20 pre-populated risks
Six categories: Governance, WHS, Cyber, Financial, Child Safeguarding, Reputation. Each risk has a plain-English description written for a school context.
Free download
The risk register template independent schools actually use
Pre-loaded with 20 school-specific risks, ready for your next board meeting. Download free. Upgrade to a live register in two weeks.
ISO 31000 aligned
Every risk, rating and treatment column maps to the international risk management standard your auditor already uses.
What is inside
A register your board will actually read
Not a blank workbook. A pre-populated register written for the way independent schools actually run.
Inherent and residual rating columns
Rate each risk before and after controls on a 5x5 likelihood-consequence matrix. The heatmap updates as you type.
Appetite and tolerance legend
Tolerance bands mapped to each residual rating so the register reads the same way your board already thinks.
Controls and treatments tabs
Track existing controls and planned treatments, each with owner, due date, and status.
Board exec summary page
A one-page snapshot you can screenshot into your next board pack. Top five residual risks, movement, and overdue treatments.
One-page instructions
A printable guide for handing the workbook to a committee member or business manager, with the scoring legend on the back.
The scoring engine
A 5x5 matrix that updates as you type
Pick likelihood and consequence from the dropdowns. Inherent and residual ratings recalculate, the heatmap recolours, and the board summary tab reflects the change the next time you open it. No formulas to maintain.
Ready to hand to a committee
A printable cheatsheet for the scoring legend
Print it, staple it to the front of the committee pack, and suddenly everyone is rating against the same scale. Plain English definitions for each consequence and likelihood band, written for the way independent schools actually talk.
The template is the start, not the finish
From Excel to a live register
The template solves the first problem: a clean, shared, school- specific register. A live register solves the next one: the register staying useful between meetings.
What it does
The template
EthosOne live register
Where it lives
A file on your laptop.
A live system every committee member can read without a download.
How you rate risks
You type scores into cells.
You pick from a matrix that updates appetite, heatmap, and board summary at the same time.
Who owns what
A name written in a column.
Owners get reminders, treatments roll forward, overdue items surface to the A and R committee.
How the board reads it
You rebuild a slide the week before each meeting.
One-click snapshot to board pack, with exec summary, top five, and movement since last meeting.
Audit trail
Version control via filename.
Immutable snapshots an auditor accepts as evidence.
What it looks like live
One dashboard the whole leadership team opens
Risk sits inside the same leadership dashboard as compliance, policy, meetings and strategy. Owners see what is theirs. Principal sees the whole picture. Board sees the one-page snapshot.
From a founding customer
“Two terms ago our risk register lived in a Word doc the board saw twice a year. Now it lives in EthosOne, my committee reads it monthly, and I walk into board with a one-page snapshot I trust.”
Frequently asked
What Business Managers ask us first
Who is this template for?
Built for Business Managers and Risk and Compliance leads in independent schools across Australia and New Zealand. It is equally usable by a board sub-committee Chair who wants a shared language with the school executive.
How is it different from the AISSA or AHISA template?
The sector templates are excellent starting points. This one is the same shape but pre-populated with 20 school-specific risks drawn from the EthosOne risk library, plus inherent and residual rating columns, an appetite legend, and a board-ready exec summary tab. Bring it alongside your association template and use whichever reads better for your board.
What does EthosOne do that the template does not?
The template is a snapshot in Excel. EthosOne is a live register your school runs on. Treatments have owners and due dates, appetite is applied automatically, the board snapshot builds itself, and an audit trail is kept for you. The template is a starting point, not the finish.
Is my data safe when we upgrade to the live register?
Your data is hosted in Australia, encrypted in transit and at rest, and access is scoped by role. During a trial you can load dummy data, real data, or a mix. You own the data at every stage and can export at any time.
Get the template now. Book the demo when you're ready.
Download the workbook, show it to your committee, and come back when you want to see the live register running with your own risks.
Board-ready in 30 days
EthosOne supports everyone who plays a role in school governance:
What you can expect
Governance Clarity
Boards get consistent, ready-to-present insights.
Assurance Confidence
No blind spots, everything tracked under ownership.
Compliance Control
State-aligned obligations managed and visible.
Risk Transparency
ISO-aligned risk management with accountability.