the February Census.

Size Adjustment Supplementation (Reference 6)

The Size Adjustment Supplementation applies to all specialist schools where the number of school aged enrolments is less than the enrolment threshold.

Eligibility

The following campus types receive the Size Adjustment Supplementation funding at a school level:

• Day special
• Special developmental
• Disability
• Special (excluding Aurora School)
• Furlong Park School For Deaf Children

The special developmental campuses of mainstream schools are eligible. Autistic schools do not receive this allocation.

Funding is calculated for each of the 4 school terms and allocated through credit and cash funding.

Calculation

Where total enrolments at the school are less than 45 (enrolment threshold): Size Adjustment Supplementation = [45(enrolment threshold) − Core Index Enrolment] × Rate

Example: A school with 35 enrolments would calculate their Size Adjustment Supplementation funding as:
[45(enrolment threshold) − Core Index enrolment (35)] × Rate

The maximum amount funded is limited to cap listed below.

Rates 2023

• Per student rate: $6,059
• Enrolment threshold: 45
• Maximum funded: $137,768

Approved Early Education Program (Reference 7)

A defined group of specialist schools maintain early education programs for pre-school aged children with a disability between the ages of 2 years and 8 months and 4 years and 8 months. Funding is allocated at a school level.

Allocations to these schools are based on a resource agreement.

Calculation

Approved Early Education funding is calculated as:

Agreed FTE at school level × Resource agreement rate

Note: Furlong Park School for Deaf Children is the exception.

Funding is calculated at the Indicative budget cycle. Funding is allocated through credit and cash funding.

Rates 2023

Resource agreement rate = $29,021 and Furlong Park School for Deaf Children rate: $35,478

Principal Salary Adjustment (Reference 8)

This item is included in the Student Resource Package (SRP) for specialist schools. Its continuation will be subject to review which is yet to be completed. Changes associated with the review will be implemented post-2024.

Language and Learning Disabilities Support Program (Reference 10)

The Language and Learning Disabilities Support Program provides schools with resources to support the delivery of teaching and learning programs for students with autism, dyslexia, language or other learning disabilities. Supports may include:

• Teaching staff
• Specialist education or allied health staff
• Consultancy or professional development
• Specialist equipment or materials
• Education support staff

The quality of teaching has one of the largest impacts on student learning. Building teaching excellence is central to making schools more inclusive and improving outcomes for students with learning support needs.

In delivering effective programs for students with disabilities and additional learning needs, school leaders and teachers should ensure their practice is:

• Guided by the Victorian Curriculum, inclusive of Levels A-D and Foundation to 10
• Informed by disability specific professional learning activities undertaken annually as part of teacher registration requirements
• Evidence based and planned, implemented and monitored in line with the Framework for Improving Student Outcomes

In addition, school policy and practice should reflect collaboration between the school leaders and teachers, parent/carer(s), specialist education or allied health staff to develop agreed understandings and responses to students' needs, including students with autism, dyslexia, language or other learning disabilities.

Guidelines are available to assist schools in supporting students with disabilities and additional learning needs, refer to Student Support Groups.

For further information, refer to Students with Disability.

Language and Learning Disabilities Support Program resources should not be targeted to students in receipt of supplementary funding through the Program for Students with Disabilities.

Language and Learning Disabilities Support Program funding allocations will be progressively replaced by Disability Inclusion Tier 2 school-level funding, as the Disability Inclusion model is implemented in schools.

Eligibility

Funding through the Language and Learning Disabilities Support Program will continue to be available to schools until they transition to Disability Inclusion during the staged 5-year roll-out schedule between 2021 to 2025.

Remaining schools with the following campus types and enrolments are eligible for the Language and Learning Disabilities Support Program funding at campus level:

• Primary
• Secondary – Years 7 to 9 only
• Primary/Secondary combined – (secondary enrolments funded: Years 7 to 9 and Ungraded only) (excluding Wodonga Middle Years College)
• Community – (secondary enrolments funded: Years 7 to 9 and Ungraded only)
• Training Centre (excluding Yarra Me School)

Funding is calculated at the Indicative, Confirmed and Revised budget cycles. Funding is allocated through credit funding.

