Immediate accreditation at Proficient Teacher
Eligible returning teachers accredited at Provisional can apply for immediate accreditation at Proficient Teacher with their principal's support. Discover how to apply, the eligibility requirements, and what to do if your principal does not recommend immediate accreditation.
When you can apply
There is no minimum number of teaching days required before you can apply. However, you need to apply before the end of your maximum accreditation timeframe.
Check your eligibility requirements
Before you can apply for immediate accreditation at Proficient Teacher, you must be a returning teacher accredited at Provisional with the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA).
Eligible returning teachers
You are eligible to apply for immediate accreditation at Proficient Teacher if you:
- return to teaching after a break of more than 5 years and voluntarily cancelled your Proficient Teacher accreditation before the end of your maintenance period
- taught in a NSW school before 1 October 2004 and have been away from teaching for more than 5 years
- taught in a NSW early childhood service before 18 July 2016 and have been away from teaching for more than 5 years.
If you were re-accredited at Provisional after revocation for not meeting the conditions (through failure to provide a Working with Children Check (WWCC) clearance number or pay your fees), you are eligible to apply for immediate accreditation if:
- you have been away from teaching for more than 5 years
- we determined you are eligible to apply after considering the re-accreditation panel's recommendation.
Eligible teachers previously accredited at Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher can only be immediately accredited at Proficient Teacher.
Ineligible returning teachers
You are ineligible for immediate accreditation at Proficient Teacher if:
- you have conditions on your re-accreditation, for example being ineligible for immediate accreditation
- we revoked your accreditation because you did not meet your maintenance requirements
- we revoked or cancelled your accreditation after the end of your maintenance of accreditation timeframe.
Prepare your application
Download and review the Application for immediate accreditation at Proficient Teacher for returning teachers (PDF 276.29KB).
Discuss your intention to apply and eligibility with your current principal.
Your principal will make a recommendation about your immediate accreditation.
Before they can make a recommendation they need to consider:
- if your current practice meets the Standards for Proficient Teacher as observed through a range of professional activities
- your previous level of accreditation
- your length of time away from teaching
- your length of employment as a teacher before your absence
- the nature of your employment during your absence from teaching in NSW, including employment as a teacher
- any relevant further tertiary study you completed during your absence
- other appropriate professional or personal circumstances.
You may need to provide the following to your principal to support your application:
- a statement of service
- evidence of further study
- evidence of recent professional development.
Documentary evidence of teaching practice is not required.
Submit your application
Refer to your employer’s internal procedures about immediate accreditation for returning teachers, if relevant.
Submit your application to your principal and include:
- your statements of service
- any other supporting documents.
Your principal will make their recommendation about your immediate accreditation and submit it to NESA by email to ptreports@nesa.nsw.edu.au.
We only process applications sent from your principal's email address.
Await NESA's accreditation decision
You will receive confirmation of your principal’s recommendation to immediately accredit you within 28 days of them submitting your application to us.
We make decisions based on their recommendation and supporting documents.
If you are immediately accredited, we issue you a Proficient Teacher certificate.
You begin your first maintenance of accreditation period on the day we make the decision.
Issues that may affect your accreditation
There may be some situations where your principal cannot recommend immediate accreditation.
If your principal intends not to recommend your immediate accreditation, they must provide you with 28 days' written notice of that decision.
The notice will include:
- their reasons for the intended recommendation
- the Standard Descriptors that you failed to demonstrate.
You have 28 days to respond to this notice in writing. Discuss the recommendation with your principal to determine if more supporting documents or evidence is required.
At the end of the 28-day notice period, if your principal does not recommend your immediate accreditation, they must record this decision, with reasons, on your application form and email it to us.
If your principal is unable to make a recommendation, they will record this on your application form, include their reasons, and email it to us.
They can only record that they are unable to make a recommendation if:
- you have not worked long enough in the school for them to confidently judge your practice
- the information provided by your previous schools (subject to your consent) has not helped them make a valid and reliable judgement.
If you do not give consent for your principal to contact your previous principal, they are likely to state that they ‘are unable to make a recommendation’.
You can discuss the recommendation with your principal to determine if more supporting documents or evidence is required.
We make accreditation decisions based on the principal’s recommendation and within 28 days of receiving it.
Continue to develop your teaching practice through:
- teaching experience
- reflection
- guidance and feedback from colleagues
- observations of practice
- other professional activities.
You can submit another application for immediate accreditation later, or you can follow the process to achieve Proficient Teacher accreditation
What you can do if you are not accredited
You can apply for an internal review if we decided to not immediately accredit you.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the internal review, you can apply to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal for a review of the decision.