Support from External Service Providers

Our school works closely with families to make sure every child gets the support they need to learn and thrive. Sometimes this means bringing in specialist providers from outside our school, such as therapists funded by the NDIS or other programs.

The primary purpose of schools, under the Education Act 1990, is to deliver the curriculum to all students. The NSW Department of Education recognises that externally funded service providers have a role in delivering services to children and young people with additional health, disability and wellbeing needs that support their particiapation in school. In some circumstances it may be appropriate for these services to be delivered at school.

Decisions around whether to provide access to externally funded providers are a matter for the school Principal, based on whether it is in the best educational interests of the student, and considering the school's duty of care towards all staff and students. Principals have discretion to grant or not grant school access to an external provider, taking into consideration:

• the impact of the service on curriculum requirements and the student's participation in learning activities,
• the extent to which ther service supports the student's learning needs or enhances access to education,
• the impact of the service on other students and/or the operations of the school.

What does External Service Provider support mean?

External Service Provider support means getting extra help for your child from people who are not part of our school. This can include:

• Assessments or checks – such as psychological, speech or occupational therapy
• Special tutoring or learning programs – run by trained professionals outside our school
• Health services – like counselling or medical support we cannot give internally
• Agency support – help with behaviour, language or social development

This support works with what our school already provides, to meet your child’s needs.

How the process works for parents and carers

Your role in the process

Parents help this process run smoothly by:

• Making the external provider request in writing to our school through this form.
• Letting providers know if their child will be away or if there is a school event on that day.

For more information on accessing external provider support, see our Parents and carers external provider factsheet.

Requirements for external providers

External providers must meet all NSW Department of Education requirements before working with our school.

They must:

Requests to complete assessment or provide information to external support providers

1. Purpose and Relevance:
   Teachers should only complete assessments or provide information that is relevant to the student’s learning and support needs within the school context.

2. Collaboration and Consent:

   • Collaboration between teachers, allied health providers, parents/carers, and school leadership is important.
   • Ensure appropriate consent has been obtained from parents/carers before sharing student information or completing assessments for external providers.

3. Use of Existing Data:
   Teachers are encouraged to use existing assessment data, observations, and reports rather than conducting additional formal assessments unless specifically trained and required.

4. Time and Workload Considerations:
   Completing assessments for allied health providers should be reasonable and not impose excessive workload on teachers. Requests should be managed through the school leadership team to prioritise and allocate time.

Requests to complete assessment or provide information to external support providers

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