Sector Alert

Enhancements to our assessment and rating process 

From 1 July 2026, the Education Standards Board (ESB) will introduce enhancements to the assessment and rating process for education and care services in South Australia. They have been designed to provide services with more opportunity to discuss their practice, clarify evidence and participate in meaningful discussions throughout the assessment process.

Services are assessed against the National Quality Standard (NQS) to:

• promote continuous improvement in the provision of quality education and care
• improve knowledge and access to information about the quality of services to help families make informed decisions about their child’s education and care.

Why are these changes being introduced?

Approximately 24 per cent of South Australian education and care services remain rated under the previous version of the NQS. During 2026-27, the ESB will continue to focus on transitioning services to the current NQS, as well as undertaking partial reassessment and re-rating of services who are currently rated as ‘Working Towards NQS’.

Between September 2025 and January 2026, services under the previous version of the NQS received pre-assessment and rating visits. This focused on supporting their understanding of the assessment and rating process and current NQS expectations, as well as monitoring their compliance with the National Law and National Regulations.

These enhancements also provide greater alignment with other jurisdictions’ approach to assessment and rating.

View the full Sector Alert here.