The National School Reform Agreement

The National School Reform Agreement is a joint agreement between the Commonwealth, States and Territories to lift student outcomes across Australian schools.

Reflecting the long-standing practice of collaboration between all governments to deliver school education, the Agreement sets out 8 national policy initiatives against 3 reform directions that all parties have agreed to implement across the 5 years to December 2023.

The Agreement has been informed by the findings and recommendations of:

Further detail on the Agreement is in the National School Reform Agreement fact sheet and the national policy initiatives fact sheets.

National Policy Initiatives fact sheets

Annual Reports on progress in implementing the national policy initiatives

Bilateral Agreements

States and territories are also required to have a bilateral agreement with the Commonwealth that sets out state-specific actions to improve student outcomes. Bilateral agreements include activities that support particular student cohorts such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, students in regional, rural and remote areas, students with disability and students from a low-SES background.

Bilateral agreements also set out minimum state and territory funding contribution requirements as a condition of receiving Commonwealth school funding. Reporting guidance has been developed to assist states and territories to report on their funding contributions.

Information on implementation of the state-specific actions can be found in the annual progress reports below.

2022 Progress reports

2021 Progress reports

2020 Progress reports

2019 Progress reports

Further information can be found in the Quality Schools frequently asked questions.