Edition 2, May 2010

This is the second edition of the TRB Update for 2010. If you know a teacher who has not received an email from the Board, please encourage them to advise the Board of their current contact details.

New online journal Inside Teaching

Inside Teaching is the new online journal of the Australasian Teacher Regulatory Authorities (ATRA) of which the TRB NT is a member. ATRA facilitates the cooperative and collaborative work of the Australian and New Zealand teacher registration and accreditation authorities.

Inside Teaching will be published four times a year by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) for the highly qualified, proficient and reputable teaching profession. It is written by educators for educators and includes critical research findings, new ideas and hands-one practical application.

Feedback and comments will be welcomed.

Publication of the Code of Ethics

This week the Office of the Board distributed the Code of Ethics for Northern Territory teachers in poster form to all Northern Territory schools. The Code of Ethics has been written by teachers, for teachers, and recognises the unique position of trust and influence that teachers hold, and how this shapes our relationships with students, parents/guardians/caregivers, colleagues and the community.

The Code of Ethics provides a framework for teachers to reflect on our ethical responsibilities, assist us in making difficult decisions, inspire proper conduct and further promote public confidence in our profession.

The Code of Ethics is also published in postcard format and schools should contact the Office of the Board should they want additional posters or postcards

New committee structure

The Board has introduced a new committee structure to facilitate its work in 2010. The three committees advising the Board are the Registration Procedures Committee (RPC), the Standards and Professional Learning Committee (SPLC) and the Initial Teacher Education Committee (ITEC).

The terms of reference, committee membership and meeting dates for 2010 can be found on the Committees of the Board page.

Strong leadership of the committees is provided by the committee chairs: Karen Piening, a Board member, chairs the SPLC; Steve Carter, a Board member, chairs the RPC and Sue Crowe chairs the ITEC.

Draft National Standards for Teachers

The Australian Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs Senior Officials Committee (AEEYSOC) has released for consultation the Draft National Professional Standards for Teachers. It is anticipated the National Standards will replace Standards developed in each of the jurisdictions by teacher regulatory authorities.

The Standards and Professional Learning Committee, chaired by Board member Karen Piening, held its first meeting on 21 April 2010 and the Draft National Standards was the main agenda item. With the assistance of some other teachers invited to join the SPLC for the day, the committee will provide advice to the Board on framing its response to the consultation on the Draft Standards. Responses will be submitted to MCEECDYA on 21 May 2010. A copy of the response will be made available on the TRB website.

Registrations

Currently there are 5663 teachers registered to teach in the Northern Territory.

Not surprisingly, the high turnover in the Territory’s population is reflected in teacher registration data. Of those teachers whose registration expired on 31 December 2009, over 700 teachers did not renew their registration. At the same time, since July 2009, the Board has registered over 850 new teachers of whom around 50% had their registration confirmed under the mutual recognition principle.

Automatic cancellation of registration

There has been considerable media coverage recently about a local teacher who was convicted of sexual offences under the Criminal Code Act. Under section 69(1) of the Teacher Registration (Northern Territory) Act cancellation of registration is immediate on being found guilty of a sexual offence.

The cancellation does not involve or require a decision of the Board, but once the Board becomes aware of the finding of guilt, it must note the cancellation in the register and inform the teacher, the employer (if known) and all teacher regulatory authorities in Australia and New Zealand in accordance with the provisions of section 69(4) of the Act that the teacher’s registration has been cancelled

Thank you

After the last TRB update went live, the Board received many questions regarding the amendments to the Teacher Registration (Northern Territory) Act. These questions have greatly assisted the Board in developing its information sessions and our series of information sheets. Thank you to those who sought clarification or answers to questions concerning the changes. Later in the Term, Registration Renewal: Information Sheet 1 will be posted on the TRB website. This will provide teachers with more detailed information concerning the registration renewal requirements.

Are your contact details up to date?

If you have changed your name, postal address, email address or phone number, you will need to complete the Update details form.