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Rural and Distance Education facilities in country New South Wales provide for access and equity to the educational needs of students throughout New South Wales country and regional areas. Extensive facilities and support programs are provided for students across New South Wales including those who are affected by geographic location or other circumstances which may make them isolated learners.

Advice and support for rural and distance education is informed and guided by a focus on supporting schools and regions to develop strategies to enhance:

• Curriculum- to provide isolated students with access to a wider range of teachers, curriculum materials, learning experiences and sources of knowledge

• Peer Interaction- to provide more direct and timely opportunities to engage with peers in collaborative learning

• Connectedness - to enhance a sense of belonging expressed through new types of interaction across space and time, accessing information sources, educational and community services and individual connections.

This is achieved by the NSW Rural and Distance Education Unit through:

• investigating the needs of rural and isolated students
• supporting with school staff, parents, caregivers, students and members of the community are actively involved in Rural and Distance Education programs
• advising and supporting regions and schools in the conceptualisation and development of coordinated rural and remote schooling strategies and initiatives to further strengthen the effectiveness of rural and remote schooling.

The Rural and Distance Education Unit is comprised of three operational teams which provide strategic planning and policy advice:

• Country Areas Program (CAP) – supports 240 geographically isolated government and non-government schools through the provision of grants, professional learning and consultancy support. CAP is jointly administered with the Catholic Education Offices of Canberra-Goulburn, Bathurst and Armidale Dioceses.
• Distance Education –supports distance education schools to provide education for students who are isolated or whose special circumstances prevent them from attending school on a regular basis. It also administers financial assistance to students undertaking secondary study in the form of Living Away from Home Allowance, Agricultural High School Boarder Scholarships (pdf 218kb) and Access Scholarships for Isolated Students  (pdf 302kb).
• Rural and Distance Technologies – supports technology infrastructure used in distance education and in the Access Program which links 22 remote schools using technology to allow small groups of Year 11 and Year 12 students to work together in real time classes.