5. N
ew Scheme Teachers –
Accreditation and Maintenance
5. New Scheme Teachers –Accreditation and Maintenance
Accreditation and
Maintenance
What is a new scheme teacher?
A new scheme teacher is a teacher who was never
employed to teach in NSW before October 1, 2004 or a
person returning to teaching in NSW after an absence
of five years or more. New scheme teachers require
accreditation with the NSW Institute of Teachers.
The minimum period for leave of absence is six months
or two terms. The maximum period is five years.
Accredited teachers granted leave of absence may not
teach in NSW for the duration of leave of absence.
Teachers who advise the NSW Institute of Teachers that
they will be on leave of absence prior to 31 March will
not pay any fee for that year. Teachers who advise that
they will be on leave of absence after 31 March must
pay the annual fee for that year.
What if I had been a casual or temporary
teacher prior to October 2004?
No accreditation fees are payable until the teacher
returns from leave. At this time, the annual fee for that
year will be payable.
Providing that you have not had more than five years’
absence from casual or temporary teaching, accreditation
with the Institute of Teachers is not required.
The policy and application form to apply for leave of
absence is available from the NSW Institute of Teachers
website at http://www.nswteachers.nsw.edu.au/.
Casual and temporary teachers returning to the DEC
following a break in service of five years or more are
new scheme teachers and are required to undergo the
accreditation process.
What does accreditation involve? How is
a New Scheme Teacher assessed?
Payment of the Institute Fee
As a new scheme teacher you are required by law to
pay an annual fee. Non-payment of the fee will result in
the loss of a teacher’s approval to teach with the DEC.
If you are having trouble paying the fee it is possible to
work out a payment plan with the Institute.
The Federation believes the fee should be paid by the
employer and continues to campaign to achieve this.
How long do I have to become accredited?
The Institute of Teachers has determined that casual
and temporary teachers seeking accreditation at the
Professional Competence level will have a maximum
period of five years in which to become accredited. If
because of the pattern of your work, or for some other
reason, you are unable to meet this requirement, you
can apply for an extension of time. The Institute lists
the following as examples of circumstances that might
warrant such an extension:
>child rearing or home care responsibilities
>sickness or misadventure
>other appropriate professional circumstances.
Taking leave of absence from accreditation
Accredited teachers who have taught in a NSW school
may request that their accreditation be put on hold by
filling out a leave of absence from accreditation form.
Reasons for applying include travelling overseas,
teaching interstate or overseas, working in a full time
capacity in another industry or sector.
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NSW TEACHERS FEDERATION
A casual or temporary new scheme teacher will be
considered for accreditation when:
1. They have met the teaching requirements
–To be considered for accreditation at Professional
Competence, casual and temporary teachers
will need to meet the Institute of Teachers
requirement. The Institute of Teachers policy
states, “As a guide, casual, temporary and
part-time teachers should complete at least
180 Full-time Equivalent days of teaching,” in
NSW schools. This should include a period of
continuous teaching (either full time or part time)
within a single school. This period can occur
within the 180 days and could comprise one to
four days over two to five terms.
–T
eaching experience can be verified by
maintaining a record of casual and temporary
employment in any NSW school. This can be
recorded through pay advice slips.
2. They have collected appropriate evidence
–Federation is concerned at reports of
unreasonable workloads being imposed upon
beginning teachers as part of the accreditation
procedures set by the Institute of Teachers and
the DEC. Many of these demands seem to be
based on a misunderstanding of the requirements
of both the Institute of Teachers and the DEC.
Federation sought clear advice from the Institute
and was provided with the following:
–The report is not a portfolio.
–A teacher’s documentary evidence is designed to
support the Accreditation Report.
–Only include evidence that has
been developed in the course
of your teaching practice — the
Institute does not require special
material.
–Only include evidence that has been
developed substantially by you.
–Include evidence that aligns to
elements, not individual standards.
–One piece of evidence may be
sufficient to meet a number of
elements.
–In some elements, such as
element 4, you may not have any
documentary evidence. That’s OK.
