Student Resource Package – Equity Funding (Student-Based Funding)

Equity (Catch Up) 2026 (Reference 158)

Equity (Catch Up) funding targets government secondary school students who need additional support in literacy and numeracy, enabling schools to provide evidence-based learning interventions. Schools are encouraged to use a portion of their Equity (Catch Up) funding ($835 per student) to deliver small group learning to students who need additional support.

Identifying eligible students

Government school students identified as ‘needs additional support’ in their most recent National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) results attract Equity (Catch Up) funding.

In 2026, eligible students will attract Catch Up funding of $1,094.34.

This funding is not affected by the school’s or student’s level of disadvantage and is based only on the academic achievement of the student.

The number of students is aggregated at a campus level to provide a total number of students per campus.

An update of student movements, using updated NAPLAN data, is applied annually post the confirmed SRP budget release.

Year level match to NAPLAN results

A student’s most recent NAPLAN Reading assessment result will be used to determine their eligibility for the Catch Up loading.

The number of eligible FTE enrolments at each campus is determined by matching the current year February census enrolment records to their corresponding NAPLAN Reading status (as per the table below for 2026 Catch Up). The FTE update for current year occurs at the post confirmed SRP budget release.

* 2026 Year 7 student data is not yet available, so the Year 5 NAPLAN data of 2025 Year 7 students have been used to predict 2026 Year 7 allocations at each campus.

Note: Schools can identify students to be supported through Equity (Catch Up) funding via Panorama.

Absent, exempt, unmatched and withdrawn students

In 2026, students will not be eligible for Catch Up funding if they:

• were absent from their latest NAPLAN Reading assessment
• were exempt from sitting their latest NAPLAN Reading assessment
• cannot be matched with their NAPLAN data (for example, they sat their test interstate)
• are recorded as withdrawn and did not sit NAPLAN.

Students previously receiving Equity (Catch Up)

In 2026, if a student who in 2025 received the Catch Up funding, due to being previously assessed as ‘needs additional support’ (or below national minimum standards if prior to 2023), has been assessed as above 'needs additional support’ in their latest NAPLAN Reading assessment’, the student will receive a reduced ‘previous Catch Up’ funding of $547.18.

Eligibility

Secondary and Primary/Secondary combined schools with the following campus types are eligible for Equity (Catch Up) funding at a campus level:

• Secondary
• Primary/Secondary combined
• Community
• Special Development
• Language.

Funding is allocated as 10% cash and 90% credit funding.

Rates – 2026

Calculation

A campus’s overall Catch Up funding allocation is determined by combining the amounts from the following calculations:

• Number of secondary graded students reported as ‘needs additional support’ in their latest NAPLAN Reading assessment × ‘needs additional support’ per-capita rate
• Number of secondary graded students who previously received the Catch Up loading but are no longer eligible × ‘previous Catch Up’ per-capita rate.