Teacher Registration
Introduction
Teacher registration is a major safeguard for teachers' professional standards and standing in the community. It is a guarantee that the teacher has received training and is likely to be a satisfactory teacher, and that the registration criteria of good character and fitness to teach have been met.
The Education Standards Act 2001 places the responsibility for registration within the functions of the Teachers Council. Teacher registration requirements are covered by the Education Act 1989 including amendments made in 1996. Teacher registration was introduced in 1990 and made compulsory in state kindergartens, primary and secondary schools in 1996, in early childhood centres in varying stages from 2005, and for Kura Kaupapa Maori from January 2006.
In all state and integrated schools, the principal, deputy principal, assistant principal and any person in a position for the instruction of students, must be a registered teacher with a current practising certificate, or a person with a limited authority to teach (LAT). It is generally an offence for schools and individuals to breach this requirement.
Principals' responsibilities and teacher registration
Principals are involved in all aspects of the registration process through:
* ensuring boards are aware of and comply with the legislation;
* maintaining and promoting professional standards in the process of teacher registration.
* ensuring there is professional advice and guidance for provisionally registered teachers, and those registered subject to confirmation;
* making recommendations to the Teachers Council on the full registration of teachers who are provisionally registered or registered subject to confirmation;
*attesting when teachers renew practising certificates
* ensuring that teachers have satisfactory recent teaching experience when seeking renewal of their practising certificates;
* providing clear ongoing professional development for all staff;
Requirements for teacher registration
Click here to view the requirements on the Teachers Council website.
Frequently asked questions about registration
http://www.teacherscouncil.org.nz/registration/faq/
Registration and employment
Teachers who complete a programme of teacher education must apply for registration with the New Zealand Teachers Council if they wish to be employed as a teacher in a state or private school or kura.
A school authority (i.e. a state school or private school), may only continue to employ a teacher who has either a current practising certificate, or a limited authority to teach issued by the New Zealand Teachers Council. (s.120B). A school may only permanently appoint a teacher who has a current practising certificate.
Should a practising certificate expire during employment it is illegal for the employment of the teacher to continue unless the Teachers Council has authorised a longer period. ( click here for the process for extension applications)
The Teachers Council expects that all employing authorities have clearly stated appointment procedures. This should qualify the offer of continuing or permanent employment with a requirement that a current practising certificate is produced and is continued to be held during the period of the employment, or termination of employment will result.
Short term relieving employment of a person without a limited authority or a practising certificate is possible under specific conditions (click here ) chiefly that they are, or have been, employed for no more than 20 half-days in total in any schools during the calendar year, unless the Teachers Council has authorised a longer period. (Click here)
A school may not, under any circumstances, appoint, employ, or continue to employ, a person who has had registration as a teacher cancelled or had a limited authority to teach cancelled.
New Zealand Teachers Council Online Guide For Current Practising Certificates
The Teachers Council’s online guide lists all teachers in New Zealand who are entitled to call themselves a 'registered teacher' and who also have a current Practising Certificate. There may be some teachers who are registered but whose practising certificate has expired.
For NZEI information on the use of the online guide click here
To view the online guide, http://register.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/applications/register/default.aspx
The principal’s role in teacher registration
Gaining Full Registration
The principal must ensure that provisionally registered teachers are provided with strong effective induction programmes that meet their needs.
The principal should encourage teachers in the subject to confirmation category to move to full registration through a ten week advice and guidance programme.
These tasks would usually be delegated to a tutor teacher but the principal retains ultimate responsibility.
Full details of the expectations of the New Zealand Teachers Council of the principal and the Board of Trustees are to be found in section four of the kit “Towards Full Registration.:” Hard copies are also in schools .
Maintaining Full Registration
Once a teacher has gained full registration, and is granted a practising certificate, application for renewal must be made each three years.
Attestation on Application Forms
The principal, as the professional leader, is required to see and sign part of a teacher’s application for
- Registration (Form TC1)
- renewal of a practising certificate (Form TC3)
- moving from provisional to full registration (Form TC2)
- moving from subject to confirmation to full registration.(Form TC2)
The attestation and professional responsibilities required are explained in the guidance sections of each form. The forms are available http://www.teacherscouncil.org.nz/registration/how/forms.stm
It is extremely important that forms are downloaded immediately prior to being used. This will ensure that the most recent version of a form is used.
