| August | Here-turi-kōkā | Ākuhata |
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Kia ora koutou
I hope that the start of the new school term for our primary and secondary kaiako and ākonga is going well. I’d also like to acknowledge all the great mahi our ECE kaiako have kept up during this time.
It’s been a tough winter so far with COVID, flu, and other winter illnesses causing so many staffing shortages in our centres, schools and kura across Aotearoa. I know that it's been a struggle for both kaiako and ākonga alike, but with (hopefully!) the coldest months behind us, I am hopeful this will ease.
For the last few years, I have been advocating for changes to legislation to ensure the discipline process was fair and timely for teachers. We all understand and accept the responsibility of working with tamariki – however, over time, the processes became such that to be a teacher left little room for error. Please see the article below for the details of the changes.
Our new Governing Council began their three-year term 1 July. Recently, I spent time with the new Governing Council at their induction which took place at both Waiwhetu marae in Lower Hutt and the Teaching Council's offices.
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The opportunity for whakawhanungatanga was a great chance to get to know each other, and to discuss a range of important issues facing the profession. We're all looking forward to working together on the challenges that lie ahead. We were privileged to hear from Kura Moeahu, Chair of Te Āti Awa about the history of the area and iwi.
There's a lot of useful information to share with you in this August's Matatū. I hope you have time in your busy schedules to read through, and perhaps even let us know if you have any thoughts or queries.
Ngā mihi
Lesley Hoskin,
Tāhuhu Rangapū | Chief Executive |
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Changes in the law that directly impact you as teachers
The recent passing of the Education and Training Amendment Act 2022 has resulted in some changes to our purpose, our functions and our disciplinary processes which we have actively sought and supported.
Our purpose was originally confined to English and Māori medium settings – it is now expanded to include other language settings. Our refreshed purpose, effective from 1 August 2022, is to “ensure safe and high-quality leadership, teaching, and learning for children and young people in early childhood, primary, and secondary schooling in English and Māori medium settings, and settings of other languages, through raising the status of the profession.” This change allows us to establish the most appropriate policy settings to support the growth of a Pacific bilingual and immersion workforce.
Our ability to prosecute existing offences under the Education and Training Act 2020 related to registration, practising certificates and Limited Authorities to Teach have been clarified. A new function confirms that the Teaching Council can prosecute where we consider such action is appropriate to protect ākonga | learner safety and the quality and reputation of the teaching profession. An example of this could be situations where people are employed in a teaching position without a current practising certificate. This change is also effective from 1 August 2022.
We have been working for the last few years to strengthen and streamline the disciplinary regime dealing with teacher conduct. The Disciplinary Tribunal was intended to deal with the most serious of misconduct matters but is currently dealing with many less serious matters. This is due to the current legislation requirements. This has meant that it takes longer to reach an outcome for teachers. The changes aim to enable the Complaints Assessment Committee to take on more cases, leaving the more serious cases for the Disciplinary Tribunal. The current requirement for the Complaints Assessment Committee to reach agreement with both the teacher and the initiator before it can impose a penalty is amended to require agreement with the teacher only. A new power of review of a decision of the Complaints Assessment Committee by the Disciplinary Tribunal is introduced. These changes will not take effect immediately but in 12 months time. This provides time for us to review the Teaching Council Rules 2016 which set out the disciplinary processes, and to consult with the profession and key stakeholders about changes to the Rules to improve efficiencies within our disciplinary processes, improve natural justice for kaiako | teachers, and better respect the mana of all persons involved in the processes.
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Examples in practice - The Code of Professional Responsibility | Ngā Tikanga Matatika
This is the second scenario in our Examples in Practice - The Code of Professional Responsibility | Ngā Tikanga Matatika series. To read the guide on what constitutes misconduct or misconduct, click the button below.
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Scenario 2:
An ECE kaiako is leading mat time and reading a story to a group of tamariki. The kaiako notices a child sitting playing with a toy truck when there is a “no toys at mat-time” rule. She reminds the child of the rule and asks for them to return the truck where it belongs. The teacher continues reading the book to the group. When she looks over again, the child is back to playing with the truck and another child is starting to join in with loud “vrooooooooooooooom” noises.
