NDIS vs schools: who pays for what

A common scenario: your child needs a support at school. You ask the school. The school says 'that's an NDIS matter'. You ask the NDIS. The NDIA says 'that's a school responsibility'. Both cannot be right. Here is what the law actually says.

The two legal frameworks, one question

Two pieces of law define the boundary.

The schools' side — Disability Standards for Education 2005

Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, every Australian school — public and private — is legally required to make 'reasonable adjustments' for students with disability. Schools must adjust:

• The curriculum and teaching methods.
• The learning environment.
• Assessment and reporting practices.
• Access to services and facilities within the school.

Reasonable adjustments are the school's responsibility, funded by the school (and, in public schools, by the state department of education — in NSW via NDIS-like adjustment funding, in VIC via Program for Students with Disabilities, and so on by state).

The NDIS side — section 34(1)(f) of the NDIS Act

The NDIS will not fund something that is 'more appropriately funded or provided through another system'. Education is specifically identified in NDIS Operational Guidelines as a system the NDIS does not duplicate.

Three categories every parent needs to understand

The line becomes clearer when you distinguish three categories of support.

Category 1 — Reasonable adjustments (schools)

Adjustments to curriculum, teaching, and school environment. These are always school responsibility. Examples:

• A modified learning program matched to the child's ability.
• Extra time in assessments.
• Rest breaks in the classroom.
• A quiet space for overwhelm.
• Modified expectations for handwriting or presentation.
• Use of a laptop or assistive technology the school provides.
• A communication book with the family.
• Educational support staff (Learning Support Officer / teacher aide) in class, in public schools.

NDIS does not fund these. The school has a legal obligation to provide them, up to the point where they become unreasonable. 'Unreasonable' is a genuine threshold — the DDA recognises schools aren't required to provide adjustments that would fundamentally alter the nature of education or cause unjustifiable hardship. In practice, almost all classroom-level adjustments are within 'reasonable'.

Category 2 — Disability-specific therapy and capacity building (NDIS)

Therapy that builds the child's capacity and treats the disability itself. Examples:

• Speech pathology (regardless of whether the child's communication also affects learning).
• Occupational therapy (regardless of whether the child's motor or sensory profile also affects school participation).
• Psychology, behaviour support, counselling.
• Specialist assessments (OT functional, psychological, language).
• Assistive technology the child needs across settings — communication devices, hearing loops, mobility aids.
• Therapy assistants supporting a child's therapy plan.

These are NDIS responsibility, whether the child uses them at home, clinic, or school. NDIS therapists are often welcomed at schools for on-site therapy — the NDIS funds the therapist; the school provides the space and the willingness to collaborate.

Category 3 — The grey zone

A small but painful middle. Supports that could be provided by either system, where the boundary is genuinely contested. Examples:

• A personal carer for toileting during the school day — often NDIS, but public schools are increasingly providing.
• A 1:1 support worker for recess and lunch — usually NDIS (because it's social and recreational, not educational), but boundaries vary by state.
• Transport to and from school — rarely NDIS unless specific safety or disability-access reasons, usually family or school bus.
• Sensory equipment kept at school — often contested: is it therapy (NDIS) or a classroom adjustment (school)?

How to navigate the grey zone

When you're in Category 3 and both sides are pointing at each other, four things help.

1. Put it in writing — both sides

Email the school's principal and the wellbeing coordinator with a specific request. Email your NDIS planner or LAC/Partner with the same request. Get both positions in writing. This alone often moves things — when a refusal has to be written down, it often becomes less confident.

2. Invoke the specific legal framework

To the school: 'Under the Disability Standards for Education 2005, this adjustment appears to fall within the school's obligation to provide reasonable adjustment. Please explain your decision.' To the NDIS: 'The support I'm requesting is not provided by the school under the Disability Standards. Please confirm this is a matter for NDIS funding.'

3. Ask for a conciliation or case meeting

Most serious school-NDIS disputes benefit from a single meeting with everyone in the room — you, the school wellbeing coordinator, your NDIS planner or Partner, and your child's key clinician. This meeting shifts the dispute from 'who pays' to 'what does the child actually need'. It often resolves the issue.

4. Use formal complaint channels if needed

If the school refuses to provide reasonable adjustment, you can complain under the Disability Discrimination Act to the Australian Human Rights Commission. If the NDIS refuses to fund a support that falls outside the school's lane, you can appeal via internal review. Both pathways are free.

Working with NCCD

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) is how schools formally record the adjustments they're providing. Every year, schools rate each student with disability on a four-level scale of adjustment and a four-level scale of disability category. NCCD data informs federal funding to schools. It is worth asking your school:

• Which NCCD level is my child recorded at?
• What specific adjustments are being provided at that level?
• Can I see my child's NCCD Student Profile?

NCCD information is a powerful advocacy tool. If the school says 'we can't provide more' but your child is at NCCD Level 2 (supplementary adjustment) when their needs match Level 3 (substantial adjustment), the evidence is on your side to ask for more.

State-specific notes

Funding models for school-provided adjustments vary by state. This matters for your advocacy language.

• VIC — Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD) tiers 1–4; Disability Inclusion under rollout.
• NSW — Integration Funding Support (IFS) for students with additional needs; separate NCCD-based funding.
• QLD — Education Adjustment Program (EAP) categorisation drives funding.
• WA — Schools-based Disability Support Centres; state-based funding via NCCD.
• SA — Students with Disability Policy; specific individual funding for high-need cases.
• TAS, ACT, NT — each have their own allocation models, usually NCCD-informed.