A new report has outlined 17 recommendations to strengthen teacher registration across Australia.
The report – titled: ‘One Teaching Profession: Teacher Registration in Australia’ – was launched by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) last Wednesday following a national review that began in February this year.
The recommendations include streamlining processes so that teachers can seamlessly transfer across the nation, bringing all early childhood teachers into teacher registration, and making stronger links between teacher registration and the different career stages of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
Expert panel chair, Chris Wardlaw, said the states and territories have regulators that are already doing a good job at supporting the professional growth of teachers through registration.
“These recommendations provide clear and practical steps to maintain or improve the high standards of the profession, strengthen child safety, and streamline teacher registration across Australia,” Wardlaw said.
“Professional registration is the hallmark of a true profession and ensures that only people who meet standards of quality and suitability can be teachers.”
Wardlaw said the expert panel consulted widely with the teaching profession, hearing from more than 6,500 teachers and school leaders as part of the review.
“They told us they are proud to teach in our schools and want to be considered part of one profession with colleagues who are also meeting standards of quality and suitability,” Wardlaw said.
Expert panel member, Gabrielle Sinclair, said making teacher registration universal for all early childhood teachers is a “critical step” towards the recognition of the importance of early childhood development and education in Australia.
“We know that well qualified and experienced early childhood teachers make a critical contribution to the quality of children’s early development and preparation for lifelong learning,” Sinclair said.
“Recognising all early childhood teachers as part of the profession through registration is an important step in acknowledging their status in the education sector.”
Several of the report’s recommendations make stronger links between teacher registration and the Teacher Standards at different career stages. Expert panel member, Marino D’Ortenzio, said the panel found effective teacher registration is “a shared endeavour” between teachers, the profession and employers.
“To gain full registration teachers must show they meet the Proficient career stage of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers,” D’Ortenzio said.
“High quality induction and mentoring is essential to support early career teachers’ transition and to gain full registration.”