Defining level of study for special schools 010-07010040

To be paid one of Services Australia's administered payments for students, a customer must be undertaking an approved course of study at an approved institution. Generally, the requirement is the approved course of study is at the secondary or tertiary level.

Some families will receive ABSTUDY or the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Scheme while a dependant is undertaking primary school level study.

In the past there was some concern about the study level of particular students at special schools who were of secondary school age and whether they were actually undertaking study equivalent to secondary level. This concern arose because individual's study plans are, at least to some extent, dependent on their level of disability, so that each student effectively had a personalised course of study which may or may not be secondary study.

In recent years, State and Territory education authorities have usually decided that students in special schools of secondary school age or who are over school leaving age are regarded as undertaking accredited secondary study. Where this is the case, for ABSTUDY, AIC, Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) and Youth Allowance (YA) purposes, they are undertaking approved courses for the purpose of the Education Minister's Determination of Education Institutions and Courses.

To be eligible for ABSTUDY Living Allowance or ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES), students who are studying at a special school are required to undertake study that:

• the State/Territory education authority
• a non-government education authority
• or the school Principal has stated, in writing, to be at secondary level

Where a student is studying at a special school in studies at a primary level or an equivalent ungraded level, they would not be able to access ABSTUDY Living Allowance or ABSTUDY PES. In these cases there may be eligibility for an allowance under the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Scheme.

For students considered to be studying at a secondary level, the year of study for coding purposes is Year 9, unless a year level has been specifically advised by the relevant education authority for that student.

Youth Disability Supplement (YDS) is paid to full-time students and Australian Apprentices in receipt of YA or ABSTUDY if the customer is 21 years of age and under and has been assessed by an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) as having a partial capacity to work of less than 30 hours per week.