New changes by the NSW Government this week will allow the state’s teachers to choose their most apt professional learning pathway, giving them greater flexibility and a more tailored focus towards their professional learning.
The decision removes a requirement, introduced in late 2020, forcing teachers to choose half of their 100 hours of professional learning (PL) from a narrow band of just five prescribed priority areas to maintain their accreditation.
The move was a central recommendation to the NSW Government by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), which oversees accreditation for public, independent and Catholic education sectors.
NSW teachers maintaining accreditation will now have more flexibility in choosing relevant professional development, no longer face mandated hours or time-consuming evaluations, and can count compliance training, all while being supported by NESA’s new framework and Recognised Providers.
However, teachers will still be required to complete 100 hours of professional development every five years (or seven years for part-time or casual teachers) to maintain their accreditation.
“These changes will ensure that every hour of professional learning that our teachers undertake is valuable to their classroom and their students,” NSW Deputy Premier and Education Minister, Prue Car, said in a statement.
“To improve student outcomes we need provide high-quality, evidence-based professional learning for teachers, not tie them up in red tape and restrictive requirements that do not add value to their teaching.”
Car said professional development “shouldn’t be about box ticking.”
“It should be supporting our expert educators to enhance their practice.”
The NSW Teachers Federation welcomed the announcement, with the Federation’s Deputy President Amber Flohm calling it a “significant reduction to the administrative workload of teachers and a rightful return to professional respect and trust.”
The decision was also welcomed by the Association of Independent Schools of NSW (AISNSW), which said the removal of the “two-tiered categorisation of ‘accredited’ and ‘elective’ PL will give schools and teachers greater flexibility and enable a more tailored focus towards professional development.
“The restrictive categorisation put pressure on schools and distracted them from focussing their staff growth and development in the areas of greatest need for each school’s context,” AISNSW Chief Executive Margery Evans said.
“The restrictions placed on PL requirements prevented teachers from undertaking the most appropriate professional development pathway for them.”
Evans said these “rigid restrictions” no longer apply and schools are once again able to prioritise their unique teachers’ and students’ needs when accessing high-quality PL within the school and through external providers such as AISNSW.
“Teachers are able to determine the most appropriate activities for their professional growth and choose the providers that will help them meet the needs of students in their classes.”