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4. ACT Teacher Quality Institute


ACT Teacher Quality Institute
Annual Report 2012-13

 

ACT Government Letterhead – Teacher Quality Institute TQI

Dear Minister

This Report has been prepared under section 6(1) of the Annual Reports (Government Agencies) Act 2004 and in accordance with the requirements under the Annual Report Directions.

It has been prepared in conformity with other legislation applicable to the preparation of the Annual Report by the ACT Teacher Quality Institute.

I certify that the attached Annual Report is an honest and accurate account and that all material information on the operations of the ACT Teacher Quality Institute during the period 1 July 2012 and 30 June 2013 has been included.

I herby certify that fraud prevention has been managed in accordance with Public Sector Management Standards, Part 2.

Section 13 of the Annual Reports (Government Agencies) Act 2004 requires that you cause a copy of the Report to be laid before the Legislative Assembly within 3 months of the end of the financial year.

Signature Block – Professor Denis Goodrum and Anne Ellis

 

Section A: Performance and Financial Management Reporting

A1 The organisation

The ACT Teacher Quality Institute (TQI) is an independent statutory authority established by the ACT Teacher Quality Institute Act 2010 (TQI Act) to build the professional standing of ACT teachers and enhance the community's confidence in the teaching profession through professional regulation and teacher quality initiatives.

TQI is a Territory authority for the purposes of the Financial Management Act 1996 (FMA). By a declaration issued by the Treasurer in February 2012 [Financial Management (Territory Authorities) Declaration 2012 (No. 1)], TQI has been exempted from certain provisions of the FMA. Therefore, TQI is not required to produce a detailed statement of intent, statement of performance, or annual financial statement. However, in accordance with the direction issued by the Minister for Education and Training under section 25 of the TQI Act, TQI is required to provide a summary of its income and expenses each financial year in its annual report.

For the purpose of the Annual Reports (Government Agencies) Act 2004, TQI comes within the definition of 'public authority'. Accordingly, TQI has prepared this annual report to comply with section 6(1) of that Act and in accordance with the requirements referred to in the Chief Minister's Annual Report Directions issued under section 9 of that Act. This annual report also addresses all the matters required by section 26 of the TQI Act.

Our vision and values

TQI is a key enabler of a high-quality teaching workforce in the ACT.

TQI values as set out In TQI's Strategic Plan 2011-2014 are:

Our role

TQI has statutory responsibility for the functions in section 11 of the TQI Act which are to:

Our structure

TQI came into effect on 1 January 2011. TQI is governed by a cross-sectoral Board comprising members from key ACT education stakeholders, the teaching profession and the community.

TQI is headed by the Chief Executive Officer, Ms Anne Ellis and is supported by a small staff of 7.4 FTE.

A2 Overview

TQI completed its second full financial year of operations on 30 June 2013.

Significant progress has been made to implement the key priorities under the five strategic goals identified in the TQI's Strategic Plan 2011 – 2014:

TQI relocated to new premises at the University of Canberra on Haydon Drive, Bruce which are more conveniently located for users of TQI services.

Owing to its modest budget and staff resources, TQI has established administrative arrangements with the Education and Training Directorate in relation to some financial accounting, and audit matters.

A3 Highlights

Principal achievements

Professional registration of ACT teachers

A key requirement of the TQI Act is that all teachers are registered with, or have been granted a permit-to-teach by TQI, before commencing employment in any ACT Public, Catholic or Independent school. This regulatory requirement is designed to ensure that all teachers employed in the ACT have appropriate qualifications, skills and experience.

TQI assesses applications under the Teacher Registration and Permit-to-Teach Policy formulated by the TQI Board. This process involves assessment against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (the Standards). To gain provisional registration, the teacher must satisfy the 'graduate' level of the Standards. To gain full registration, the teacher must satisfy the 'proficient' level of the Standards.

All new applicants must provide certified copies of academic transcripts, evidence of a full disclosure National Police Check or registration under the ACT Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2011.

Through these arrangements, TQI has brought the ACT very close to achieving the requirements for nationally consistent registration of professional teachers.

Under the transitional arrangements of the TQI Act, the registration fee for teachers who had been employed in the ACT prior to January 2011, had been covered by an initial budget allocation from the ACT Government. The transitional arrangements of the TQI Act ceased on 30 June 2012. Therefore, from the beginning of 2013, all ACT teachers are required to pay a $100 tax deductible fee as part of the renewal of their registration.

