Teachers Registration Board of the Northern Territory
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Edition 3, 2011

The purpose of this Circular is to guide principals in managing the procedural aspects of Provisional Registration in their school. It also serves as a checklist of what needs to be undertaken to assist the provisionally registered teacher achieve Full Registration. The Board takes very seriously the role of the principal in supporting Provisionally Registered Teachers (PRTs) and their mentors and offers assistance to principals to ensure the process runs smoothly in their schools.

How many provisionally registered teachers do you have in your school?

By now provisionally registered teachers should have met with you to inform you of their status and that they are required to complete specific requirements to apply for Full Registration. Alternatively, you should have identified provisionally registered teachers in your school and engaged in a discussion about the requirements of applying for Full Registration. It is important to remember that a provisionally registered teacher is typically a new graduate but also a teacher who has returned to the profession after a prolonged absence or is an overseas trained teacher who has not taught in Australia and/or New Zealand.

Have you read the Principals’ Information on Provisionally Registered Teachers?

The Board, together with principals, has an important role to play in supporting and monitoring the PRT’s transition to Full Registration. To assist you to understand the process and requirements, Principals’ information on Provisionally Registered teachers applying for Full Registration sets out your roles and responsibilities. It is a very useful document.

Are you aware of the Information Sessions provided by the Board to assist Provisionally Registered Teachers?

To support PRTs in understanding the requirements of applying for Full Registration, the Board runs two Information Sessions. Information Session 1 provides an introduction to the process and requirements for applying for Full Registration. Information Session 2, a half-way session, focuses on the evidence components through provisionally registered teachers showcasing and discussing how they have collected and commented on their evidence. The Board encourages the involvement of principals and mentors at these sessions.

Has a mentor been appointed?

Usually, new teachers are appointed a mentor with whom they work for the duration of their probation. The same principle applies for the purposes of supporting a PRT apply for Full Registration. An integral part of supporting a PRT is to engage in a professional conversation about the allocation of a mentor. Together, you and the PRT identify a fully registered teacher who guides and supports the PRT for the duration of Provisional Registration. The Board has developed Mentors’ information for Provisionally Registered teachers applying for Full Registration to assist them in understanding the nature and scope of their responsibilities.

Are you and the mentor familiar with the requirements?

Once the mentor has been appointed, the principal, provisionally registered teacher and mentor should meet to familiarise themselves with the requirements of applying for Full Registration. Information about applying for Full Registration can be found in the Guide for applying for Full Registration for Provisionally Registered teachers. A focus of this initial meeting should be on determining a timeframe by which the provisionally registered teacher needs to complete each of the Evidence Components.

What support mechanisms have you established?

As an outcome of the initial meeting, clear and highly scaffolded support mechanisms should have been put in place to enable the teacher to complete the requirements. This may mean that weekly or fortnightly meetings have been organised, dates determined for the lesson observations, opportunities identified for the teacher to engage in standards referenced professional learning. It is important to remember that schools are best placed to determine the support mechanisms for the teacher.

In the next Circular

The next Circular will address the composition of the Assessment Panel, the proceedings of the panel meeting, how to complete Form D, Section 3: Panel Recommendation and guidelines to assist you should a provisionally registered teacher dispute the panel’s decision not to grant Full Registration.

Provisional registration checklist

  • Have you identified the provisionally registered teachers in your school?
  • Have you familiarised yourself with the Principals’ Information on supporting provisionally registered teachers?
  • Have you explained your role as principal in that you are required to monitor the process in your school?
  • Have you and the PRT negotiated the allocation of a mentor?
  • Have you, the PRT and mentor met to familiarise yourselves with the process?
  • Are you aware of the timelines established for the PRT applying for Full Registration?
  • Have you considered how you might use existing school-based practices to support the PRT?
  • Have you considered how current probation procedures in your school could be utlised to assist the
  • Provisional to Full Registration process?
  • Have you given thought to how you might manage the process for more than one PRT in your school?