NSW Government Assistance for Secondary Students

The NSW Secondary Schools Living Away from Home Allowance (pdf 240kb) provides assistance to eligible families who must board their children away from home to obtain secondary education.

1. The student's home must be in NSW
2. The student must be living away from home to attend an appropriate secondary school in NSW, QLD, SA, VIC, or the ACT
3. The student must be following a normal secondary course of study.

The basic criteria relate to Income and Distance.  There is also provision for Other Circumstances to be considered where relevant.

1. Income: A test is applied to the family's adjusted income for the preceding year.

2. Distance: There are three different ways in which applicants may qualify on distance grounds.

2.1   Distance to the nearest government secondary school is in excess of 48 kilometres by road each way or the travelling time required from the transport pick up point to the school exceeds one and one half hours each way.

2.2   Distance to a school of preferred religious denomination is in excess of 48 kilometres by road each way or the travelling time required from the transport pick up point to the school exceeds one and one half hours each way.

2.3   Distance from a government secondary school that offers Agriculture at School Certificate or Higher School Certificate level and Agriculture is not available at the nearest government secondary school.

3. Other Circumstances: Applicants who satisfy the pre-conditions and whose income is below the cut-off point may be eligible if any of the following apply.  Distance will not be taken into consideration.

1. The student is from a one-parent family and the parent is required to work and so cannot provide adequate supervision of the student before and after school hours.
2. Medical: It is essential to the management of the student's medical condition that he or she lives away from home.
3. Impassable roads: It is very likely that the student will not have reasonable access to an appropriate government school or preferred denominational school on at least 20 days of the school year because of impassable roads (refers to public roads only).
4. Change of place of residence when student is in Year 12: The parents change their place of residence when the student is in Year 12 and it is considered undesirable that the student change schools during the year.

To be eligible for the full year payment, applications must be received before 30th June of each year. Applications  received between 1 July and 30 September, if successful, will only be paid for a half year. Applications received after September 30 cannot be approved for that year.

The Boarding Scholarships for Isolated Students scheme has been established to assist students from rural areas who are disadvantaged by a low family income, and geographic isolation. Scholarships are valued at $4000 in 2008.

General Conditions Of Eligibility

1. Students must live in New South Wales (That is, the student's primary carer must be a permanent resident of NSW).
2. Families must meet the income test requirements for the NSW Living Away From Home Allowance (LAFHA).
3. Students must be in circumstances where they need to board away from home to attend the nominated government secondary school. (That is, the family home is geographically isolated and this severely affects the student's access to secondary schooling.)
4. Students must be in Years 7 to 12.
5. Applicants must submit an application form by the due date and supply all necessary supporting documents.
6. Different categories of scholarship are available to meet the needs of:

• Students who wish to attend and board at a NSW government Agricultural High School. (Applicants in this category must have been accepted for enrolment, or be eligible for enrolment at the school in terms of the Department's enrolment policy for agricultural high schools)

OR

• Students who wish to attend another NSW government specialist secondary school that conducts separate selection procedures, in order to pursue a special talent, interest or educational need, and who would need to board away from home to do so. Applicants in this category must have been accepted for enrolment, or be eligible for enrolment at the school in terms of the Department's enrolment policy for specialist high schools and the requirements of the individual school;

OR

• Students who are in circumstances where they have to board at a school term hostel to access a NSW government secondary school.