–Use the Information for New
Scheme Teachers booklet produced
by the Institute of Teachers. Page
11 of this document includes
a table entitled “Suggested
Evidence for Inclusion with your
Accreditation Report”. It describes
about 14 types of documentary
evidence that can be included
in the new scheme teacher’s
Accreditation Report.
3.Your evidence should fit into an A4
envelope.
–This advice is consistent with
advice provided by the DEC. For
example, the DEC document
Accreditation of New Scheme
Teachers at Professional
Competence (2010) states that
the focus of your supporting
evidence “is on quality not quantity
— the submitted evidence could
reasonably be expected to fit
into an A4 envelope”. The same
document also states “it is not
necessary to submit or include
supporting evidence for every
Professional Teaching Standard at
Professional Competence”.
–The Accreditation Report has been
completed
At the end of the casual or temporary
teaching block the principal will write
the “Principal’s Report on New Scheme
Teacher (T1)”, reporting against the
seven elements of the professional
teaching standards at professional
competence level.
This report along with the new scheme
teacher’s collection of evidence is sent
to the School Education Director for
consideration.
How does the principal know
I am seeking accreditation with
the Institute of Teachers?
Casual or temporary teachers should
inform the principal at the start of the
teaching block that they would like this
block to be considered for accreditation.
Teaching documents created and
collected by casual and temporary
teachers during different teaching
engagements can later be used as
supporting evidence when the teacher
is seeking accreditation at professional
competence level. Casual and temporary
new scheme teachers should sign the
evidence and have it signed and dated by
their supervisor and the principal of the
school. Each page of the document must
have these signatures on the front (at
the bottom) and the school stamp on the
back. Casual and temporary teachers
may include documents signed by a
number of supervisors and principals as
part of their evidence.
Casual or temporary teachers should
list the schools and areas in which the
teaching requirement has been met and
provide pay advice slips verifying the
dates of employment as a casual and/or
temporary teacher.
What happens if I move schools?
It is the responsibility of the new scheme
teacher to maintain the evidence relating
to their accreditation. It is important to
keep all the relevant documentation if
you work across a number of schools.
Evidence from a number of schools
is acceptable. However, one school
will be required to provide the final
accreditation report.
Who will provide me with support
during the accreditation process?
The principal should appoint a
‘supervising’ teacher to provide support
for casual and temporary teachers
undertaking the accreditation process.
CASUAL AND TEMPORARY TEACHERS HANDBOOK
35
5. New Scheme Teachers –Accreditation and Maintenance
What happens after the principal has
completed the accreditation report?
How much professional development
am I required to undertake?
The Accreditation Report, along with the new scheme
teacher’s collection of evidence, will be forwarded by
the principal to the relevant School Education Director
for consideration in making the decision regarding
accreditation.
How much professional development you are expected
to undertake depends on your accreditation date. The
table below illustrates the number of professional
development hours you need to undertake.
What happens once I have been accredited
at professional competence?
Once you have been accredited at professional
competence, you are required to maintain your
professional competence by demonstrating ongoing
competent teaching practice and undertaking
structured professional development.
Teacher’s Professional Competence
Accreditation Date
Hours of Teacher
Identified PD
Hours of Institute
Registered PD
1 Jan 2005 – 31 Dec 2005
90
10
1 Jan 2006 – 31 Dec 2006
80
20
1 Jan 2007 – 31 Dec 2007
70
30
1 Jan 2008 – 30 Apr 2008
60
40
1 May 2008 Onwards
50
50
What happens once my maintenance of
accreditation at professional competence
period finishes?
Towards the end of the required timeframe you need
to complete the first three pages of the Maintenance
of Accreditation Report at Professional Competence by
addressing the seven elements of the Professional
Teaching Standards. You also complete section 1a of
the final page.
The principal verifies the Teacher Maintenance of
Accreditation at Professional Competence Report
(T2) on page one and in section 1b on page five and
submits the completed report to the School Education
Director who is the Department’s Teacher Accreditation
Authority for the maintenance of accreditation at
Professional Competence.
What is Teacher Identified professional
development?
