NSW government to recognise 2,500 of the most talented teachers

Mrs. Udaya Thangasamy of the Mathematics department at Blacktown Girls High School was awarded the prestigious status of Highly Accomplished Teacher in 2018 by the then Education Minister Rob Stokes.

The NSW Government has set an ambitious target to recognise at least 2,500 of the most talented teachers across the state at the highest levels of national accreditation.  

Minister for Education and Early Learning, Sarah Mitchell, today announced a streamlined process to apply for Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher accreditation in NSW, along with a target to increase the number of teachers accredited at these levels ten-fold.

“The updated process will minimise the administrative burden and better support teachers applying for nationally recognised Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher (HALT) levels of accreditation,” Ms Mitchell said.  

“The quality of teachers across NSW is world class, but we haven’t seen that reflected in the number of teachers putting their hand up for higher levels of accreditation, which also attract a higher pay rate. 

“This is something I want to see more of – teachers being recognised and renumerated for their impact – and I hope to see the number of HALT teachers grow to at least 2,500 by 2025. 

“Just this week I heard directly from highly accomplished teachers at the Best in School Roundtable at NSW Parliament that the previous process took up too much time, discouraging many of their colleagues from applying,” Ms Mitchell said.  

David Wu, Head Maths teacher at Cherrybrook Tech High became an overnight sensation when he started posting Maths lessons on Youtube for a student who had cancer. Woo’s lessons are now shared across the country.

NSW is also partnering with the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership to develop HALT specialisation pathways, including in classroom management and mathematics.  

“It’s so important that we remove barriers, cut red tape, and support our best teachers to achieve the highest levels of accreditation and get the career progression and increase in salary that goes with it.” 

The streamlined application process clarifies expectations and provides support for applicants to develop and submit their application, including: 

·          professional learning  

·         ·clear guidelines on the volume of evidence required 

·         ·individual feedback at key points in the application process 

·         ·an online resource hub to support reflection on teaching practice. 

Currently, 274 NSW teachers are accredited at HALT levels. The accreditation, which attracts additional remuneration, recognises highly effective, innovative and exemplary teaching practice against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. 

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