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (the Standards)

The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (formerly called the National Professional Standards for Teachers) were developed by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) as a key component of the Improving Teacher Quality National Partnership. They were endorsed by all Australian Ministers for Education in 2011, and have been incorporated as an integral part of the National Plan for School Improvement.

TQI has continued to work closely with ACT schools and universities to collaboratively develop implementation strategies for the Standards.

This integrated and 'shared responsibility' approach has been recognised as best practice at the national level. The Chief Executive Officer was invited by the Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) to address the National Presidents of Principal Associations meeting on 6 February 2013 and subsequently presented at a workshop at the annual Federal Ministerial event 'National Conversation with Principals 2013' held in Canberra on
7 March.

Highlights of TQI's Standards projects in the reporting period were:

The ACT standards certification process was activated in April 2013, following the development by TQI of an online application facility and 35 initial applications were received. The 2013 assessment process is continuing at the end of the reporting period.

A draft Code of Ethical Practice has also been developed and consultation will continue through the remainder of 2013.

The Teacher Education Accreditation Committee has been established by the Board to oversee the accreditation of education programs. The initial focus of the Committee's work will be the accreditation of continuing professional learning programs.

Business system

TQI received $990,000 capital funding in the 2012-13 Budget to enable it to further enhance its business systems. The goal is to integrate TQI's online resources and its business systems to ensure efficient operations and improved quality of data and of services to users. This enhancement of the TQI business system facilitates national requirements for consistent teacher registration, the implementation of the Standards and the ACT Government's commitment to the Improving Teacher Quality National Partnership Agreement and the National Plan for School Improvement into the future.

Over the reporting period, $579,000 was expended on the project. The balance of the capital investment will be expended in the 2013-14 financial year.

Achievements in the reporting period include:

Relationships and communication

To ensure the focus of its business operations remains on all of the ACT teaching profession, TQI has continued to give priority to collaborative relationships with ACT schools and universities. The Cross-Sectoral Principal Forums have been continued, and an inaugural cross-sectoral Assistant and Deputy Principal forum was held in September 2012 and another in March 2013. These Forums are jointly planned by TQI and Principals and Deputy/Assistant Principals from Public, Catholic and Independent schools.

TQI also established two cross-sectoral networks for mentoring and professional learning. These have provided valuable input to policy development and facilitated sharing of information, tools and templates via the TQI teacher portal during 2013.

Cross-sectoral collaboration has also included interactive workshops to assist ACT teachers and school leaders use the Standards to support teacher reflection and professional conversations, prepare and assess Standards evidence and annotation at the Graduate and Proficient level and prepare for certification assessment. In the reporting period 14 workshops were presented with over 800 teachers attending.

A4 Outlook

In 2013-14 TQI will focus on strengthening the frameworks supporting the implementation in the ACT of the Standards in line with the National Education Reform Agreement. Continued emphasis will be given to refining processes and resources for accreditation of professional learning programs, and the recording of teachers' completion of, and reflection on, their professional learning. TQI views such endeavours as key steps in building the overall quality of the ACT teaching workforce.

A5 Management discussion and analysis

TQI staffing has been supplemented by seconded staff from schools across the sectors for specific projects but remains small (7.4 FTE). In the reporting period, the ACT Government remained the primary source of financial resources for TQI. Revenue from application fees was received for the first time from teachers renewing their registration in March 2013.

TQI now has a secure revenue base which will allow it to recruit a small number of additional staff to ensure that it progresses the business priorities identified in its Strategic Plan 2011 – 2014.

A6 Financial report

Summary financial report

The summary report below shows the details of income and expenses for TQI for the financial year 2012-13 in accordance with the direction issued by the Minister for Education and Training under section 25 of the Act.

  Note No. Actual 2013
    $'000
REVENUE    
Government Payment for Output 1 820
Interest   34
Other Revenue 2 779
Grants 3 250
Total Revenue   1,883
EXPENSES    
Employee Expenses   1,110
Superannuation Expenses   152
Supplies and Services 4 374
Establishment Expenses 5 173
Total Expenses   1,809
Operating (Deficit)/Surplus   74
Notes forming part of revenue and expenditure:
1. The appropriation is drawn down by the Education and Training Directorate and passed to TQI.
2. Other Revenue consists of own source revenue from registration fees.
3. Grants consist of $200k grant relating to Certification Implementation and $50k grant from AITSL.
4. Supplies and Services consists of:
  2013 $'000
Property Maintenance 16
Materials and Services 229
Travel and Transport 36
Administrative 58
Financial 4
Operating Lease 31
  374
5. These expenses relate to fit out and furniture for the new office in Bruce.

