Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning
Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)
Each year, all Australian schools participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD is an annual process that helps schools identify and record the adjustments and support provided to students with disability so they can access and participate in education on the same basis as their peers.
The information collected assists schools, education authorities and governments to better understand the needs of students with disability, strengthen support practices, and improve educational outcomes for all students. The data also informs funding allocations to support students with disability across Australian schools.
Students may be included in the NCCD if they receive ongoing adjustments due to disability. These adjustments may include changes to teaching and learning programs, classroom supports, modified resources, assistive technology, health care support, or other reasonable adjustments that help students access education. The NCCD uses the broad definition of disability outlined in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.
As part of the collection, schools provide information about:
- a student’s year of schooling
- the level of adjustment being provided
- the broad category of disability.
Importantly, the NCCD is not a test and does not require any additional assessment of students. The process is based on information that schools already collect and use to support student learning and wellbeing.
Protecting student privacy is a key feature of the NCCD. No personal information, such as student names, is provided to the Australian Government through the collection. All information is managed in accordance with privacy legislation and strict confidentiality requirements.
The NCCD takes place annually in August and provides an opportunity for schools to reflect on the supports and adjustments they provide, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to learn, participate and succeed.
Parents and carers seeking further information about the NCCD are encouraged to visit the NCCD Portal or contact the school.
Celebrating our growing culture of practitioner inquiry
Santa Sabina College has recently had the opportunity to share our practitioner‑inquiry journey with the broader educational community, and I am delighted to acknowledge the leadership of Ms Kate Corcoran, Coordinator of Action Research, whose work continues to recognise and elevate our professional growth culture.
Over the past fortnight, Kate has presented at three external events. At the Research‑Invested Schools National Gathering, she highlighted how our whole‑school Action Research Program is being used to drive strategic priorities and is currently shaping our pedagogical focus on Teaching for Thinking. She also shared insights with postgraduate students at the University of Sydney, alongside colleague Ms Sophia Huang, illustrating the rich learning emerging from inquiry projects within our Maths Faculty. Most recently, she participated in a panel discussion at the Teachers’ Guild of NSW 2026 Research Conference, exploring innovative research practices and illustrating how our teachers draw on internal and external evidence to refine and enhance the impact of their classroom approaches.
These engagements reflect the strength of our internal work in building a culture of research-enriched practice. Last week, we launched the next cycle of our Action Research Program on the secondary campus, inviting teachers to begin to explore pedagogies and learning experiences designed to develop students’ capacity to apply the cognitive skills embedded in our Teaching for Thinking Framework. This sustained, iterative form of practitioner inquiry aims to deepen students’ ability to be critical, collaborative and creative thinkers, strengthening their capacity to engage thoughtfully with their world and cultivating the capabilities they will need to thrive in and beyond school.
It is wonderful to see our work recognised and shared so widely, reinforcing Santa Sabina as a professional community committed to questioning and continually refining practice in light of emerging evidence, all in the pursuit of deeper student thinking and understanding.
Ms Jacqueline Pugh
Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning