Swings + Roundabouts Summer 2020

YOU SO ENHANCED INDUCTION AND MENTORING FOR 2020 TEACHING GRADUATES To minimise the unfair impacts of COVID-19 lockdowns on student teachers, the Teaching Concil have reduced the minimum practical experience requirements by 25% and are developing an enhanced induction and mentoring for these beginning teachers, to compensate. This programme is intended to give them an opportunity to get some extra mentoring and feedback on their practice, as they may have missed out on some valuable practicum experience. The enhanced induction and mentoring programme will be funded by the Ministry of Education – beginning teachers and their employers will not be expected to pay to take part. The programme will be for employed beginning teachers and provided in addition to the usual induction and mentoring provided by their employer. The Teaching Council expects it will likely involve mentor observations of teaching and feedback for beginning teachers. Beginning teachers whose training was affected by COVID-19 will still be eligible for registration and a Tiwhikete Whakaakoranga Tōmua | provisional practising certificate, as normal, and will still be high quality grads able to meet the Standards in a supported environment. The programme will be available until 30 June 2022. NZEI PAY EQUITY CLAIM On 6 November 2020, making a pay equity claim became a whole lot simpler when the Equal Pay Amendment Act came into force, which has led to NZEI starting a pay equity claim for qualified teachers across the entire ECE sector. This claim broadens the current work NZEI are undertaking with ECECA, Barnardos and Salvation Army members to now include all qualified Teachers in Kindergarten and other ECE services, including Early Intervention Teachers working for MoE Learning Support. NZEI are also consulting with teacher members in primary and area schools and kōhanga reo member leaders about widening this claim to include them too. Because of pay parity between kindergarten and primary teachers, any pay equity settlement for these groups would have potential implications for secondary teachers too so they are also in discussions with the PPTA. To find out more go to https://campaigns.nzei.org.nz/pay-equity/ ECC members if you have concerns or need advice please contact the ECC, https://www.ecc.org.nz/ contactus 100% CERTIFICATED TEACHERS FUNDING RATES From 1 January 2021, teacher-led, centre-based early learning services that have a fully qualified and certificated teaching workforce will be eligible for 100% certificated teacher funding rates. Funding rates are determined by the staff hour count submitted in the RS7 return. Certificated teacher funding rates are calculated across the whole four-month funding period. In November 2020, services that had 100% certificated teachers for the entire June – September 2020 funding period will have their advance funding for January and February 2021 paid at the 100% funding rates. In March 2021, eligible services that maintained 100% certificated teachers for the entire October 2020 - January 2021 period will have their advance funding paid at the 100% rates. Services that have 100% certificated teachers for January 2021 will have their January wash-up paid at the 100% funding rates. As data for the whole period is used to calculate funding rates, where the proportion of certificated teacher hours is below 100% during any part of the October 2020 - January 2021 period the advance funding for March – June 2021 will be paid at a lower funding rate. If a service maintains a certificated workforce for the whole February – May 2021 period, their wash-up for this period will be calculated using the 100% funding rates in July. A copy of the funding rate tables for all the different service types can be found in the ECE Funding Handbook: https://www.education.govt.nz/early- childhood/funding-and-data/funding- handbooks/ece-funding-handbook/ appendix-one/ December 2020 { 14 }