Orderly transition for pre 2004 teachers

Members are aware that 1 January 2018 is the commencement date for all pre 2004 teachers to transition into the NSW Education Standards Authority.

The steps are: have a Working With Children Check (WWCC); pay the NESA invoice, which should arrive later in 2017 and then commence maintenance of accreditation over a five year (full time) or seven year cycle for casuals and part timers.

Professional development undertaken as part of the 100 hours can only commence post 1 January 2018. It is not incumbent upon an individual to establish a NESA account. This task is undertaken by your employer.

The Union has been involved in refining the requirements attached to the draft Proficient Teacher Accreditation Policy. Core developments are as follows:

The requirement to submit a Maintenance of Accreditation Report at the end of each cycle has been dispensed with. The Teacher Accreditation Authority (a system of schools or an individual school) will determine if a teacher’s practice continues to meet the standards. These processes have a multiplicity of names.

Teachers will be required to complete at least 100 hours of professional learning in their maintenance period (five years for a full time teacher and seven years for casuals or part timers). Principals will no longer have to verify teacher identified Professional Learning.

Teachers will no longer have to address all seven standards and all standard descriptors from Standard 6. This frees teachers to shape their own professional needs.

Importantly, a teacher has to declare in the final three months of their maintenance period that they have maintained the standards for Proficient Teachers. After the completion of the declaration, a teacher’s Teacher Accreditation Authority must attest that the teacher has maintained their practice against the Standards.

“The activities and practices that form the basis of this attestation will be comprised of processes that are in place in the school/service, and will not generate additional requirements for the teacher,” the NESA Proficient Teacher Accreditation policy says.

Mark Northam
Assistant Secretary