The surplus in 2012-2013 is due to the delay determining equipment requirements for the TQI premises and the seasonal nature of our income.

Section B: Consultation and Scrutiny Reporting

B4 Legislation Report

The Working with Vulnerable People (Consequential Amendments) Act 2011 effected amendments to the ACT Teacher Quality Institute Act 2010 on 8 November 2012.

The amendments ensure consistency between the TQI Act and the Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2010. A person applying for full or provisional registration as a teacher or a permit-to-teach will be required to hold an ACT Working with Vulnerable People registration.

Requirements of the ACT Teacher Quality Institute Act 2010

Section 26 of the TQI Act requires that TQI's annual report include:

a. a copy of any direction given by the Minister under section 25 of the Act – no directions were given during the reporting period
b. a statement by TQI about the action taken to give effect to a direction – not required
c. the number of new approved teachers – a total of 735 applications were approved during the reporting period. During this period, 512 registered teachers did not renew their registration. The number of approved teachers increased in the reporting period by a net 223.
d. the education programs available for the professional learning and development of teachers - a Teacher Education and Accreditation Committee (TEAC) was established by the TQI Board at its meeting on 2 November 2012 to advise and make recommendations to the Board on teacher professional learning and development. As noted in section A4, this work will continue to receive emphasis in the 2013-14 reporting period.
e. the current assessment and certification standards that are required to be met by teachers – the eligibility standards for each of 'full registration', 'provisional registration', and 'permit-to-teach'; are at Attachment 2.

Section C: Legislative and Policy Based Reporting

C4 Freedom of Information

The ACT Freedom of Information Act 1989 (the FOI Act) aims to extend, as far as possible, the right of the community to access information in the possession of the ACT Government. As an ACT Government authority, the FOI Act applies to TQI.

This right of access is limited by certain exceptions and exemptions specified in the FOI Act. These include the private and business affairs of persons in respect of whom information is collected and held by TQI. As well, the TQI Act limits access to the personal information held on individual teachers on the teachers' register maintained by TQI (see, in particular, Div 4.4 of the TQI Act).

TQI has prepared the following statements under sections 7, 8, and 79(2), of the FOI Act.

The Section 7 Statement concerns the publication of information about functions and documents of TQI. The Section 8 Statement refers to documents in the possession of TQI that are available for inspection. The Section 79(2) statement details the actual requests for access to documents under the FOI Act in the reporting period.

Section 7 Statement

Organisational functions and powers

TQI administers the TQI Act. The organisational functions and powers of TQI under that Act are described in Section A1 of this Report.

Documents available on request and without charge

Documents within this category include publications produced by TQI on various aspects of its activities.

Documents available under the FOI Act

Such documents may include:

People seeking information are encouraged to first contact TQI before using the more formal FOI process.

For more information contact:

ACT Teacher Quality Institute

02 6205 8870

tqi@act.gov.au

Section 8 Statement

Section 8 of the FOI Act requires TQI to make available a list of documents TQI staff use when making decisions.

The principal documents are:

Section 79(2) Statement

TQI received no FOI requests during the reporting year.

C5 Internal Accountability

Section 15(4) of the TQI Act sets out the composition of the TQI Board and requires the Minister to appoint the members of the Board other than the Chief Executive Officer. The appointment of a member, other than the Chief Executive Officer, must be for a term of no longer than three years. The Chief Executive Officer is a non-voting member of the Board.

Remuneration for the Chair is determined by the ACT Remuneration Tribunal in accordance with the provisions of the Remuneration Tribunal Act 1995. Other members of the Board are not entitled to be paid for the exercise of their Board functions.

Four meetings were scheduled in the reporting period. As a quorum could not be achieved for the meeting scheduled for 15 March 2012 the meeting was cancelled. Items listed on the agenda for the 15 March 2013 meeting requiring the Board's attention before the next scheduled meeting were considered out-of-session.