Teacher Identified professional development is
professional development that has not been registered
with the NSW Institute of Teachers. This type of
professional development will not be found on the
Institute’s website. It may include conferences,
workshops, courses, forums, research, in-house
training, observing other colleague’s classes, delivery
of professional development, or reading an article in a
professional teaching article.
What is registered professional development?
Registered professional development refers to courses
and programs that are only provided by Institute
endorsed professional development providers.
The Teachers Federation is an endorsed provider of
Institute registered professional development and
courses can be found on the Federation website.
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NSW TEACHERS FEDERATION
How do I log my professional
development hours?
Your professional development hours
are logged on the Institute’s website. You
must first access your account with the
Institute on their website. Instructions
on how to set up an account for the first
time can be found on page 15 of the
Institute’s Maintenance of Accreditation at
Professional Competence booklet. Once
you have your account set up, you are
able to record both Institute Registered
and Teacher Identified professional
development on the website.
For Institute Registered professional
development, you are required
to evaluate the courses and your
attendance at the course will be
indicated by the course provider.
For Teacher Identified professional
development, you need to identify and
record the activity you have undertaken
and write an explanation as to how
that activity addresses the Standard or
Standards you have indicated. Your entry
must be verified by your principal or the
TAA’s delegate.
Who validates my Teacher
Identified hours of professional
development?
This is the responsibility of the Teacher
Accreditation Authority or their delegate.
In the case of Department schools, the
task will usually be delegated to your
school principal. A school principal may
delegate this to your supervisor but
ultimately the responsibility lies with the
Teacher Accreditation Authority.
I am a casual teacher and have
to fund my own professional
development and often miss a
day’s work to attend a course.
The NSW Teachers Federation is an
endorsed provider of professional
development and most of the
Federation’s courses will provide you
with some registered professional
development. The Federation recognises
that some casual teachers may have
to refuse a day’s work to attend trade
union training. If you have turned down
a day’s work to attend Federation trade
union training, you may be eligible to
receive payment from the Federation to
compensate for the loss of a day’s work.
The DEC has created the Classroom
Teacher Program which can be
completed online and provides
participants with registered hours
of professional development. This
program can be accessed through the
Department’s Professional Learning &
Leadership Directorate.
I need to take some leave from
teaching. How will this affect
my period of maintenance of
accreditation at Professional
Competence?
If you are taking leave from your teaching
job in NSW, it is important that you apply
for a Leave of Absence from the Institute
of Teachers. A Leave of Absence may be
granted for periods away from teaching of
six months to five years.
Am I entitled to a Teachers
Certificate?
It is possible for casual and temporary
teachers to be awarded their Teachers
Certificate. This is something Federation
campaigned for over many years.
Federation argued that when casual and
temporary teachers meet the service
requirement and have references
from principals, this should meet the
formal requirements for the award for
the Teachers Certificate. While this
certificate does not increase your salary
or status, it is nevertheless an important
recognition of your competence and
service within the public system.
CASUAL AND TEMPORARY TEACHERS HANDBOOK
37
5. New Scheme Teachers –Accreditation and Maintenance
What is required to be eligible for a Teachers
Certificate?
The requirements for the award of DEC’s Teachers
Certificate are:
Educational Attainment
Most casual and temporary teachers will have met this
requirement at the point of seeking employment with
the DEC in gaining an approval to teach. The exception
will be those teachers who hold a transitional or
conditional approval.
Quality of Teaching
A report on your teaching will need to be written
by a school principal, just as a report is written for
a probationary teacher. Principals have been given
guidelines in compiling such a report: teaching ability,
classroom management, lesson preparation and
involvement in staff development.
Service Requirements
A casual or temporary teacher must have taught 180
days within an 18 month period. This period must
include at least one term of continuous teaching at
one school or the equivalent part time service. Service
counting towards the 180 days cannot commence
earlier than January 1, 1989.
Casual and temporary teachers who are interested in
obtaining their Teacher’s Certificate should contact
school principals with whom they worked to get the
necessary reports. These reports should be forwarded
to the District Office.
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NSW TEACHERS FEDERATION