Standards
What a school must demonstrate
A member school is reviewed against these standards. They are published in full so that a school - or a parent looking at a school - can see exactly what accreditation requires.
Standard 1
Governance
The school must be able to show who is responsible for it and how decisions are made. It must name the person or body that governs it, keep a written statement of its purpose, and hold a current record of its governing decisions. Where the school operates as a ministry of a church or other body, that relationship must be stated. A school cannot be reviewed if no one is answerable for it.
Standard 2
Instruction
The school must set out what it teaches and show that teaching actually happens. It must provide a written plan of study covering the subjects it offers, name the materials used, and record how much instruction each student receives. Where a subject is taught by a parent at home or through an online program, the plan must say so plainly rather than implying classroom teaching that does not take place.
Standard 3
Records
The school must keep a student record for every enrolled student, and keep it accurately. That record must show the student's name, date of birth and enrollment dates; attendance; the subjects taken with grades; and, where a student leaves, the date they left. Records must be kept for at least five years after a student leaves, and must be released only to the student, to a parent or guardian, or to another school on written request.
Standard 4
Facilities and safety
The school must provide a safe place to learn, whether that is a building or a home. It must have a written emergency procedure, keep the learning space free of hazards, and hold any supervision arrangements in writing. For a school taught online, the same standard applies to the arrangements for supervising younger students and for dealing with a disclosed concern.
Standard 5
Financial integrity
The school must handle tuition honestly and be able to account for it. It must publish its fees, state its refund position in writing before a family pays, keep a record of every payment received, and issue a receipt on request. Records of money received must be separate from personal funds and available for review.
Standard 6
Student welfare
The school must act on a concern for a student, and must say in advance how it will. It must keep a written policy for safeguarding students, name the person responsible for acting on a concern, and record both the concern and what was done about it. A school that does not hold such a policy cannot be accredited.
What accreditation means here
Accreditation by the Eastern Association of Private Schools is a statement by a private association. It is not a government license, not state recognition, and not approval by any department of education, and it should never be described as any of those things.