QUALITY TEACHING BOOSTED BY BETTER TRAINING

New teachers will be better prepared for the classroom under the latest NSW Government initiative to strengthen the training of future teachers.

Minister for Education Adrian Piccoli has announced a new agreement with the 11 universities in NSW that provide the majority of professional experience placements in NSW public schools.

“Formalising arrangements between universities and NSW public schools taking on student teachers will create higher quality education and more consistency for students doing prac-teaching,” Mr Piccoli said.

“The agreements set out the priorities, expectations and roles of the schools and universities. They are a key part of our plan to lift the quality of teaching in NSW and, in turn, improve student results.”

The Professional Experience Agreements come into effect from 2016 and will:

• Partner universities with schools prepared to take student placements;
• Set best-practice guidelines for teachers, teacher educators and teacher education students;
• Provide an evidence guide for supervising teachers;
• Standardise reporting on student teacher performance; and
• Outline roles and responsibilities for schools and universities.

The new arrangement complements the introduction of higher standards for aspiring teachers, who will need to achieve a minimum standard of three band five HSC results, including one in English, to study a teaching course at university.

The agreements are part of the NSW Government’s Great Teaching, Inspired Learning reforms to lift the status and quality of teaching across the State.

List of Professional Experience Hub schools

Professional Experience Hub schools have been designated as sites for demonstrating, developing and sharing high quality professional experience in conjunction with a partner university.

The Professional Experience Hub schools are: