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Ongoing Education (Teachers)

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First created 17 March 2015
Last reviewed 17 April 2023
Review cycle Two years
Approver Senior Leadership Team
Owner Projects Manager
Stakeholders Board, staff
Child Safety National Principles 1, 5, 7

Overview #

1. Rehoboth Christian College believes that teachers are lifelong learners, and thus should encourage and develop staff in a way that reflects the College’s priorities.
2. Rehoboth aims to support teachers to develop continually in both their understanding of Christian Education, and in their professional teaching capacity.
3. We encourage teachers to:

  1. engage in professional reading and study;
  2. participate in professional learning in Christian Education;
  3. participate in courses that reflect the improvement items of the Operational Plan;
  4. participate in Professional Learning (PL) to help develop personal goals within their position at Rehoboth;
  5. engage in postgraduate studies with either an accredited university and/or the National Institute for Christian Education (NICE).

Principles #

  1. 1. Rehoboth Christian College believes that:
    1. quality delivery of the State and National curriculum is vital;
    2. Christ is central to everything we do.
  2. We are compelled to find a way to honour both while not diluting the College’s philosophy.

Distinctly Christian Education #

  1. In their programs, teachers are to present the world that our students will see through the “lens” of God’s Word. The teacher’s programming is to show a distinctive Christian approach to the subject. The aim should be to help the child to acknowledge Christ’s Lordship over all things, and to help him to understand himself, his neighbour, his society, his talents and his purpose in life in a God-honouring manner, whilst reflecting the sovereignty of God.
  2. Teachers at the College are encouraged to make a commitment to further their own understanding of Christian Education, their ongoing spiritual maturity, and to understand the doctrinal positions adopted by the Association for Christian Education.
  3. NICE is a strategic partner of Rehoboth Christian College and serves Christian schools throughout Australia, and in particular those that are a part of Christian Education National (CEN). The Association for Christian Education (ACE) will consider other Christian-based academic institutions on request and each will be considered on individual application.
  4. Staff will be reminded in June of each year regarding opportunities for ongoing education and will be encouraged to participate in Professional Learning. ACE will encourage all new staff to complete two Core Units either:
    1. within the first three years of commencing employment at Rehoboth, where the teacher has previous teaching experience; or
    2. in the third or fourth year of commencing employment at Rehoboth, where the teacher has been employed directly from undergraduate university studies.
  5. Staff members who have successfully completed their units will not automatically receive an increment in their salary; however, the successful completion of units will be given favourable consideration when reviewing applications for promotional positions. The budget amount is calculated based upon the number of applications approved. Please refer to the Flowchart: Rehoboth Staff as Lifelong Learners regarding the application procedure. 

Training and Professional Development #

  1. ACE supports the ongoing professional development of all employees and seeks to ensure it maintains a professional and highly skilled workforce. ACE supports facilitating the development of all employees’ skills, particularly in regard to the needs and activities that support teaching from a Christian worldview.
  2. Accordingly:
    1. Training and development needs of all staff will be identified:
    2. prior to commencement of employment;
    3. during performance of day to day duties;
    4. through feedback / appraisal sessions.
  3. All staff should aim to undertake a minimum of sixty hours professional learning in a three year Period (this is a Teacher Registration Board requirement). This PL includes compulsory PL provided by ACE and other PL which is deemed by the Principal to fit best within the Operational Plan and/or the teacher’s and students’ best interests.
  4. Staff wishing to attend or receive financial, time, or other support for a conference, PL, or other training activity should submit a request in writing in advance to their Principal. This request should provide full details of the event or activity including dates, times, venue and costs (see application form). Principals have delegated authority to approve training and development requests subject to the event or activity meeting the criteria below, and the request falling within the training/PL budget for that Campus.
  5. Requests for interstate/international training events or conferences must be referred for authorisation to the CEO. Requests involving three or more days absent, or where costs exceed $1,000 must be referred to the CEO for consideration.
  6. Information sharing: For the sake of best practice and cost effectiveness, staff attending PL are expected to actively share knowledge gained with other staff. This will usually involve a written report that may also be presented at a staff meeting.

Flowchart: Rehoboth Staff as Lifelong Learners #