We are making the NESA online experience better for you
The content on this page will soon be improved and moved to a new location on the NSW Government website so it is easier to find and read.
You will be redirected to nsw.gov.au when content has moved.
If you’re an employer, you are responsible for ensuring:
- teachers are actively accredited
- internal procedures for implementing NESA’s requirements for all levels of teacher accreditation are available to your employees.
Ensure teachers are actively accredited
As an employer, you are responsible for ensuring that any individual you employ as a teacher is actively accredited to teach in NSW, as per section 14.7 of the TA Manual.
The requirement to hold active accreditation also applies to principals/service directors who perform any activities listed in the definition of ‘teach’ as per section 3A of the Teacher Accreditation Act 2004 (the TA Act).
Teaching is defined as undertaking any or all of the duties related to delivering, assessing or supporting and leading the development and implementation of courses designed to implement the curriculum under the Education Act 1990 in a school or an approved learning framework under the Children (Education and Care Services) National Law (NSW) in an approved centre-based service.
Individuals employed in NSW schools who do not undertake any of the duties described in the definition of ‘teach’, including those who exclusively deliver courses not developed or endorsed by NESA, are not required to be accredited.
Internal procedures for accreditation
Employers must have internal procedures for implementing NESA's requirements for all levels of teacher accreditation in their schools/services (see section 14 of the TA Manual).
You need to provide all teachers with a copy/access to all relevant procedures.
For all levels
The procedures need to ensure:
- any principal making a recommendation about Proficient Teacher accreditation is accredited at Proficient Teacher or above. A principal who is not accredited at Proficient Teacher must nominate a delegate who is a Proficient Teacher or above and employed in the same school to carry out the duties related to making recommendations
- all Provisional and Conditional teachers employed on a casual, part-time or full-time basis are provided with ongoing support and feedback about their practice in relation to the Standards for Proficient Teacher at intervals appropriate to the length of their employment
- timely feedback is provided to all teachers about their demonstration of practice in relation to the Standards, including where teachers are at risk of not meeting the requirements for accreditation by the end of the relevant timeframe
- teachers are notified of any issues with their practice and given 28 days to respond and address those issues before a principal recommends or attests that a teacher's practice does not meet the relevant Standards
- issues related to a teacher’s practice not meeting the applicable Standards are addressed as and when they arise
- any concerns relating to teachers’ ongoing professional practice are addressed through appropriate support before, distinct from any teacher performance or disciplinary procedures
- conflicts of interest relating to teacher accreditation are managed
- complaints and grievances about achieving Proficient Teacher accreditation are managed
- records related to matters concerning teachers’ accreditation are maintained.
Processes specific to applying for Proficient Teacher
The procedures need to ensure:
- any teacher making a declaration in the role of Accreditation Supervisor is accredited at Proficient Teacher or above
- Provisional and Conditional teachers are allocated an appropriate Accreditation Supervisor and are adequately supervised throughout their accreditation period. NESA recommends that principals allocate an Accreditation Supervisor as soon as possible after the teacher is employed, regardless of whether the teacher is full time, part time or a regular casual.
Support for Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) applicants and principals/service directors
Employers play an important role in supporting principals/service directors and applicants to meet the requirements for HALT accreditation. The responsibilities of principals/service directors include:
- discussing a teacher’s intention and verifying their eligibility to apply for HALT accreditation
- creating a supportive environment for teachers applying for HALT accreditation
- accommodating Site Visits for HALT applicants and participating in a 30-minute structured interview with the External Assessor.
Processes specific to maintaining accreditation at the higher levels
The procedures need to ensure:
- the professional activity/activities in place in a school that form the basis of maintenance attestations for Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher are identified for teachers and schools.
Procedures specific to employers of non-school/service based teachers
Teachers in eligible non-school/service based roles may choose to voluntarily maintain accreditation if their role provides opportunities for them to demonstrate ongoing practice in relation to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (the Standards).
For information on what you need to do to support a non-school/service based teacher read our Maintaining Proficient Teacher Accreditation Procedure for Principals, Service Directors and Employers (PDF, 222KB)
