Dear Students,
The spread of COVID-19 is of major concern. From where we were a month ago to now seeing the death toll rise and infection rate increase is an unfortunate step back. If the new infections cannot be contained to areas where the virus has begun to spread again, there will be major implications on placements (and lives) across the country. The ABC site has been further updated.
LANTITE and In-Service Graduate Placements (for school-based degrees)
I thought I would start this announcement with some good news: the NSW Minister for Education has waived the requirement for Literacy and Numeracy tests to be passed before the final placement can commence. This means for 2020 it will be a graduation requirement not a final placement requirement meaning you will have to pass the tests before you can graduate. So to all those I said to ‘stop asking’, you may now ask.
For LANTITE, make sure you keep registering and sitting the test just in case a placement cannot be found this year and we are required to revert to the old rules. More information about Literacy and Numeracy Testing in Initial Teacher Education can be found on the ACER website.
In-Service graduate placements (for schools) are still occurring. The process is running reasonably well and the turnaround time has been good. Already four groups of students have been permitted to complete the final placement as In-Service. More information about this can be found on the PREXUS site (COVID-19 and Placements).
These allowances are in place only for 2020. If you have a SET and the placement does not occur until next year, these offers will likely not be on offer anymore.
Victorian Placements
Victoria is in a bit of a pickle when it comes to COVID-19 and school placements. At this stage, schools are operating in mixed-mode capacity within the metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell regions. All other regions are teaching face-to-face. We are treating each placement on a case-by-case basis. As with the original decision, students will be required to attend their schools to either teach face-to-face or in a mixed-mode. Teaching from home will not be allowed. This can all change at the drop of a hat. I have asked our placement officers to contact each school to discuss how the placements will be going ahead. They will be writing to you to let you know.
Victoria Travel Restrictions and Placement
Border travel has been further restricted between Victoria and New South Wales. A border pass is still required and previously issued permits expired at midnight 21 July meaning people will have to reapply. This may cause issues with people undertaking placements in the border regions.
Try the PREXUS Before You Call the OPL
As said before, the PREXUS has most of the information you require about professional experience. Before you call the OPL to ask questions, we ask that you have a good look through the information on the PREXUS. And remember:
1. You have to score 100% in the quiz to open the site fully.
2. Some of the information will require you to scroll down to see it.
3. If you are having trouble viewing PREXUS, you might need to change your browser (i.e. try using Chrome instead… just don’t use Internet Explorer… ever… for anything).
4. Placement Forms are a tile labelled Arranging Your Placement. Please make sure you read all the information about which form to use.
Mandatory Information Goes on InPlace
To help you discern the difference between InPlace and PREXUS the following should be of assistance:
PREXUS houses the information about placements including the placement forms.
InPlace is for submission of forms, certificates and the like.
AskUNE is for questions to be asked that cannot be found on the PREXUS.
We have had a few people ask us about where to find information on InPlace so hopefully this helps everyone understand the difference.
Be Realistic With Your Expectations
Submitting a placement form on the Friday to start a placement the next Monday is stretching the friendship a little. Thousands of placements occur over the year and while the OPL staff do their best to process everything, there are delays at times. We ask that placements be submitted 10 days prior to the start date as this gives us time to check the following:
1. That you are enrolled (yes, some people try to do placement without enrolling in a placement subject)
2. That your study plan matches the placement (also yes, some people studying to become, for example, secondary Music teachers will try to complete the placement in a primary school or in English or Drama – will not meet accreditation requirements)
3. You have met the eligibility requirements (WWCC, Anaphylaxis, Child Protection, DEC Declaration, COVID-19 Declaration, LANTITE for final placement…)
4. Check the placement setting is valid (i.e. is registered with the relevant authority)
5. Send the package to the placement setting and the student.
This may seem like an easy process but the first two points can be laborious and the required follow-up for point 3. increases the processing time.
Remember, schools and centres accept the placement, the OPL can only request them.
Also, please remember that COVID-19 has not changed accreditation requirements. We have been receiving requests that simply cannot be actioned by the OPL, with people quoting COVID as the reason for the need to change. I acknowledge it is hard and these are trying times but we cannot change requirements that will cause issues with your graduation.
Finally, please make sure all your information is on your form. People are submitting forms without all the information delaying the placement process.
Declarations
On InPlace there are two declarations to complete:
1. COVID-19 Student Declaration
2. Declaration for Child Related Work
If you have not completed the first one of these, you will not be released for placement. If you are undertaking a placement in a NSW Department school and have not completed their form, you will likely be turned away from your placement.
Take Your Certificates to Your NSW Department School (same as last time)
Please remember to take your mandatory certificates to your NSW Department school. You will need to take a copy of your Child Protection Awareness Training Certificate, your Anaphylaxis Certificate and your completed Working With Children Check Declaration to the school (good luck finding it on the linked page – hint: it’s in the Working with Children Check Policy section, number 10, right down the bottom – easier to use the search function). Also, take some Photo ID. Before you go, you must have read the information on the Child Protection Training website, read the relevant policies and guidelines and used the link to the Child Protection Awareness Training, if you have not done this. For more information, please check the Department of Education Requirements for Your Placement website.
List-en Up!
1. Waiving of LANTITE for the final placement and allowing In-Service graduate placements (School placement requirements) are only for 2020.
2. Victorian placements can go ahead if the schools are allowing them. They cannot be taught from home.
3. Border restrictions have become tighter.
4. Please try to check the PREXUS before asking lots of questions. We are only a small team…
5. PREXUS is for information, InPlace is for submission, AskUNE is for questions.
6. It takes time to process forms, especially when a billion come in at once.
7. You still need to meet accreditation requirements, regardless of COVID-19.
8. Fill in the whole form when you submit it, please.
9. There are two declarations 1. COVID-19 Student Declaration 2. Declaration for Child Related Work – Please fill them in if you need (read the section carefully to determine if you need to)
10. Take your certificates to school.
The Bit That is (mostly) the Same as Last Week
UNE Support Services
If now is a bad time for you to undertake a placement, or you are worried about attending one, including for personal or other health reasons, UNE will be able to support you as needed. The OPL can extend your Special Extension of Time to allow the placement to occur at a later date (see New Students May Not Know Placements Are Allowed for newly enrolled students who might prefer to withdraw).
Other services are:
· UNE counselling services. UNE Counselling is a dedicated, professional and confidential service which may be able to assist you Monday to Friday, 9am-4pm. After hours support is also available through the use of UNE After Hours Crisis Support Line.
· The Student Emergency Assistance Fund is still available, but no more applications will be accepted for the COVID-19 Student Emergency Assistance Fund.
COVID-19 Official UNE page
The UNE COVID-19 information page is an important source of up-to-date and accurate information for all members of UNE’s community. Please ensure you are checking this page regularly.
Veritasium is a great site for general ‘sciencey’ things. This 2013 video about the kilogram is quite interesting. This 2017 update is also good. Then this.
If this is too ‘teachery’, here you go.
Have a lovely week and stay safe.
Yours sincerely,
Tim Bartlett-Taylor