The Teachers Council has been responsive to suggestions from NZEI members about improvements to the forms, and makes changes from time to time to make the forms more user-friendly. The guide sheets accompanying the forms should be read carefully as these provide useful details regarding the expectations of professional leaders when completing the forms.
The Principal’s role with provisionally registered teachers (PRTs)
When employing provisionally registered teachers (PRTs), schools have an obligation to ensure that the induction of these beginning teachers occurs in a supportive and collaborative environment. NZEI has developed a series of three updates which are designed to assist identifying the actions when a provisionally registered teacher is employed the circular. Each update also contains a check list to clarify the tasks.
Click here for the updates and checklists
NZEI Update 03 - Information for Principals about Provisionally Registered Teachers
NZEI Update 04 - Information for Tutor Teachers about Provisionally Registered Teachers
NZEI Update 02 - Information for Provisionally Registered Teachers
The Principal’s Role with teachers registered subject to confirmation (STC)
Experienced teachers who do not currently meet the requirements for full registration are likely to be granted registration in the category of STC. This generally means that they have not taught for 8 full terms in the last 5 years.
Some facts about STC
- Subject to confirmation category does not affect the ability to employ the teacher in permanent or fixed term positions, for full or part-time work, so long as the teacher holds a current practising certificate.
- The teacher registered STC is still placed on the appropriate salary step.
- The teacher registered STC can remain in teaching, and in that category for as long as they wish, subject to reapplication each three years to renew their practising certificate.
- This category does not reflect any actual concern about the teacher’s performance. Rather, that placement reflects that they:-
- have taught for less than 2 years out of the last five years,
- have not undergone a recent appraisal, and
- may not have undertaken professional development,
all of which means that the teacher cannot meet the Teachers Council’s criteria for “recent satisfactory teaching experience”.
Principals need to be aware that many relieving and part time teachers will be registered teachers with a practising certificate in the category of subject to confirmation.
Principals should encourage teachers with STC to move to full registration. The teacher will need:-
- to undertake a ten week advice and guidance programme under the supervision of a fully registered teacher. Unlike PRTs, there is no minimum weekly teaching time required time required each week, in recognition of the fact that the teacher has previously been fully registered.
- current professional development, and
- a recent appraisal against the Satisfactory Teacher dimensions.
More details here http://www.teacherscouncil.org.nz/registration/how/full/
NZEI information on STC can be found here
Overseas teachers applying for registration in New Zealand for the first time may be eligible for registration Subject to Confirmation, provided they have had 5 or more years of teaching experience, and/or have held a senior teaching position in conjunction with documented supervised teaching experience.
Note that the Teachers Council will not recognise teachers registered STC as tutor teachers. Principals must be aware of this and must not appoint STC teachers as Tutor Teachers -the work of any PRT being supervised by a STC teacher cannot not be recognised for the purposes of moving to full registration, and the Council will require the programme to be repeated under the guidance of a fully registered teacher, which has a huge impact on the PRT involved.
Relieving teachers and registration
Those employed in a relieving position must
- Be registered with a current practising certificate (in any category) or
- Have been granted a LAT for that teaching position or
- Have been employed for less than twenty half days in the previous year or the school has an extension beyond those twenty half days
Many relievers will be registered subject to confirmation (click here).
The category of the current practising certificate does not impact on the salary nor does it indicate a lesser level of competency.
Principals should encourage relievers with registration STC to move to full registration. This can occur when there is
- a fixed term appointment of ten weeks,
- an advice and guidance programme,
- appraisal and
- professional development.
This means that a reliever can, with the support of the school through an advice and guidance programme, move to full registration. There is not yet any targeted resourcing available from the Ministry of Education to support a tutor or mentor teacher, except where the teacher has undergone a retraining programme or is an over-seas teacher.
Moving to full registration changes to the endorsement on the practising certificate but not the expiry date as it is not a renewal of the certificate itself. The teacher retains that practising certificate endorsement as fully registered until the next renewal of practising certificate, i.e. not for a further three years, but only until the expiry of their current certificate. At the expiry/renewal time, the criteria for moving to full registration will be again applied.
