Support a teacher applying for immediate accreditation
With the support of their principal or Teacher Accreditation Delegate (TA Delegate), eligible returning teachers can follow a streamlined process to apply for Proficient Teacher. Learn how principals and TA Delegates can support teachers to apply.
Steps to support teachers applying for immediate accreditation
As a school principal or TA Delegate, you can recommend that an eligible returning teacher be immediately accredited at Proficient Teacher level.
Early childhood teachers: What ‘TA Delegate’ means
A TA Delegate is a teacher assigned by an early childhood employer to perform teacher accreditation functions as set out in E2.3 of the TA Manual. They:
- must be accredited at Proficient Teacher or above
- have some seniority over the teachers for whom they make an accreditation recommendation or verification
- are not necessarily the ‘Service Director’ of an early childhood service
- can be working in the same service as the teacher(s) or working elsewhere for the same employer.
Contact your employer to identify who the TA Delegate is for your service. If there is no eligible teacher to carry out the function of the TA Delegate at the employer, contact NESA at ECTaccreditation@nesa.nsw.edu.au.
Check eligibility requirements
Teachers are eligible to apply if they meet the below requirements.
| Status | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Previously cancelled by NESA and now provisionally re-accredited |
|
| Previously voluntarily cancelled Proficient Teacher and now provisionally re-accredited |
|
| They taught in a NSW school before 1 October 2004 or in a NSW service before 18 July 2016, and they have never been accredited in NSW |
|
Ineligible returning teachers
Returning teachers are not eligible for immediate accreditation at Proficient Teacher if:
- they have conditions on their re-accreditation (such as being ineligible for immediate accreditation)
- their accreditation was revoked for failing to meet the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (the Standards) or misconduct, or
- their accreditation was voluntarily cancelled after the end of their maintenance of accreditation timeframe.
How eligible teachers apply for immediate accreditation
Immediate accreditation is an offline application-based process.
Teachers who need to contact us directly
Teachers will contact us directly to apply for immediate accreditation at Proficient Teacher if they:
- taught in a NSW school before 1 October 2004 or in a NSW early childhood service before 18 July 2016, and
- have never been accredited in NSW.
Teachers who must complete an application form
All other eligible teachers must complete an application form (PDF 260.27KB). This form requires a principal/TA Delegate’s recommendation before NESA makes a decision. They should discuss their intention to apply for immediate accreditation with you before they submit the completed form to you. It should be submitted with supporting documentation, including statement(s) of service, which confirms they are eligible to apply.
When you have considered their application, you will send the completed form to us with your recommendation about immediate accreditation at Proficient Teacher.
Application form must come from principal/TA Delegate’s email
The application form must be sent to NESA from your email address. NESA cannot process the application if it is sent by the teacher making the application.
Determine if they meet the Proficient Teacher Standards
You must be accredited at Proficient Teacher or above to make a recommendation for your teacher’s immediate accreditation application.
Before you make your recommendation, you need to consider:
- whether the teacher’s current practice meets the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (the Standards) for Proficient Teacher as observed through a range of professional activities
- their previous level of accreditation
- the length of their time away from teaching
- the length of their employment as a teacher before their absence
- the nature of any employment undertaken during their absence from teaching in NSW, including employment as a teacher
- any relevant further tertiary study completed during their absence
- other appropriate professional or personal circumstances.
You can then make a recommendation about their immediate accreditation at Proficient Teacher level to the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA).
Make a recommendation
You may want to contact the teacher’s previous school/service (subject to their consent) to help you make a valid and reliable judgement.
You can consider making an ‘unable to make a recommendation’ if:
- the teacher does not consent to you contacting their previous school/service
- you don’t have enough evidence that they are working at the Proficient Teacher Standards.
You need to make a recommendation within 28 days of the teacher submitting the application to you.
Make your recommendation on their application form, sign and date it, then email it to us at ptreports@nesa.nsw.edu.au. We only process applications sent from your principal/TA Delegate email address.
NESA makes the accreditation decision
The teacher receives confirmation of your recommendation to immediately accredit them at Proficient Teacher level within 28 days of you submitting their application.
We make accreditation decisions based on your recommendation and the teacher’s supporting documents.
If the teacher is immediately accredited, we will issue them a Proficient Teacher certificate. They begin their first maintenance of accreditation period on the day we make the accreditation decision.
When you do not recommend accreditation
There may be some situations in which you cannot recommend immediate accreditation.
If you intend to make a recommendation not to immediately accredit the teacher, you must give them 28 days’ written notice. The notice must include:
- your reasons for the intended recommendation
- the Standard Descriptors they failed to demonstrate.
The teacher has 28 days to respond to this notice in writing. They may wish to discuss this with you to determine if additional supporting documents or evidence are required.
At the end of the 28-day notice period, if your recommendation remains to not immediately accredit the teacher, you must:
- record this recommendation, with reasons, on the teacher’s application form
- email the form to qualityassurance@nesa.nsw.edu.au from your principal/TA Delegate email address.
Within 28 days of receiving your recommendation, we make the accreditation decision.
If you are unable to make a recommendation, you need to:
- record that you are unable to make a recommendation on the teacher’s application form
- include your reasons on the form
- provide a copy of the form to the teacher
- email it to us at qualityassurance@nesa.nsw.edu.au from your principal email address.
You can only record that you are unable to make a recommendation if:
- the teacher has not worked in the school/service long enough to allow you to confidently judge their practice
- you contacted the teacher’s previous school/service and this has not helped you make a valid and reliable judgement
- the teacher did not give you consent to contact their previous principal/TA Delegate and you don’t have sufficient evidence that they are working at the Proficient Teacher Standards.
Where appropriate, support the teacher to continue developing their practice through:
- professional reflection
- guidance and feedback from colleagues
- observations of their practice
- other professional activities.
They can submit another application for immediate accreditation later, or follow the process to achieve Proficient Teacher accreditation.