NESA PD Requirements for NSW Teachers: What Changed and What Counts

It's the end of your maintenance period and you're tallying up your PD log. Under the old rules, you'd also be checking you had enough Accredited hours and something in every priority area. That part is gone.

So what are the NESA PD requirements for NSW teachers now? NSW teachers maintaining Proficient, Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher accreditation must complete 100 hours of PD in each maintenance period (NESA). Since 16 August 2024, any PD that relates to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers counts towards those hours. The Accredited and Elective categories have been removed, the priority areas are no longer mandatory, and you no longer write evaluations for your PD.

What changed on 16 August 2024

NESA removed the Accredited and Elective PD categories to give teachers more flexibility in completing their 100 hours (NESA). Here's how the requirements compare.

A few things stay the same. Any hours you logged before the change still count towards your current maintenance cycle. You still need to record your PD, and you can keep logging in eTAMS or offline.

What counts as PD for NESA

Professional development is any activity where you learn new skills or practices that relate to the Standards. You can now also count employer mandated training that aligns to the Standards.

NESA is clear that the everyday parts of the job don't count, even when you learn something along the way. Examples of what you can't log include:

• programming and planning
• marking, moderating and writing student reports
• administrative staff meetings
• parent-teacher interviews and meetings
• excursions, event coordination and extra-curricular commitments
• creating or collaborating on individual learning plans
• coaching or leading student initiatives
• trade union training
• courses unrelated to teaching or curriculum

To help you choose PD that suits your needs, NESA has published the NESA Professional Development Framework.

How to log your PD hours

You can log your PD in your NESA online account (eTAMS) or keep your own record, such as NESA's PD log template. For each activity, record:

• the date
• the activity type and name
• the Standard or Standards it addresses
• how long it took
• the provider's name
• the priority area, if it applies

Keep your log for 12 months after you submit your maintenance of accreditation. NESA audits a random sample of PD logs every quarter. If you're selected, NESA only needs your PD log details, and attendance certificates or evaluations aren't required (NESA).

How to use this before your next maintenance

• Check your total. Log in to eTAMS and see how many hours you've already recorded this cycle. Everything logged before August 2024 still counts.
• Choose PD for what you need. With the categories gone, pick PD that matches your class, your stage and the goals you're working on.
• Log as you go. Add each activity when you finish it, with the Standards it addresses, so there's nothing to chase at the end of the cycle.
• If you're a casual or relief teacher, your requirements are the same 100 hours. Online, self-paced PD lets you fit it around the days you're booked.

Where ClassCover Learn fits

ClassCover Learn is a NESA approved PD provider for NSW teachers. Every course relates to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, and you get a certificate when you finish, so logging the hours is quick.

With the categories gone, every course in the library can count towards your 100 hours, from behaviour and wellbeing to literacy, numeracy and neurodiversity. A ClassCover Learn membership gives you 200+ hours of online, self-paced PD for $99 a year, and it's tax deductible. To try it first, start with our free teacher PD.

HBWritten by Helen Bryant, Director of Education, ClassCover Learn. Helen has been teaching for over twelve years in both government and independent schools, across all stages from K-6.