In 2023, schools that have funding allocated for Disability Inclusion Tier 2 (Reference 137) will no longer be eligible for this allocation regardless of school or campus type. This applies to eligible schools in Bayside Peninsula, Barwon, Central Highlands, Inner Gippsland, Loddon Campaspe Mallee, Outer Eastern Melbourne, Ovens Murray, and Western Melbourne areas.

Calculation

The allocation is calculated in two parts. First, a weighted per student allocation based on the Stages of Schooling for Prep to 9 students. Second, a further allocation for campuses with a Student Family Occupation (SFO) index above a density threshold of 0.4606.

Per student allocation (Part 1) = Base allocation + (Stages of Schooling enrolments × Stages of schooling weighted rate)

SFO allocation (Part 2 if applicable) = Stages of Schooling enrolments × Stages of schooling weighted SFO student rate × (School SFO index − SFO threshold)

Total allocation = Per student allocation + SFO allocation

Minimum allocation for all primary and secondary campuses = $5,000.00

Example: A primary school with 21 Prep to Year 1 enrolments, 11 Year 2 enrolments, 50 Year 3 to 6 enrolments and a school SFO density of 0.5543 would calculate their funding as follows:

Part 1 Student allocation = Base allocation + (Prep to Year 1 Enrolment (21) × Prep to Year 1 weighted rate) + (Year 2 enrolment (11) × Year 2 weighted rate) + (Year 3 to 6 enrolment (50) × Year 3 to 6 weighted rate)

Part 2 SFO allocation = (Prep to Year 1 enrolment (21) × Prep to Year 1 SFO weighted rate) + (Year 2 enrolment (11) × Year 2 SFO weighted rate) + (Year 3 to 6 enrolment (50) × Year 3 to 6 SFO weighted rate) × (School SFO index (0.5543) − SFO density threshold)

Total allocation = Student allocation (Part 1) + SFO allocation (Part 2). A minimum allocation is provided if Parts 1 and 2 do not generate the minimum funding of $5,000

Rates 2023

• SFO Threshold: 0.4606
• Guaranteed Minimum: $5,000
• Base Allocation: $3,000

Mental Health Practitioners (Reference 119)

The Mental Health Practitioners (MHP) initiative provides funding to government school campuses with secondary enrolments to employ a mental health practitioner (mental health nurse, occupational therapist, psychologist or social worker) for between one and five days a week.

Mental health practitioners provide direct counselling support to students and other early intervention and whole-school health promotion activities, as well as coordinating support for students with complex needs.

For further information on the MHP initiative, refer to Mental health practitioners in secondary and specialist schools in the department’s Mental health and wellbeing toolkit.

Student Resource Package (SRP) funding is provided to cover the salary of an ongoing school-based mental health practitioner. All secondary school campuses will receive an allocation between a minimum of 0.2 FTE and a maximum of 1.0 FTE, depending on the number of their secondary student enrolments.

FTE allocations will be fixed from the release of the Confirmed SRP (April 2023) for 2 years. At the conclusion of the 2-year period, FTE allocations will be reviewed and adjustments will be made where schools have a significant increase in student enrolments.

This funding is provided for the Mental Health Practitioners initiative only and allocated funding must be spent for this purpose. Prior to spending any accrued unused funding, schools must engage with their Regional Mental Health Coordinator (MHC) and refer to the School Implementation Guide (Alternative Use of Funding section, page 14) which can be accessed via Regional MHCs.

Eligibility

Funding is provided to Community, Language, Secondary and Primary/Secondary Combined campuses with secondary enrolments. Funding is also provided to Virtual School Victoria.

Funding is allocated as credit and cash funding.

