March 2025

From the Acting Registrar

Over the past month, I have continued engaging with the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector in various forums. Our Regulatory Roundtable met for the first time in 2025 at the end of February. We discussed common areas of non-compliance identified at pre-assessment and rating visits and timeframes for our regulatory activities, such as applications, assessment and ratings and compliance monitoring. In this month’s bulletin we have included a summary of our Roundtable.

I have also delivered a series of presentations about our regulatory approach and assessment and rating to the sector including: members of the Association of Independent Schools of South Australia, Community Children’s Centres South Australia, Early Learning and Care Council of Australia, Out of School Hours Care Association South Australia and the South Australian Primary Principals Association. 

Each engagement has provided me with valuable insights into the ECEC sector’s experience with assessment and rating and our broader approach. We continue to increase the number of services which are rated to meet the Royal Commission recommendation that the Education Standards Board (ESB) assesses and rates services at least every three years. These insights continue to support our reform of our practices.

When meeting with the sector, a key topic which comes up is exceeding the National Quality Standards. In May 2024, the ESB, in collaboration with the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), delivered workshops on this very subject. You can read more here. To continue to support this, in this month’s bulletin, we focus on the questions our Regulatory Officers ask to support their assessment and rating and determine if there are exceeding themes. 

Following recent national media coverage on the ECEC sector, ACECQA has issued a message in its latest newsletter, which you can read here. The ESB is committed to ensuring that children and young people have access to high-quality education and care in safe, well-governed and well-managed services. As I mentioned in last month’s Bulletin, I encourage all providers and services to ensure they are regularly reviewing the Guide to the National Quality Framework and familiarising themselves with their obligations.

To close out this month’s bulletin, it has been announced that Mr Benn Gramola has been appointed as Chief Executive and Registrar. I look forward to working with Mr Gramola when he commences on Monday, 28 April 2025. I would like to thank the ESB Board and staff, especially our Presiding Member, Ms Alana Girvin, for their support during my time as Acting Registrar.

Sean Heffernan
Acting Registrar
Education Standards Board

National Child Safety Review update

The safety, health and wellbeing of all children who attend education and care services remains a priority for the ESB. In 2025, significant progress on the National Child Safety Review will continue with focus from the federal and state and territory governments.

February Regulatory Roundtable Summary

The ESB held its first Regulatory Roundtable for 2025 in February.