Three members of the Board resigned from their positions in 2011.

Mr Glenn Fowler was nominated by the Australian Education Union to replace Ms Gilmour on the Board.

Ms Moira Najdecki was nominated by the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn Catholic Education Office to replace Mr Hogan on the Board.

Mr Fowler and Ms Najdecki attended the Board meeting held on 17 May 2013 as observers as their appointments had been approved by Cabinet but had not been notified on the legislation register at that time.

Board meeting attendance as at 30 June 2013:

Table TQI 1: Board members and meeting attendance during reporting period

Member Role Number of meetings attended 2012/13
Professor Denis Goodrum Chair 3
Ms Anne Ellis Chief Executive Officer, ACT Teacher Quality Institute 3
Associate Professor Carolyn Broadbent Australian Catholic University, ACT Campus 3
Ms Lyn Caton NSW/ACT Independent Education Union 1
Ms Wendy Cave Teaching profession in government schools 3
Ms Penny Gilmour Australian Education Union 2
Mrs Narelle Hargreaves Community representative 3
Mr Phillip Heath Association of Independent Schools of the ACT 3
Mr Mark Hogan Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn Catholic Education Office 1
Ms Alison Jeffries Teaching profession in non-government schools 2
Ms Diane Joseph Director-General, Education and Training 2
Professor Geoffrey Riordan University of Canberra 2

Information on each Board member is at Attachment 1.

Board committees

Registration Committee

The Registration Committee was established to advise and guide the development of the teacher registration process. The members of the committee are:

Teacher Education and Accreditation Committee

The Teacher Education and Accreditation Committee (TEAC) was established by the Board at its meeting on 2 November 2012 to advise and make recommendations to the TQI Board on teacher education courses, professional learning and development, to participate in expert accreditation committees and monitor quality assurance of accredited courses. The members of the committee are:

ICT Project Board

The ICT Project Board is responsible for the operational progress and accountability of the ICT capital expenditure project to enhance the TQI business system and associated services. This is achieved by making decisions that allow the project to progress, managing issues and risks and ensuring financial and deliverable accountability. The members of the ICT Project Board are:

C17 Territory records

TQI is developing a Records Management Program required under section 16 of the Territory Records Act 2002 which will provide a framework for the creation and management of all TQI's records. In 2012-2013 TQI worked with the Territory Records Office to develop a Records Disposal Schedule for records relating to the function of Teacher Quality. The schedule provides coverage for all records supporting core TQI business activities. A half day training session was attended by all TQI staff in the reporting period and preparation progressed towards full implementation of an electronic document records management system to support the management of TQI records.

For more information contact:

The Chief Executive Officer or the Board Chair of TQI.

Ms Anne Ellis
Chief Executive Officer
ACT Teacher Quality Institute

Professor Denis Goodrum
Board Chair
ACT Teacher Quality Institute

TQI office located at:
Ground Floor
170 Haydon Drive
Bruce ACT 2617

Postal address:
PO Box 263
Jamison Centre ACT 2614
02 6205 8867
Email: tqi@act.gov.au

Attachment 1

Board members

Professor Denis Goodrum

Professor Goodrum is Executive Director, Science by Doing, Australian Academy of Science. Professor Goodrum was a visiting scholar at the United States National Research Council in Washington DC and has extensive administrative experience in his roles as Head of Department, Head of School and Dean of Faculty in the university sector. He has served on a number of state and national boards including the Board of Australian Deans of Education, Questacon, SciTech and the ACT Curriculum Renewal Taskforce. Professor Goodrum has also managed large national projects and been responsible for a variety of international projects including a Mauritius teacher education project.

Qualifications: B.Sc, Dip. Ed, M.Ed. EdD, FACE.

Ms Anne Ellis

Ms Ellis was appointed the inaugural CEO in January 2011 and has been responsible for the establishment and the strategic operations of TQI since then. Prior to 2011 Ms Ellis had substantial senior management experience in the ACT Department of Education and Training covering the regulatory functions that preceded professional teacher registration in the ACT, as well as with the cross sectoral consultation and planning for the Teacher Quality National Partnership and other national initiatives. Ms Ellis had previously taught in the primary sector in the NSW and ACT public education systems. Ms Ellis' contribution to the advancement of the teaching profession was recognised with the award in 2013 of an Honorary Fellowship with the Australian College of Educational Leaders (ACEL).