The following schools/campuses do not receive this allocation:

• Frankston Special Developmental School
• Rubicon Outdoor School
• Outdoor School
• Bendigo Senior Secondary College – Netschool Campus

Calculation

Campus FTE allocation (Part 1) = Secondary enrolments × 0.0008119

Funding calculation (Part 2) = Campus FTE allocation (rounded to 1 decimal) × Rate

Rate

Rate = Midpoint of an Education Support, Level 1 Range 4, position including school SRP on costs

Camps Payment (Reference 144)

School camps (domestic) overnight on call

This funding line is provided to schools to pay teachers and education support staff attending domestic overnight camps during term time for 8 hours on call at 50% from 11 pm to 7 am for each night on camp. This funding has been backdated to 1 January 2023.

Employees who are required to attend a school camp are regarded as being on call and available to perform duties during the overnight period between 11 pm to 7 am and will attract 50% time-in-lieu for the 8-hour period (that is, 4 hours’ time in lieu). Payment for this time-in-lieu is calculated at 100% of a teacher’s hourly rate or 150% of an education support class employees’ hourly rate.

Schools have full flexibility to determine the appropriate allocation of the funding across their individual school camp program including longer camps for certain year levels and subject specialisations. Whilst schools will have different camp arrangements across student cohorts, this funding is calculated based on an average 3-day camp (2 overnights) for students in year levels from Grade 2 to Grade 6, and secondary schools from every year level from Year 7 to Year 12.

All school and campus types are eligible. The following 3 schools are not funded: Virtual School Victoria, Parkville College and Victorian School of Languages. Small rural schools as defined by the eligibility of Rural School Size Adjustment Factor (Reference 4) get an additional Rural Loading.

Eligibility

Schools with the following school types are eligible for the on-call payment funding at a campus level:

• Primary
• Secondary
• Primary/Secondary Combined
• Special Schools
• Language
• Camp

The allocations have the following specific elements:

• mainstream school specific per student rate + 40% loading if it is designated rural
• index specialist schools specific per student rate + 40% loading if it is designated rural
• camp schools specific per student rate + 40% loading if it is designated rural
• small schools have a funding floor to provide a minimum.

The funding is calculated to provide primary schools with funding to cover the overnight on-call payment for, on average, a 3-day camp for all students in all year levels from Grade 2 to Grade 6 and to secondary schools to cover the overnight on-call payments for, on average, a 3-day camp for all students in every year level from Year 7 to Year 12.

Calculation

All student enrolments from Grade 2 onwards are eligible to receive funding.

Formula

Funding for each school = Rate × Eligible enrolments. Small schools have a funding floor as defined below.

Eligible enrolments = All enrolments except Prep and Grade 1.

Rates

Mainstream/Language school rate: $49.35

Special School rate: $164.50

Camp Schools rate: $375.57

Funding floor for small school

Mainstream/Camp/Language: $500 total for 0 to 9.9 enrolments and $1,000 total for 10 to 19.9 enrolments.

Special : $1667.67 total for 0 to 9.9 enrolments and $3333.33 total for 10 to 19.9 enrolments.

Rural loading

Rural loading = 40%

Eligibility for rural loading is the same as defined for Rural School Size Adjustment Factor (Reference 4).

Other relevant information

Schools are also reminded that the 2023 school budgets provide casual relief teaching (CRT) cover for 2 professional practice days (PPDs) in 2023. If schools hold a common PPD in 2023, this CRT funding can be flexibly redeployed towards any time-in-lieu arrangements. Schools will receive funding for one PPD in 2024 and ongoing and similar redeployment towards any time-in-lieu arrangements can be applied where schools hold a common PPD.

The full and updated guidelines for time-in-lieu are available here:

• Time in lieu guidelines (DOCX)
• Time in lieu guidelines (PDF)

Resources

School student resource package (SRP) interactive site (staff login required)

To see budget and planner reports for principals and delegates, login to student resource package.

Current SRP guidance

• 2024 student resource package indicative guide (PDF)
• 2024 student resource package indicative guide (DOCX)
• 2023 student resource package revised guide (PDF)
• 2023 student resource package revised guide (DOCX)

Other resources

Disability specific professional learning activities – here schools can access information about the Victorian Curriculum and disability specific professional learning activities. In delivering effective programs for students with disabilities and additional learning needs, school leaders and teachers should ensure their practice is informed by the curriculum and the disability specific learning activities.