Quality rating reassessments - An analysis of quality improvement in education and care services 2013-2017 - Occasional Paper 6 July 2018

Oct 15, 2026

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Quality rating reassessments examines how education and care services improved their quality at reassessment between 2013 and 2017, focusing on services rated Working Towards the National Quality Standard (NQS) under the 2012 NQS. Improvement is assessed through higher overall quality ratings, higher quality-area ratings, and greater numbers of met elements. The analysis identifies recruitment and retention of highly trained educators, and strong service leadership, as primary drivers, supported by case studies and sector perspectives.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages31

Reading Time1 h 18 min

AccessFree to download

Overview

Background

Quality improvement at reassessment

Improvement in the overall quality rating

Improvement in the overall quality rating by service characteristics

Quality area ratings

Quality improvement at the element level

Quality improvement at the element level by service characteristics

Quality improvement - Sector perspectives

Factors that contribute to quality improvement

Case studies

Conclusion

Revised 2018 NQS

Quality rating reassessments An analysis of quality improvement in education and care services 2013-2017 Occasional Paper 6 July 2018 The best start in [life | www.acecqa.gov.au](life | www.acecqa.gov.au) Contents | Overview | 3 | | --- | --- | | Background | 6 | | Quality improvement at reassessment | 7 | | Improvement in the overall quality rating | 8 | | Improvement in the overall quality rating by service characteristics | 11 | | Quality area ratings | 17 | | Quality improvement at the element level | 18 | | Quality improvement at the element level by service characteristics | 19 | | Quality improvement – Sector perspectives | 22 | | Factors that contribute to quality improvement | 22 | | Case studies | 24 | | Long day care | 25 | | Preschool/Kindergarten | 26 | | Outside school hours care | 27 | | Family day care | 28 | | Conclusion | 29 | | Revised 2018 NQS | 29 | 2 The best start in [life | www.acecqa.gov.au](life | www.acecqa.gov.au) Overview One of the six objectives of the National Quality Framework (NQF) is to promote continuous improvement in the provision of quality education and care services, with one of its six guiding principles focused on the expectation that best practice underpins service provision. This occasional paper is the sixth in a series on the NQF. It examines trends in quality improvement from the perspective of services rated Working Towards National Quality Standard (NQS) under the 2012 NQS. In this paper, a service is considered to have improved its quality at reassessment where it: ■ receives a higher overall quality rating ■ receives a higher rating in a quality area ■ meets a higher number of elements of quality. Qualitative analysis suggests primary drivers of quality improvement include the recruitment and retention of highly trained educators that have a good understanding of the NQF, delivering education and care under the direction of high quality service leadership. Assessments under the 2012 NQS Under the 2012 NQS, a service’s overall quality rating was based on: ■ 58 Elements assessed as ‘met’ or ‘not met’ ■ 18 Standards rated on the four point scale below ■ 7 Quality Areas also rated on the four point scale below. Standards, quality areas and the overall quality rating were assessed on a four point scale of: ■ Exceeding NQS ■ Meeting NQS ■ Working Towards NQS ■ Significant Improvement Required. In addition, under the 2012 NQS, a provider with a service that had an overall rating of Exceeding NQS was eligible to apply to ACECQA to be assessed for the Excellent rating. 3 The best start in [life | www.acecqa.gov.au](life | www.acecqa.gov.au) Figure 1: The 2012 NQS rating system Significant Improvement Required Service does not meet one of the seven quality areas or a section of the legislation and there is an unacceptable risk to the safety, health and wellbeing of children. The regulatory authority will take immediate action. Working Towards National Quality Standard Service provides a safe education and care program, but there are one or more areas identified for improvement. RATED WORKING TOWARDS NATIONAL QUALITY STANDARD Meeting National Quality Standard Service meets the National Quality Standard. Service provides quality education and care in all seven quality areas. Exceeding National Quality Standard Service goes beyond the requirements of the National Quality Standard in at least four of the seven quality areas. RATED MEETING NATIONAL QUALITY STANDARD EXCEEDING Excellent Service promotes exceptional education and care, demonstrates sector leadership, and is committed to continually improving. This rating can only be awarded by ACECQA. Services rated Exceeding National Quality Standard overall may choose to apply for this rating. Services with a rating of Working Towards NQS prior to reassessment made up over 70% of all reassessed services as at 31 December 2017, with over two-thirds (

FAQs

How does the paper define quality improvement at reassessment?

A service is considered to have improved its quality at reassessment when it receives a higher overall quality rating, a higher quality-area rating, and meets a higher number of quality elements.

Which aspects of the 2012 NQS determine an overall quality rating?

Under the 2012 NQS, the overall quality rating is based on 58 assessed elements, 18 standards rated on the four-point scale, and 7 quality areas rated on the same four-point scale.

What factors does the paper identify as primary drivers of quality improvement?

Primary drivers include recruitment and retention of highly trained educators who understand the NQF, combined with delivering education and care under the direction of high-quality service leadership.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mia