Management of Professional Registration for Teachers and School Administrators Procedures

Guidance

Employee support service is the Department’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) (staff only) provider - PeopleSense.

The Teacher Register Information (Professional) (TRIP) is an online tool to monitor the registration status, conditions applied to registration and annual fee information of teachers.

Workforce Policy is able to provide principal access to TRIP. Principals are able to establish up to six delegates at their school to access TRIP on their behalf.

Guidance

See Appendix A: Department Support Areas.

The obligation to maintain teacher registration arises under s6 of the Teacher Registration Act 2012. Penalties apply. 

Section 7 of the Teacher Registration Act 2012 makes it an offence to appoint, employ, engage or give permission to another person to teach in an educational venue unless the other person is a registered teacher. Penalties apply.

Teachers (Public Sector Primary and Secondary Education) Award 1993 requires all employees to carry out duties consistent with the School Education Act 1999 and any other relevant legislation impacting on Department business.

Section 9 of the Teacher Registration Act 2012 makes it an offence for an unregistered teacher to claim to be a registered teacher; or use a title that indicates, or could reasonably be understood as indicating, that he or she is a registered teacher or qualified or entitled to teach in an educational venue. Penalties apply. 

Section 9 of the Public Sector Management Act 1994 requiries teachers to comply with any other Act governing their conduct. The reference to any other Act includes the Teacher Registration Act 2012. 

Regulation 27A of the Teacher Registration (General) Regulations 2012 requires teachers to give written notice to the TRBWA of changes to their registration details.  Penalty applies.

Guidance

The category of Limited Registration affords principals the ability to employ suitably qualified people to fill specific teaching roles when needed. 

Circumstances when Limited Registration can be used include but are not limited to:

• where there is an inability to engage a qualified teacher to teach a language other than English (LOTE) or an indigenous language
• filling teaching positions in rural and remote communities.

The applicant for limited registration is the Principal who has made the offer of employment; the teacher is called a ' nominee'. The responsibility for application and the cost of the applicable registration fee is borne by the school.  

The requirements on making an application, including applications for first registration, renewal of registration and applications to transition from one category of registration to another, is outlined in the TRBWA Policy on Making an Application. An application for limited registration should not be used as a substitute for maintaining a teachers’ registration.

Guidance

When the Department is made aware by any means that an employee's registration with the TRBWA has been cancelled, suspended or expired, and may have committed a breach of discipline, it can: 

1. Decide to deal with the matter as a disciplinary matter; or, 
2. Decide to: 
   • take improvement action with respect to the employee; or,
   • take no action.

An unregistered employee may be ready and willing to Teach, but by reason of ss 6 and 7 of the TR Act are not lawfully able to Teach, they will cease to be paid for the period they are not Teaching, unless on authorised paid leave. 

Employees are contacted using information recorded in the Department’s Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS). If the address is unknown, letters will be sent to the employee’s last known address and published as a public sector notice in accordance with s.40 of the Public Sector Management Act 1994.

Notice is to be given to the TRBWA when dealing with a matter as a disciplinary matter that leads to disciplinary action being taken under s.42 of theTeacher Registration Act 2012 and results in that teacher:

• being suspended or dismissed from teaching at the school; or
• resigning from or no longer teaching at the school. 

See Appendix B: Information to provide in notification letter for disciplinary matters.
See Appendix C: Process for unregistered employees flowchart

Employee rights and entitlements

Employees should seek independent financial advice on the financial ramifications of ceasing employment.   This could be sought from: 

• their own financial advisor
• GESB and other superannuation funds (if applicable)
• Centrelink; and/or
• the Australian Taxation Office.

Employees who cease their employment with the Department under the provisions of this policy and procedure are eligible to receive their long service leave entitlement. Line managers should liaise with Labour Relations in relation to leave entitlements.