Specialist Support Classes in NSW Public Schools by Disability Type

The dataset lists current specialist support classes in New South Wales government schools, updated at the beginning of each term. It includes support types for conditions such as mild intellectual disability (IM), autism (Au), and physical disability (P). The data is provided by the NSW Department of Education's Disability, Learning and Support unit.

Use Cases

• Analyze the distribution of support types like Autism (Au) or Behavioural issues (BD) across NSW public schools to identify regional resource allocation.
• Map the prevalence of specific disability categories, such as Moderate intellectual disability (IO) or Deaf or hearing impaired (H), for educational planning.
• Track term-by-term changes in the operational status of support classes for conditions like Severe intellectual disability (IS) or Mental health issues (ED).
• Correlate the availability of Multi categorical (MC) support classes with school-level demographic or location data from other sources.

Strengths

• Covers 13 distinct specialist support types, including intellectual disabilities, autism, physical, sensory, and behavioral/mental health conditions.
• Data is updated at the beginning of each school term, providing regular refreshes.
• Sourced directly from the authoritative NSW Department of Education Disability, Learning and Support unit.

Limitations

• The dataset is an indicative list, not a definitive registry of all available support classes.
• A class is only listed if at least one student is enrolled, potentially undercounting available capacity.
• Row count, column structure, and sample size are unknown, limiting pre-analysis assessment of scope and granularity.

Provenance

Source

Disability, Learning and Support, NSW Department of Education.

Collection Method

Administrative data from NSW government schools, updated per term.

Time Range

Current operational classes; specific historical range not provided.

Freshness

Updated at the beginning of each school term; last platform update recorded as 2026-03-24.

Geography

New South Wales, Australia (NSW public schools).