My role on the Quality Teaching Council

The Quality Teaching Council (QTC) was established under the Teacher Accreditation Act 2004 to provide advice to the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards (BOSTES) in relation its functions under that Act, IEU NSW/ACT Early Childhood Sector Vice President and QTC Rep Gabe Connell writes.

This is the first time there has been an elected early childhood representative. This has come about because of the accreditation of early childhood teachers with BOSTES. Early childhood has in the past been represented on the QTC and BOSTES by Professor Sue Dockett who is a Ministerial nominee – ‘a person who, in the opinion of the Minister, has knowledge and expertise in early childhood education’. Professor Dockett continues to sit on the QTC and BOSTES and is a strong advocate for early childhood.

The functions of the BOSTES under the Teacher Accreditation Act 2004 include the following:

•to provide advice to the minister on the development, content and application of the professional teaching standards

• to provide advice to the minister on any of the minister’s other functions under the Act (including the function of approving persons or bodies as teacher accreditation authorities in relation to non government schools or the suspension or revocation of any such approval)

• to advise and assist teacher accreditation authorities in accrediting persons under the Act

• to monitor the accreditation process across all schools • to ensure that the professional teaching standards are applied fairly and consistently

• to monitor, evaluate and report on the quality of initial and continuing teacher education courses and programs approved by the minister under the professional teaching standards

• to provide advice to the minister on the approval by the Minister teacher education courses or programs that are relevant for the purposes of accreditation under the Act, and

• to provide advice to the minister on the approval by the Minister of persons or bodies who may provide professional development in accordance with the requirements of the professional teaching standards.

The very nature of our sector has led to a myriad of problems and difficulties – we are community based, not for profit, stand alone, school based, private for profit, preschool, long day care, family day care, auspiced by larger organisations, mobile, underfunded, underpaid, overworked, undervalued – the list goes on!

Why is it so important to have an early childhood representative on the QTC?

In the past early childhood teachers have struggled to be recognised as professionals within the teaching profession and within the community. Accreditation will recognise the professional standing of early childhood teachers within the community and will see all early childhood teachers recognised as teaching professionals alongside NSW school teachers.

The very nature of our sector has led to a myriad of problems and difficulties – we are community based, not for profit, stand alone, school based, private for profit, preschool, long day care, family day care, auspiced by larger organisations, mobile, underfunded, underpaid, overworked, undervalued – the list goes on! We are often isolated and struggling to make sense of the changes we have lived through – particularly over the last decade.

I aim to bring to the QTC first hand, as someone ‘on the ground’, the issues that affect our sector – particularly in regards to accreditation and the maintenance of our accreditation and the mentoring of beginning teachers.

These are exciting times for our sector and should be viewed as a really positive step forward. The IEU has lobbied hard for this and for our representation on the QTC over the years and will continue to support us with advice, mentoring and PD as we work through the process.

This is a step towards pay parity!