The School Nutrition Program is a breakfast and/or lunch service for school-aged children from remote communities of the Northern Territory which aims to support better school attendance and to help with learning and engagement in education. The Program also provides job opportunities and training for local community members.
The Program is a sub-measure of the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) announced by the Australian Government in June 2007 in response to the Little Children are Sacred report.
The Emergency Response’s main aim is the protection of children living in remote communities and town camps in the Northern Territory. Approximately 8,000 children (180 non Indigenous) are enrolled in 71 schools in the 73 communities prescribed under the NTER with an estimated 2,500 children not attending sufficiently regularly to benefit from their education. Up to a further 2,000 children of school age are estimated not to be enrolled in education.
The Program is administered by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations on behalf of the Australian Government. The Department works with each community to establish and fund SNP Providers so they can employ local workers to prepare and deliver the meals, to ensure adequate kitchen facilities and equipment are available, and to support any related professional development activity.
Parents and carers are expected to contribute to the cost of the food for each child they support by making contributions via Income Management (IM), Centrepay or Electronic Funds Transfer.
Reporting for School Nutrition Program
School Nutrition Program Providers are required to submit Performance Reports and Interim Income and Expenditure Statements at the end of each Semester and, for most Providers, by the due dates shown below:
- 25 July 2011 (Performance Report and Interim Income and Expenditure Statement)
- 30 January 2012 (Performance Report and Interim Income and Expenditure Statement)
- 16 April 2012 (Interim Income and Expenditure Statement only)
- 25 July 2012 (Performance Report only)
School Nutrition Program Providers should refer to Schedule 1 of their Funding Agreement for reporting due dates.
Reporting includes details of the meals being delivered in schools, information about the number of people employed, factors which have impacted positively and negatively on program delivery and an Interim Income and Expenditure Statement showing year to date expenditure against budgeted items.
Performance Reports
Providers are encouraged to use INDIGO (Indigenous Education Online) to lodge Performance Reports. INDIGO is the system used by DEEWR to manage agreements, payments and associated reporting for all Indigenous Education programs.
INDIGO can be accessed through the Department’s website.
Interim Income and Expenditure Statements
Interim Income and Expenditure Statements should be lodged using the following template:
The completed, signed and dated Interim Income and Expenditure Statement, should be emailed electronically to your DEEWR project manager.
Alternatively post to:
School Nutrition Program Office
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
GPO Box 9880
Darwin NT 0801
Please contact your DEEWR project manager if you require assistance.