5. Requirements for accreditation

NSW providers of proposed initial teacher education programs are responsible for preparing and submitting an application to NESA. The application undergoes a rigorous assessment process described in Section 6 of this policy to determine whether the program should be accredited by NESA.

5.1 Accreditation requirements

NESA will accredit an initial teacher education program where the provider demonstrates that it meets national accreditation standards and NSW supplementary requirements.

Providers must provide evidence in an application for program accreditation that the program meets the Program Standards described in the Standards and Procedures. This includes the Graduate Teacher Standards. The Guidelines for the accreditation of initial teacher education programs support the Standards and Procedures by providing advice on the accreditation assessment criteria.

Providers must also provide evidence that a program meets NSW supplementary requirements to be accredited. NSW supplementary requirements provide specific elaborations of particular Program Standards or Graduate Teacher Standards or descriptions of knowledge, understanding and practice linked to NSW priorities, and are specified in the following policy documents:

• Elaborations in Priority Areas (PDF 835.5KB)
• Elaborations in Priority Areas Aboriginal Education (PDF 381.52KB)
• Subject content knowledge requirements
• Professional experience in initial teacher education
• Meet the Professional experience requirements
• NSW Initial Teacher Education Non-Academic Selection Framework, February 2019 (PDF 326.74KB)

5.2 Consulting NESA on proposed changes to accredited programs

It is the provider’s responsibility to ensure an accredited program continues to meet requirements described in Section 5.1 of the policy during the period in which it is accredited.

During the accreditation period, the provider is to consult with NESA regarding proposed changes to the accredited program to clarify whether the changes are relatively minor ones that relate to updating documentation and a provider’s commitment to continuous improvement, or more significant ones that require scrutiny and possible approval by NESA. Any proposed significant changes to a program need to be approved before they are applied.