Guidelines

Who is eligible for a NEiTA Award?

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Qualified and registered educators and directors in early childhood centres, and teachers and principals in primary, special and secondary schools who:

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• Have a minimum of two years’ teaching experience in Australia or New Zealand

• Are currently employed at a minimum average of:

  • a. 0.6 FTE plus a week (primary, special, and secondary teachers) or

  • b. 28 hours a fortnight (kindergarten and preschool teachers teaching pre-prep programs).

 

Exclusions

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• Educators or directors who have received a NEiTA Award within the last three years will not be eligible for a NEiTA Award. However, as NEiTA Foundation members, these past winners are encouraged to nominate a current or former peer.

• NEiTA retains the right to verify any information pertaining to the nomination before confirming the acceptance of the nomination.

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Who can nominate?

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• Schools and community centres can nominate through the parent association, secondary school student council, school board/council, or the committee of management.

• Parents, grandparents or guardians of school-going children may nominate independently.

• Community organisations can nominate independently.

• Teachers may nominate a person from the school/centre attended by their own children.

• Recognising the collegiate nature of the profession, teachers may nominate their peers*.

 

Exclusions:

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• Teachers’ family members

• Officials associated with the NEiTA program

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*Note: Prior to the interview stage, all finalists will need to have their applications endorsed by their principal, school head or centre director. In the case of school leaders, NEiTA Foundation will seek endorsement at the school council level. (This may be done directly on NEiTA’s Award Force platform.)

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Reason for nomination

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Nomination for excellence in education should include details of one or more of these domains:

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• Outstanding school and community leadership, particularly by principals and deputy principals

• Expert knowledge

• Exemplary and innovative teaching practice

• Exemplary engagement with parents, carers and the community, especially by providing outstanding support for student well-being.

• Outstanding professional engagement with colleagues including formal and informal mentoring.

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Nomination and nomination acceptance process

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Step 1: Community members are invited to nominate an eligible teacher, principal, or early childhood educator for a NEiTA 2023 Award via the online nomination form on the Award Force platform.

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Step 2: Eligible nominees will then be invited via email from NEiTA to complete a brief online application form comprising only five or six questions.

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Step 3: As applicants they will be asked to highlight aspects of their teaching/leadership background and accomplishments.  

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Note: NEiTA welcomes supporting letters from the school principal, centre director, school board/council, parent association, committee of management, or other relevant authority. Any other material submitted will not be considered by the selection panel. Providing such a letter in the Stage 1 application phase will obviate the need to provide principal endorsement should the nominee become a finalist and progress to the final interview at Stage 2.

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Selection criteria for finalists

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An experienced group of teachers, principals, and educationalists, including former NEiTA winner’s form the panel of judges, who will assess all applications. Applying a common criterion, based on AITSL Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, and AQF standards for Early Childhood Education, they will shortlist teachers, principals, and degree-qualified early childhood educators who reveal outstanding leadership, expert knowledge, exemplary and innovative teaching practice, and professional engagement with colleagues, parents, carers, and the community.

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The selection of the NEiTA Award winners is at the discretion of the NEiTA judging panel. Given the volume of applications received NEiTA is not in a position to provide feedback on unsuccessful nominations.

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The list of award recipients will be published on this website and communicated to national and local media.

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Retiring award recipients

*Where a recipient is due to retire or leave the teaching profession within 12 months of receiving the grant, the cash prize will be given to the school or centre for use in community development programmes or special projects that will need to be pre-approved by the NEiTA Foundation.

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Recognising and celebrating all Nominees

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A digital Certificate of Nomination will be provided to recognise all applicants. We encourage school principals, early childhood centre directors and school councils to acknowledge community appreciation of their children’s educators by printing and presenting the Certificate of Nomination publicly to the teacher or leader.

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Confidentiality

NEiTA will not:

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a) Disclose the nominator’s identity to the early childhood educator, centre director, teacher, or principal without the prior permission of the nominator.

b) Disclose the nominated early childhood educator, centre director, teacher, or principal’s details to the media or any other organisation without their prior permission (see NEiTA Privacy Statement).

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Key dates for 2023 Awards

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