The Community Language Schools (CLS) Program provides annual grants to eligible not-for-profit CLS which provide language and cultural programs for Queensland Prep to Year 12 students.
Language and cultural classes refers to using the
Australian Curriculum: Languages (first language learner pathway or background language learner pathway) or the
Queensland curriculum to:
- focus on ways that language encodes culture—such as status, values and conventions
- teach the ways that cultural context impacts on what is communicated and how it is communicated
- teach skills and attitudes for negotiating interculturally-appropriate communication.
To be eligible to receive an annual grant, new and existing CLS must meet
all of the following requirements:
A list of ineligible organisations is provided in
Who is not eligible to apply for a grant?
Operational requirements
A CLS must:
- have been operational for at least 6 months
- have a minimum of 6 students
- provide a website link or generic email address for the CLS website
Find a CLS page
- key information in promotional material and/or on a CLS website about your language programs is available in English
- provide at least 3 months’ notice in writing to the Department of Education advising your CLS will no longer offer a language and cultural program.
Administrative requirements
A CLS must:
Suitable premises requirements
A CLS must:
- provide language and cultural programs delivered from premises located in Queensland and delivered face-to-face
- provide classes at premises that are not used as a residence.
Language Learning Program requirements
A CLS must:
- provide a language learning program to students irrespective of cultural background; and offered equally to male and female students
- provide a language and cultural learning program for students in Prep to Year 10 that aligns with the:
- use the
Languages senior subjects to develop a language learning program for students in Year 11 to Year 12
- ensure that the CLS program is appropriate to the age of the student and the curriculum
- ensure that the language programs, weekly plans, assessment tasks and student results sheets are kept up to date and that there is a hard copy of these filed in a secure location
- provide weekly languages and cultural classes for at least 36 weeks of the year
- provide language and cultural classes for a minimum of 2 hours per week.
Student requirements
Eligible students are:
- enrolled and attend a Queensland mainstream school from Prep to Year 12 or receive Home Education
- attend a minimum of 75% of scheduled weekly language program classes across the year
- have Australian citizenship or permanent residency.
Ineligible students:
- pre-school or adult students
- full-fee paying international students who attend a government or non-government school
- enrolled at another CLS learning the same language
- receive tuition or coaching for other subjects e.g. music, even if the course is conducted in the community language
- enrolled online
- students who no longer attend the CLS and/or have are enrolled in a school outside Queensland.
Reporting requirements
Maintain accurate records including:
- how the grant was used
- student attendance records
- Blue Cards details for all CLS staff and volunteer
- funding from other sources.
Behaviour requirements
The Department of Education may suspend an existing Service Agreement if a CLS, its officer, board member, employee, member, volunteer, subcontractor, representative or agent:
- commits an act that is regarded by the public as unacceptable or brings the reputation of the Department and/or Queensland Government into disrepute
- behaves in a way that the Department of Education believes its continued association with the CLS may be detrimental to the reputation of the department
- is not a fit and proper person, having regard to the special nature of working with children in a school setting
- has a conviction or findings of guilt for a sexual offence
- is convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment
- induces or attempts to induce any student to convert to a particular religion
- is critical of or denigrates another religion, religious tradition, religious belief or religious practice
- denigrates, offends or instils hatred for other minority group(s), language(s) and cultures(s).
Who is not eligible to apply for a grant?
The following are not eligible to apply for a CLS grant:
- individual or commercial entities
- Queensland schools
- P&C Associations
- Queensland Government departments, agencies and statutory authorities
- Australian Government departments, agencies and statutory authorities
- organisations based outside of Queensland who do not provide language classes in Queensland.