OPL COVID-19 Information
General Information
For more up-to-date information please read the University of New England Covid Safe Campus page
Teacher Education Student Placement Declaration
Please carefully read the below declaration. Once you have read and agreed to all of it, return to your InPlace portal and tick the box to agree to the declaration.
By selecting I agree, I understand that I am agreeing to the following stipulations:
- I am willing to undertake a placement in a school or early childhood centre and the University may approve a delay in the placement should I feel worried about returning to one of these settings;
- I understand if I am completing an early childhood placement, I will need to discuss returning to or delaying a placement with my early childhood unit co-ordinator;
- I will adhere to state-mandated social distancing requirements while on a placement;
- While undertaking a professional experience placement, if I feel sick or exhibit any symptoms related to COVID-19 or any other contagious illness, I will not attend the placement and will seek to self-isolate and contact relevant medical services for advice/checking. I will contact the Office for Professional Learning and my placement supervisor to let them know I have these symptoms. I will inform the school before the placement if I have any of the symptoms;
- I will adhere to any state, territory, and Australian or other laws;
- I understand UNE’s insurance policy does not cover illness;
- I will adhere to the selected model for placement should the school be working under amended or restricted placement models for COVID-19;
- I have read Specifications for Professional Experience During COVID-19 and understand the importance of adhering to these guidelines and stipulations.
I also understand this agreement is timestamped and has a full history of when it has been selected.
Specifications for Professional Experience During COVID-19
Although most schools have returned to pre-COVID procedures, it is still possible that a local COVID outbreak may result in a return to altered arrangements in schools Teacher education students are required to follow directives from their supervising teacher/placement school in relation to any changes which may be operational for the purposes of teaching classes during the COVID-19 arrangements. This includes being flexible and adhering to the school’s policies around social distancing and remaining at home at the first sign of illness.
In undertaking a professional experience placement a teacher education student must work collaboratively with supervising teachers and parents/carers to support student learning either through mixed-mode or face-to-face teaching.
- Teacher education students are responsible for:
- obtaining all mandatory pre-requisites prior to placement, for example, Working with Children Check, Anaphylaxis e-training course; Child Protection Awareness Training (CPAT); Mandatory Child Protection Training and reading the Code of Conduct;
- complying with the placement setting's privacy, confidentiality, and other legal arrangements and expectations for mixed-mode teaching if required;
- finding evidence of how they have met the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) in the context of their placement;
- complying with any requirements from the overarching bodies for the schools in which they are placed, including the NSW Department of Education, different Catholic dioceses or the individual independent school, or the different state requirements.
Before a placement begins, as with all placements, the teacher education student is required to contact their placement supervisor to understand the circumstances of the placement. This will include the delivery of lessons, how they are being undertaken and how the teacher education student can familiarise themselves with the technology being used, if applicable. This conversation will enable the teacher education student to develop a basic understanding of how engaging students through online learning can occur. The discussion will incorporate planning for engaging lessons, including implementing planning formats that allow for a seamless transition between the planning and learning environments.
Links to the latest Government advice:
- Australian Department of Education
- Australian Department of Health
- Department of Home Affairs
- NSW Health Department
- Video explanation on self-isolation requirements
State and Federal Social Distancing Information regarding COVID-19
For information and advice about social distancing, please see the below links. If you require support at any time during your placement, feel free to email the OPL via AskUNE or call us on 02 6773 3898.
