School Audits

Ensure Compliance. Improve Quality. Reduce Risk.

An audit designed to meet regulatory requirements, strengthen your governance and streamline your processes.

Private schools operate in a high-stakes environment shaped by evolving compliance requirements, rising parent expectations, and strong board oversight. Gaps in documentation, policies, or practices can expose schools to reputational risk, non-compliance, and missed opportunities for improvement.

At Saward Dawson, we do more than deliver an audit. We provide practical insights and expert guidance to help strengthen governance, reduce risk, and support continuous improvement.

Education Specialists

We understand the pressure your leadership and finance teams are under; balancing governance, compliance, parent relationships, donor expectations and operations.

As specialists in the education sector, we combine deep technical expertise with a practical understanding of school operations, helping you navigate complexity with confidence.

“We have worked with Saward Dawson as our auditors for over five years and the experience has been consistently excellent. They know our School well and bring a strong understanding of how an independent school operates which makes the audit process far more effective and less stressful for my finance team.”

 Tania Parkyn, Huntingtower

How It Works

Our Audit Services

Our audit is designed to give your school confidence in it’s financial reporting, strengthen governance and provide practical insights that support informed decision-making.

Financial Audits:
Independent reviews ensuring accuracy and compliance with financial reporting standards.

Grant Acquittals:
Tailored services to meet specific funder requirements, including government and capital funding.

VRQA Reviews:
Independent evaluations of your institution’s 5-year financial plan to meet Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority standards.

Internal Controls Assessment:
Evaluating and enhancing your organisation’s internal control systems to mitigate risks and improve performance.

Why Schools Choose Us

Meet Our Advisors 

Matthew Crouch 

David Mitchell 

Results You Can Expect

Ready to Strengthen Your Assurance?

Make and Enquiry

Download our free Pre-Audit Toolkit.

FAQs

How long does the audit take?

It depends on the size and complexity of the school, but with planning and open communication we ensure the process is efficient and aligned with your reporting timelines. Onsite activities are typically 1–3 days.

Will this disrupt staff and students?

We minimise disruption with a comprehensive checklist sent well before the audit and remote document reviews wherever appropriate.

Can we audit specific areas only?

Yes. You can request a specific focus area each year as part of our audit process (e.g. review of child safety, general journals, policy framework).

Are the results confidential?

Yes. All findings, interviews and documents are treated in strict confidence under a standard agreement.

Do you provide support after the audit?

Yes — coaching, templates and a follow-up to validate progress.

Do you align to our jurisdiction’s requirements?

Yes. We tailor our audits to your local regulatory and quality frameworks.

Do you provide support beyond compliance?

Yes. In addition to annual audits, we assist schools with payroll reviews, grant acquittals, KPI benchmarking, IT risk assessments and tailored advice on governance and reporting.

Saward Dawson acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and we pay our respects to Elders past and present.

Level 1, 20 Albert Street, Blackburn VIC 3130
PO Box 1212, Blackburn North VIC 3130

contact@sawarddawson.com.au | +61 3 9894 2500

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.