The kaiako reaches over and tries to grab the truck out of the child’s hands. When the child refuses to give up the toy, the teacher takes hold of the child’s arm, hoists them upwards and drags the child over to the construction corner approximately five metres away. The teacher forcefully removes the truck from the child’s hands and places it back on the shelf where it belongs. The child appears in distress to the other kaiako in the room, and a red mark is appearing on the upper arm where the child had been held by the kaiako. Another kaiako in the room takes the child down to the sick bay area for a cold cloth for the child’s arm. They inform the centre manager of what has just occurred.
An employment investigation reveals that the other two staff members present in the room observed the kaiako pull the child by the arm and drag the child across the room. There were various accounts provided about the level of force used by the kaiako throughout the incident.
The kaiako admits that the above incident occurred. However, she disputes that she dragged the child, and insists that she got down to the child’s level, explained there were no toys at mat time, and led the child to the construction area to put this away. She admits becoming frustrated at the construction area and states she took the truck from the child, but not forcefully.
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| What you think could be potential breaches of the Code | Ngā Tikanga Matatika related to the scenario? |
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What are your thoughts? Is this misconduct, or serious misconduct? Think about your reasons why/why not.
Example of an outcome for this scenario: |
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Rauhuia | Leadership
"Ko te Rauhuia he whakawātea i te ara ki ngā kaiako katoa, ahakoa te tūranga, ahakoa te horopaki whakaako ki te whakapakari i ōna pūmanawa hautū, kia tino eke ngā tamariki katoa o Aotearoa ki ngā taumata mātauranga kounga tiketike, i runga i te mahi pai o ngā kaihautū o tētahi tira kaiako matatau ā-ahurea, tūhono ki te ao."
“Rauhuia enables every teacher, regardless of their role or setting, to have the opportunity to develop their own leadership capability so that through principles and inspirational leadership, a culturally capable, competent and connected teaching profession achieves educational equity and excellence for all children and young people in Aotearoa New Zealand."
(Vision from Te Rautaki Kaihautū | Leadership Strategy, p4)
Rauhuia | Leadership Space serves as a tūāpapa | foundation, to help teachers unleash the power of their leadership in the lives of children, young people, and the community.
Rauhuia | Leadership Space aspires for all teachers to:
- grow their leadership capability and lead through values
- build new knowledge about effective leadership through partnerships
- easily find and participate in a range of networks relevant to their learning goals
- engage in work to address significant issues, advocating and participating in problem solving at local and national levels.
We will include updates on activities and how you can be involved in future Matatū newsletters.
One of the first opportunities that will be available to you is to participate in an online symposia series with experts in the field of leadership who will share examples from within the teaching community. The first four symposia will be focussed on mana oranga | well-being. More detail on the dates and how to register will be available in the next Matatū, or check out information contained in our pages on Rauhuia | Leadership at the link below.
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| Listen to Dr Robyn Baker, newly appointed Chair of the Teaching Council, talk about Rauhuia | Leadership Space and the whakapapa of this work. |
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The Council is pleased to have received the Government’s recent commitment to financially supporting the ongoing work of Rauhuia which we undertake on behalf of the profession. We will take a key role acting as a catalyst for and supporting and enabling a coherent systemwide approach to developing leadership and continue to work closely with the Ministry of Education.
The Rautaki Kaihautū | Leadership Strategy supports the growth and development of leadership capability for all registered teachers in positional and non-positional roles, so that we are strengthening leaders of today and the future. |
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About full certification
We frequently receive questions about certification types. In this article, we'd like to try and explain the different types of full certification.
There are two categories of full certification for experienced teachers:
- Tiwhikete Whakaakoranga Tūturu | Full Practising Certificate (Category One)
- Tiwhikete Whakaakoranga Pūmau | Full Practising Certificate (Category Two)
Tūturu | Full (Category One) is issued after a teacher has successfully completed induction and mentoring and been endorsed as being able to independently use and meet all the Standards for the Teaching Profession | Ngā Paerewa mō te Umanga Whakaakoranga.
An experienced teacher may move to Pūmau | Full (Category Two) if a change of role means they may not currently be able to demonstrate using and meeting all the Standards | Ngā Paerewa.
