NCCD Guidelines 2026: what changed, and what didn't

What changed in the 2026 NCCD Guidelines.

Education Ministers approved the NCCD Guidelines: Effective 2026 Onward, and the Department of Education says there are no changes to the NCCD process for 2026. The update clarifies four things. Each one below names its section of the Guidelines.

Consultation: record why parents weren't consulted

Guidelines, section C.2.3. From 2026, if parents, guardians or carers are not consulted, the school must document why. A brief explanation is enough; agreement is not required. The school must still consult the student or their associate before making adjustments, and in most cases should consult parents, guardians or carers too. A line such as “Family not reached after three calls in March; adjustments discussed with the student and year adviser” does the job. Read how to document NCCD consultation, including when parents aren't consulted.

Extensive: at all times, over consecutive weeks

Guidelines, section C.3.1. For every other level, the 10 weeks can be spread across the year and any amount of adjustment in a school week counts as a week. The 2026 Guidelines make clear that this flexibility does not apply at Extensive: the adjustments must be in place at all times, over consecutive weeks. The definition of Extensive and its funding loading did not change. Our guide to the Extensive level covers how to decide whether a student is truly Extensive, and what strong evidence of it looks like.

Imputed disability: confirm the adjustments are due to disability

Guidelines, section C.4.2. A disability can still be diagnosed or imputed, and a diagnosis is still not required. Imputed means judged to exist, on reasonable grounds and with evidence, after consulting the student or their associate. From 2026, before imputing, the school team confirms the adjustments are due to disability, not academic performance, learning difficulties or external factors. Limited attendance, family disruption, transience or English language acquisition are not, on their own, grounds for inclusion.

Read what imputed disability means for the NCCD, or how to record an imputed disability in Superadjust.

Clearer examples of evidence, and related wording

Guidelines, section C.5.1. The Department's announcement lists this as the fourth clarification: the Guidelines now give clearer examples of the evidence that supports a student's inclusion, such as an Individual Learning Plan. The rest of the update is wording, not new rules. The Quick Guide's examples are records most schools already keep: a learning plan, timetables showing adjustments or specialist support, emails that show consultation with families, team notes on monitoring and review, and a functional needs checklist. Schools still don't need to create new evidence. See what a student's NCCD record must show.

Sources: NCCD Guidelines: Effective 2026 Onward, sections C.2.3, C.3.1, C.4.2 and C.5.1; Department of Education, SchoolsHUB news, 8 October 2025; NCCD Quick Guide (2026 edition), Education Services Australia, CC BY 4.0.

What stayed the same in 2026.

Everything else stands, so the NCCD process your school already runs still applies. These are the parts schools most often ask about.

• The process. The Department of Education confirmed there are no changes to the NCCD process for 2026. The 8 steps below still apply.
• Four levels of adjustment. QDTP, Supplementary, Substantial and Extensive. Only the last three attract the loading. Report the highest level provided for the 10 weeks. More on NCCD levels of adjustment.
• Four categories of disability. Physical, cognitive, sensory and social/emotional. The category is the one that mainly drives the adjustments, not the diagnosis. More on NCCD categories of disability.
• Four areas of evidence. Assessed need, consultation and collaboration, adjustments with the level justified, and ongoing monitoring and review.
• The 10 weeks. At least 10 weeks of adjustments in the 12 months before Census Day. The weeks can be split across terms, except at Extensive.
• No new paperwork. Schools are not required to create new or additional evidence for the NCCD. Evidence is sighted in the form it already exists.
• No consent needed. Parental consent isn't required, because the collection is authorised by law.
• Records kept under the school's obligations. The school keeps its NCCD records under its own obligations, including any state or territory records rules.
• Census Day. The first Friday in August. The next is expected on Friday 6 August 2027; the date isn't published yet. More on NCCD Census Day.

What is the NCCD? The whole collection, explained

Sources: NCCD Guidelines: Effective 2026 Onward; Department of Education, evidence requirements for the NCCD; SchoolsHUB news, 8 October 2025; Australian Education Regulations 2023.

Where the 2026 changes land in the NCCD's 8 steps.

The official NCCD Quick Guide, refreshed for the 2026 Guidelines, sets out the whole process in 8 steps. Steps 1 to 5 run through the school year; steps 6 to 8 check, approve and submit the data. Here is each step, and where the 2026 clarifications land.

1. Prepare your school and school community. The team reads the 2026 Guidelines, the principal nominates who drives the NCCD, and families hear what is collected and why.
2. Provide adjustment(s). Consult before adjusting. Clarified in 2026: if parents, guardians or carers aren't consulted, record why.
3. Determine the level of adjustment(s). Report the highest level provided for the 10 weeks. Clarified in 2026: Extensive means at all times, over consecutive weeks.
4. Determine the category of disability. The category that mainly drives the adjustments. Clarified in 2026: before imputing, confirm the adjustments are due to disability.
5. Record and retain evidence of adjustment(s). Evidence in the four areas, through the year, kept under the school's own obligations. The 2026 Guidelines give clearer examples, such as a learning plan.
6. Quality assurance. Strongly encouraged: moderate level and category decisions within the school, so they are consistent and defensible.
7. Approve the data. The principal, or an executive member, confirms the data is accurate and backed by evidence.
8. Submit the data. Government schools through their state or territory. Non-government schools through SchoolsHUB.

Each step in plain English, with the guide that covers it in depth: the NCCD quick guide 2026. The official NCCD Quick Guide (PDF) is published by Education Services Australia, for the Australian Government Department of Education. It does not replace the Guidelines, which take precedence.

Weak and stronger NCCD evidence, pillar by pillar.

From page 24 of the guide. The stronger entries aren't just longer. They say who, what, when, why, and how it was reviewed.

What's inside the NCCD 2026 Guide.

31 pages, in the order you'll use them. Read the first part for the picture. Then use the rest to review the student files that need attention.

1. Set the frame. Pages 4 to 10. Why the NCCD matters, the 2026 update in one page, and five questions every student file should answer.
2. The clarified areas. Pages 11 to 23. Consultation, the 10 weeks, Extensive adjustments, imputed disability, and the records you already keep.
3. Evidence quality. Pages 24 to 25. Weak and stronger entries side by side, and the evidence risks that surface too late.
4. Review and next steps. Pages 26 to 31. Readiness states, a seven-day review plan, what not to do, sources and a final check.

Written in May 2026 for that year's collection, so its key dates (page 8) are past. The Guidelines it explains still apply.

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