Qualifications: BA, Dip.Ed, Graduate Dip. (Information Management), FACEL.

Associate Professor Carolyn Broadbent

Associate Professor Carolyn Broadbent is a senior academic in the Faculty of Education at the Australian Catholic University in Canberra. She has undertaken extensive teaching, research and executive leadership roles within the higher education sector and taught in primary, secondary, special needs and adult and community education programs.

Qualifications: Ph.D (Psy), UTas; M.Ed (Research), B.Ed, DipTchg, TPTC, FACE and FACEL.

Ms Lyn Caton

Ms Caton is an Organiser with the ACT Office of the NSW/ACT Independent Education Union. Ms Caton has 25 years of teaching experience in the non-government and public education sectors. She is also a member of the Non-Government Schools Education Council.

Qualifications: Dip.Ed, Graduate Certificate of Religious Education, Diploma of Arts (Applied).

Ms Wendy Cave

Ms Cave is currently the principal at Macquarie Primary School and has worked in the Education and Training Directorate for over 20 years as a teacher and in various executive roles. She is also an education member on the Government Schools Education Council.

Qualification: B.Ed, DipEd.

Ms Penny Gilmour

During her period on the Board, Ms Gilmour was Branch Secretary, Australian Education Union – ACT Branch. Prior to commencing her work in the union sector in January 1989 Ms Gilmour taught in NSW high schools. Ms Gilmour completed the Harvard Trade Union Training Program in 2008.

Ms Gilmour resigned from her position on the TQI on 30 October 2012 following her resignation from the AEU.

Qualifications: BA, Dip.Ed., NSW Teachers' Certificate, Grad Cert Adult Education (Training).

Mrs Narelle Hargreaves

Mrs Hargreaves is the Chair of the Non-government Schools Education Council. She was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in 2008. Mrs Hargreaves is Chair of the ACT Children and Youth Services Council; Chair of the Canberra-Nara Sister City Committee and President of the ACT Children's Week Committee. In 2007 she was appointed 'Official Visitor' to the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre and Marlow Cottage. In 2011 Mrs Hargreaves was appointed as a Justice of the Peace in the ACT.

Mrs Hargreaves has many years teaching experience, including 14 years as a principal in ACT schools. Her teaching career was followed by 10 years as Director of Schools and International Education, with the previously known ACT Department of Education and Training.

Qualifications: B.Ed., FACE, FACEL.

Mr Phillip Heath

Mr Heath has been Principal of Radford College since 2009. Prior to commencing at Radford College, Mr Heath has taught in a number of Independent schools in NSW including Trinity Grammar School, William Clark College and The King's School Ely in the UK. From 1995 to 2009 he was the Head of St Andrew's Cathedral School in Sydney and in 2007 was the Founder of the Gawura School for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from the inner city.

Mr Heath represented Independent schools on the NSW Board of Studies 2001-09. He is a past president of the Australian Anglican Schools' Network, former Chair of the Headmasters' Conference (NSW).

Qualifications: BA (Hons), MA (Hons), Dip.Ed., FACE, MACEL.

Mr Mark Hogan

During his period on the Board, Mr Hogan was Deputy Director and Head of Human Resource Services, Catholic Education Office, Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn. Mr Hogan has extensive teaching experience in the public and Catholic sectors and school and system leadership experience in state/territory and national Catholic sectors.

Mr Hogan resigned from his position on the Board on 25 September 2012 following his resignation from the Catholic Education Office.

Qualifications: B.Ed., MEd., Grad Dip Ed Studies (Educational Leadership), Grad Dip Ed (Religious), Grad Dip Legal Studies, Cert of School Counselling, NSW Teachers' Certificate.

Ms Alison Jeffries

During her period on the Board, Ms Jeffries was the Principal of St Clare's College, Canberra and is a member of the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies. Ms Jeffries has recent experience in teaching in ACT Catholic schools and working in education administration in the Catholic Education Office. Prior to 1999 she taught in non-government and public education schools in NSW and WA.

Ms Jeffries resigned from her position on the Board on 28 November 2012 following her resignation as Principal, St Clare's College.

Qualifications: M.Ed., B.Ed., Grad Cert in Education Law, Master of Catholic Ed.

