Many services track the National Quality Standard in a spreadsheet: 40 elements down the side, a rating and some evidence notes across. It is free, and it works until three things go wrong. Nobody can tell which copy is current. The evidence column fills with claims that are not linked to anything. And the spreadsheet does not show what regulation 55 actually requires, which is a self-assessment against the NQS and the Regulations, the areas for improvement and a statement of philosophy, reviewed at least once a year (regulation 56). The alternatives are a structured QIP tool, a template you keep in one place, or a spreadsheet plus a way to check the content. This page compares them.
When a spreadsheet stops working for NQS self-assessment and the QIP, what to use instead, and what each option costs.
The NQS has 7 quality areas, 15 standards and 40 elements. See NQS standards and elements.
| Problem | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Several versions | The plan you show an officer must be the current one. Emailed copies drift. |
| Evidence that is only a claim | “Educators follow the sleep policy” is not evidence. An officer will ask what shows it. |
| No regulations column | Regulation 55 asks for an assessment against the Regulations as well as the NQS. |
| Goals without owners or dates | The annual review in regulation 56 needs something to review progress against. |
| No review history | Without a record of each review, it is hard to show the plan was reviewed at least annually. |
Add a regulations column, an owner and due date for each goal, an evidence link rather than a description, and a review log tab. Keep one copy in a shared drive and stop emailing it. Cost: nothing but discipline.
The ACECQA QIP template, or our QIP template structure, gives the shape the regulatory authority expects. It solves layout, not version control or evidence.
A tool holds one current plan and records each element, goal and review in a fixed structure. WIDEN Law’s QIP builder is free with an account: self-assessment of all 40 elements, the philosophy, strengths, an export and up to 3 improvement goals. The 14-day free trial and the Centre and Group plans add unlimited goals with progress notes and the annual review record.
None of these tells you whether your evidence actually meets an element. In the 14-day free trial (no card), you can upload your current QIP for a gap analysis against the NQS and the Regulations, with a citation for each point. It is a research aid, not a rating prediction.
Run the free NQS self-assessment tool over your current spreadsheet. It takes you through all 40 elements and lists the ones you have not rated as met. That list is your improvement plan’s first draft.
Yes. The Regulations do not require any particular format. The QIP must include a self-assessment against the NQS and the Regulations, the areas for improvement and a statement of philosophy (regulation 55), and be reviewed at least annually (regulation 56).
At least annually, and at any time the regulatory authority directs (regulation 56(1)).
Yes. WIDEN Law's NQS self-assessment tool is free with no account, and the QIP builder is free with an account, with up to 3 improvement goals.
WIDEN Law answers National Quality Framework questions with inline citations to the National Law, the Regulations and the NQS, so you can check the source provision yourself.
14-day free trial, no card →This page is a research summary, not legal or compliance advice. It is written in our own words from the sources linked on the page; confirm the position with your regulatory authority before relying on it for a compliance decision.