Eligibility
To be eligible schools are required to participate in PACER approved programs with at least three of the four Mandatory PACER Institutions booked when submitting an online application. The four mandatory institutions are:
- Australian Parliament House – Guided tour – Max 50 students, 4 x sessions can enter at any one time (1 hour program).
- Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD) – Max 50 students per session (1 hour program).
- National Electoral Education Centre (NEEC) – Max 45 primary students per session or Max 40 secondary students per session (90min program).
- Australian War Memorial (AWM) – Max 110 students per session (45 min program).
NOTE: During the Australian War Memorial Development project:- We have limited building capacity for WHS reasons. Due to this, our capacity for students each hour (9am-3pm on weekdays) is 110 students. This 110 can be split over 2 schools in the same hour. On weekends this capacity is reduced to 60 students each hour (1pm-3pm).
- Schools are asked during our orientation time to divide into smaller groups. The number of groups depends on a few factors such as the age/abilities of the students, the number of staff we have that day etc. For majority of programs, we divide into groups of 15 students per Australian War Memorial educator.
- For our School Wreath Laying Ceremonies at 8.30am on Tues, Weds and Thurs, we can accommodate up to 90 students from one school. Four of those students will have an active role: laying wreath and speaking roles. For the Last Post Ceremony each day (weekday and weekend) we can accommodate up to 60 students split between two schools. Each school for the Last Post Ceremony is given the opportunity to have 2 students lay a wreath.
- All our offerings, capacity limits and timeslots can be found here. While we are undergoing this substantial construction, we are unable to offer teacher-guided time and schools must exit the site at the conclusion of their booking.
Home Schools
Home schools applying for PACER need to complete the online application form. They must attach a copy of the itinerary that includes dates, session times and booking confirmations.
It is a requirement to participate in at least three of the four mandatory PACER institutions and provide booking confirmations at the time of the application. Please complete the ‘Visit’ tab with dates and times of all the institutions you are attending, this includes Mandatory, Alternative and Attractions as per your attached Itinerary.
Ensure to attach a current home school certificate for each student attending Canberra. Please also attach a copy of the unit of work that is being studied in class re: (Civics and Citizenship).
Home school applications submitted up until 31 December 2024 will also receive the ICSEA and Remoteness category funding.
ICSEA Assessment
Loadings for home schools will be determined by the lower of two scores: the average ICSEA score within the local government area (LGA) or the postcode of the home school.
This approach ensures that funding is equitably and consistently distributed, reflecting the diverse educational settings across different regions.
Geographic Loadings
Home schools located in Outer Regional, Remote, or Very Remote areas will automatically receive additional loadings based on their physical address, in line with PACER zoning criteria.
Applications must be submitted at least three weeks prior to the excursion.