Ms Diane Joseph

Ms Joseph commenced her role as Director-General of the ACT Education and Training Directorate in August 2012, after being in the role of ACT Deputy Director-General since 2010. Ms Joseph's focus on system wide reform and improvement is underpinned by over thirty years experience in education. This has included senior positions in the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development including as a secondary school principal. Ms Joseph plays a key strategic role in shaping and influencing education policy at the local and national levels.

Qualifications: B.Sc. (Education), FACEL.

Professor Geoffrey Riordan

Professor Riordan is Dean and Professor, Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics, University of Canberra. Professor Riordan has held various positions in tertiary institutions in Australian and in Alberta, Canada and taught in schools in northern NSW.

Qualifications: B.Ed, (CCE), M.EdAdmin (UNSW), PhD (Alberta).

Attachment 2

ACT Teacher Quality Institute Act Section 26 (e)

Assessment standards required to be met by teachers.

New applicants are required to meet the following assessment standards:

Full Registration

Full registration is only available to experienced applicants who meet the criteria specified below.

Qualification(s) Completion of at least four years of higher education (full-time or equivalent) study including an accredited initial teacher education program accredited in Australia, leading to the achievement of a recognised qualification. Overseas qualifications will be accepted if they are assessed by TQI as equivalent.
Teaching experience 180 school teaching days in the previous five year period before the day the application is made.
Abilities, knowledge and skills TQI must be satisfied that the person has the abilities, knowledge and skills of a comparable level to those in the Proficient level of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. If not applying under Mutual Recognition provisions, the applicant is required to submit a TQI Professional Practice Report completed and signed by a Principal or their delegate who can attest to the professional practice of the applicant.
Suitability to teach TQI will use a Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) (WwVP) registration status or a current national police certificate, together with the information supplied in overseas criminal history checks (where applicable), declarations and any other evidence provided to TQI to satisfy itself of the applicant's suitability to teach.
English language proficiency TQI must be satisfied that the applicant meets the English language requirements specified in the Act. Applicants who have not undertaken the required four full years of tertiary study in English in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada or the Republic of Ireland, must provide proof of an academic IELTS test undertaken in the two years prior to the date of the application with scores of at least band 8 in Speaking and Listening and at least band 7 in Reading and Writing.

Provisional Registration

Provisional registrants meet the qualification requirement for full registration but have not yet accumulated the required teaching experience or skills and abilities for Full registration. It is the appropriate category for Graduate entry and applicable as an interim measure when an applicant may meet the requirements for full registration but is unable at the time to provide the relevant supporting evidence.

Qualification(s) Completion of at least four years of higher education
(full-time or equivalent) study including an accredited initial teacher education program accredited in Australia, leading to the achievement of a recognised qualification. Overseas qualifications will be accepted if they are assessed by TQI as equivalent.
Suitability to teach TQI will use a WwVP registration status, or a national current police certificate, together with the information supplied in overseas criminal history checks (where applicable), declarations and any other evidence provided to TQI to satisfy itself of the applicant's suitability to teach.
English language proficiency TQI must be satisfied that the applicant meets the English language requirements specified in the Act. Applicants who have not undertaken the required four full years of tertiary study in English in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada or the Republic of Ireland, must provide proof of an academic IELTS test undertaken in the two years prior to the date of the application with scores of at least band 8 in Speaking and Listening and at least band 7 in Reading and Writing.

Permit to teach

A permit to teach is not a category of registration but an authorisation for a person to teach for a limited period in a specific teaching role. A permit to teach may be offered to applicants who do not meet the requirements for full or provisional registration but who have specialist knowledge, training, skills or qualifications, or have completed a teaching qualification that does not meet the eligibility requirements for full or provisional registration. This process requires a request to TQI from the employer wishing to engage the person in a teaching position where a suitably qualified or registered teacher is not available.

Suitability to teach TQI will use a WwVP registration status, or a current police certificate together with the information supplied in overseas criminal history checks (where applicable), declarations and any other evidence provided to TQI to satisfy itself of the applicant's suitability to teach.
English language proficiency TQI must be satisfied that the applicant meets the English language requirements specified in the Act. Applicants who have not undertaken four full years of tertiary study in English in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada or the Republic of Ireland, must provide proof of an academic IELTS test undertaken in the two years prior to the date of the application with scores of at least band 8 in Speaking and Listening and at least band 7 in Reading and Writing.