A person cannot be employed to teach in a NSW school or early childhood service (service) unless they hold active accreditation with the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA).
The protection of children and young people is the paramount consideration in all of NESA’s decisions and requirements related to teacher accreditation.
The requirements for teacher accreditation reflect the NSW Government’s commitment to quality teaching in NSW schools and services. This includes ensuring that all students and children are taught by people who are suitable to teach, appropriately qualified, meet the standards for the teaching profession and maintain their currency of knowledge by completing ongoing professional development.
The TA Manual defines the roles and responsibilities of teachers, Accreditation Supervisors, principals/service directors, HALT Assessors and External Assessors, employers and NESA.
Teaching is defined in the Teacher Accreditation Act 2004 (S3A). To teach is to undertake 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 a service.
The requirement to hold active accreditation also applies to principals/service directors who perform any activities listed in the definition of ‘teach’.
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.
The TA Manual gives effect to the relevant provisions in the Teacher Accreditation Act 2004 (TA Act) that govern the accreditation of NSW early childhood, primary and secondary teachers (TA Act, S19-42B) and the Education Standards Authority Act 2013 (NESA Act).
The TA Manual forms part of the professional teaching standards approved by the Minister (TA Act, S19-20) and constitutes NESA rules (NESA Act, S25) including in relation to the conditions that apply to the accreditation of teachers (TA Act, S23A).
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