The national review of teacher registration was conducted during 2018 by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). Its purpose was to examine teacher registration in Australia and ensure processes were nationally consistent, rigorous and focused on teacher quality.

At the Review’s conclusion, AITSL released a report outlining 17 key recommendations to strengthen teacher registration across Australia.

Despite each state and territory authority having different regulatory and legislative requirements, they all work within the National Teacher Registration Framework (the Framework) which provides the foundation for a consistent approach to teacher registration in Australia.

It includes eight key elements:

• Initial period of registration
• Fixed period of registration
• Alternative authorisation to teach
• Sanctions including withdrawal of registration
• Suitability
• Qualifications
• English language proficiency
• Mutual recognition.

While it’s recognised that each registration authority requires flexibility to meet local workforce needs the review determined a need for greater consistency between authorities across three broad areas:

• The way teacher registration requirements are interpreted and administrated by each authority.
• Removing barriers to data sharing between jurisdiction; and
• Broadening the registration system to include teaching professionals such as early childhood teachers and VET trainers.

The Panel explored these areas in detail with recommendations including:

Improving and reinforcing teacher quality

• Teacher employers take responsibility for providing access to high-quality induction and mentoring for early career teachers.
• A strategy to be developed to ensure national consistency in the judgements of whether a teacher is ready to move through to the next career stage – graduate, proficient, highly accomplished and lead.
• Amendments to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) including specific maintenance of proficiency against the Standards.
• Update the APST so that they are relevant to early childhood teachers.
• All early childhood teachers, regardless of their employment setting, are required to be registered under a consistent approach.

Strengthening children’s safety

• Jurisdictions amend legislation and/or policies to require teacher regulatory authorities to share information with their counterparts to strengthen children’s safety and improve teacher workforce mobility.
• A national policy on suitability to teach be developed and implemented by all teacher regulatory authorities, which are to include considerations of ‘fit and proper’.
• An automated national information sharing platform to be developed to streamline the sharing of teacher registration information in real time between authorities.

Streamlining teacher registration processes

• Jurisdictions commit to improving mutual recognition processes between teacher regulatory authorities so teachers can move between states and territories in a timely manner.
• Develop a plan to enable teacher registration to be fully transferable between jurisdictions so that teachers can work across jurisdictions if they wish.
• Greater alignment between teacher registration and VET qualifications for teachers who hold or seek dual teaching and VET qualifications.
• Develop a national approach to English language proficiency.

The 17 recommendations made by the Panel represent a significant national reform agenda, with actions to improve and reinforce teacher quality, strengthen children’s safety and improve the consistency and efficiency of the teacher registration process across Australia.

Teacher registration is a joint endeavour between teachers, mentors, leaders, employers, sectors and jurisdictions, who all play an important role and contribute to the quality of the processes and outcomes. It is designed to uphold high standards of professional practice and ensure the competency and quality of teachers.

It is hoped, that with the support of all stakeholders in the registration process, the recommendations will provide a way forward for a stronger teaching profession and better outcomes for students across Australia.

Read the full report here.