An example might be a teacher who previously worked in a permanent, full-time role has begun working in day-to-day relieving roles. In these circumstances, their current role may not allow them to demonstrate using and meeting all the Standards | Ngā Paerewa but their experience indicates they are likely to meet them.
This is why the term “likely to meet” is used – it simply indicates that if the teacher were in a more full-time role, as an experienced teacher they would be able to use and meet all the Standards | Ngā Paerewa (the role would enable this). However, the role they currently hold may mean they can’t show this. For example, relieving teachers would not usually be able to demonstrate using and meeting the standard “Design for learning.” This paerewa | standard includes teaching practices such as selecting teaching approaches and learning activities, or gathering, and analysing and using appropriate assessment information which may be difficult to demonstrate in a day-to-day relieving role.
What’s the difference between the two categories?
Both certificate types indicate that the teacher is fully certificated, that is, they are an experienced teacher. Otherwise the only difference is that a teacher holding a Pūmau | Full (Category Two) can’t mentor other teachers. If a Pūmau | Full (Category Two) teacher changes role type, they can move back to Tūturu | Full (Category One) following a one-year period of mentoring.
There has been an ongoing misunderstanding that the previous ‘Subject to Confirmation’ and the newer Pūmau | Full (Category Two) practising certificates are somehow of lesser status than a Tūturu | Full (Category One). For example, we sometimes receive requests from teachers who appear not to wish to complete their teaching career with a Pūmau | Full (Category Two), even though their current role means they are unable to demonstrate the full range of teaching practice. These teachers often comment that they don’t want to move to this practising certificate type as they believe it somehow reflects poorly on their career. It does not.
Having two full practising certificate types simply recognises that some important roles within the profession are unable to undertake all the responsibilities that allow the full range of teaching practices to be demonstrated.
Holding Pūmau | Full (Category Two) does not indicate issues with a teacher’s performance and should never be recommended by a professional leader endorsing a teacher’s practising certificate application when they have concerns about a teacher’s practice.
We contact professional leaders who have endorsed a change to a teacher’s practising certificate type when there appears to have been no role-type change that supports a shift. This is to ensure any change in practising certificate type is not being used inappropriately.
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As teachers, you have a unique opportunity to help unteach racism in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Start your Unteach Racism journey now with the four steps at the button below!
And sign up to the quarterly Unteach Racism newsletter for updates, messages from special guests, news, and articles relating to the app modules and racism in Aotearoa New Zealand.
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Customer service update
Last month we described some of the challenges and areas we're working hard to improve on in our contact centre.
One of the main challenges we described was staffing problems due to COVID, and its effect on call wait times and case resolutions. Not too long ago the backlog of cases (emails, web requests, voicemails, unanswered calls) had climbed to over 4000. Over the past month however, our kaimahi have put in a huge effort. In July they answered 2087 calls and resolved 4906 cases, and on July 20 they had completely erased the backlog.
Since getting the number of unresolved cases under control we've been working on balancing new cases and phone calls. The average wait time for callers to our contact centre is now sitting around five and a half minutes. Sometimes though it might take a little longer than that to get through. The average call we receive is currently just over seven and a half minutes long which is a number that's been trending upwards over time.
If you don't have time to jump on the phone to ask us something, why not try asking our chatbot, Miromiro? Miromiro is still somewhat new to the team but is getting better and better at answering your questions. In July alone Miromiro took in four and a half thousand questions, and was able to find an answer in our knowledge base for just over half (55.98%) of these.
Again, we're always open to your feedback. Your suggestions help improve our service, so if you do have any thoughts or ideas on our customer service, please feel free to get in touch with us.
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Policy Dashboard
The Policy Dashboard provides an overview of recent Teaching Council policy development, the wider education sector policy development and law reform, by providing a snapshot of policies, submissions, analysis, and recommendations. This is one of the important roles we play, on behalf of the profession. We've revised last month's policy dashboard. Please click on the link below to see the July dashboard.
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Proactive release of fee and levy decision-making papers
The Governing Council has decided to proactively release a range of papers associated with the Teaching Council’s consultation on fees and levies. Key reasons for the release of these papers is transparency, to assist those affected by proposed changes, and to allow the public to understand decisions and the decision-making process.
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