Details for moving to full registration from STC are to be found in the Towards Full Registration click here
For other NZEI information on the employment of relievers click here
Responsibilities for the currency of a practising certificate
It is the principal’s professional responsibility to ensure that all teaching staff have a current practising certificate, or a limited authority to teach, and school processes to monitor the currency /renewal of these.
It is also the teacher’s professional responsibility to ensure that they have a current practising certificate, and to apply early for renewal of the practising certificate.
For NZEI information on what to do to renew a certificate, and when a teacher’s practising certificate has expired click here
Appraisal and the renewal of a practising certificate
The Teachers Council notes that their renewal application form (TC3) requires:-
- “An affirmation signed by the principal affirming that the applicant is a satisfactory teacher according to the Teachers Council 'satisfactory teacher' dimensions.
- Determination of whether the teacher meets the New Zealand Teachers Council's standard will have arisen as part of the performance management system operating in the school. A special appraisal is not required at the time of renewal.
- In addition the affirmation will endorse that the teacher is engaged in professional development.”
Principals are required to attest each teacher
- annually for salary purposes against the interim professional standards in the collective agreement.
- every three years for registration purposes against the 'satisfactory teacher' dimensions.
These two requirements differ, with Satisfactory Teacher Dimensions have a broader and more professional basis. However the school’s performance management system can be constructed to allow for both attestations to occur via one appraisal. The Teachers Council now accepts applications for renewals six months prior to the expiry date, which gives greater flexibility in aligning the two attestations.
Professional development and the renewal of a practising certificate
A key requirement for the renewal of the practising certificate is clear evidence of professional development. All teachers should maintain a log of their professional development. All principals should ensure a system to record individual teacher development as part of her/his personal file.
The activities which the Council will accept as professional development are outlined on page 11 of the TC3 Form .
http://www.teacherscouncil.org.nz/pdf/tc3webform.pdf
NZEI has made the list available click here
Limited Authority to Teach
A LAT is NOT a form of registration. It is an authority for a person to teach in a specified school in a temporary capacity. LATs can only be used where a registered teacher cannot be found.
LATs are granted for people who will hold a prime responsibility for the planning, implementation, assessment, evaluation and reporting of a sequential programme with a student or group of students (over the period the contract), within a particular school. LATs are not intended for people working as teacher aides.
The application must be endorsed by the principal of a school wishing to employ the person. Where an LAT holder is to be employed in several schools, the endorsement is made by a principal or senior teacher who will be responsible for the performance appraisal.
The Teachers Council will now grant LATs for day to day relievers in special circumstances.
The Teachers Council will not grant an authority to a person who is eligible for registration, but will require them to apply for registration.
Useful Links
- for NZEI checklists for use by principals, click here
Mandatory Reporting
The role of employers
From 1 September 2004, all employers must immediately report to the New Zealand Teachers Council when:
- They dismiss a teacher (s139AK(1))
- A teacher resigns, if within the previous 12 months, the employer had advised the teacher that it was dissatisfied with, or intended to investigate, any aspect of the conduct of the teacher, or the teacher's competence (s139AK(2))
- They receive a complaint about the teacher's conduct or competence within 12 months after he or she has left (s139AL)
- They have reason to believe that the teacher has engaged in serious misconduct (s139AM)
- They are satisfied that despite undertaking competency procedures with the teacher, the teacher has not reached the required level of competence (s139AN)
Teachers Council's process for considering complaints about competence
“The Education Act 1989 provides a process for reviewing teachers' competence. This process will take place in limited circumstances to ensure that teachers are reaching the required level of professional standards. The emphasis in competence issues, is where possible, for these to be dealt with by the teacher's current employer. “
“Any person who has a complaint about a teacher's competence must first make that complaint to the teacher's employer, in all but very limited circumstances. The teacher's employer would then deal with the complaint in accordance with the school’s procedures.”
Useful links
Frequently Asked Questions about Conduct and Competence
http://www.teacherscouncil.org.nz/cnc/faq.stm
What happens on the receipt of a complaint by the Teachers Council?
http://www.teacherscouncil.org.nz/cnc/process/CACprocess.stm
The process, the role of the employer, and of the Teachers Council is outlined here http://www.teacherscouncil.org.nz/pdf/ntpv-information-sheet.pdf
