Outside tutors
For students approved by the school to study individual courses through an outside tutor, the principal must have taken all reasonable steps to ensure that each tutor has the capacity to teach the course and is a suitable person to work with children.
Registered schools may approve outside tutors to deliver courses of study that are part of curriculum requirements as specified by the Education Act 1990.
An outside tutor is any person, other than a teaching staff member of the school, who is delivering a specified course of study to a student or students enrolled in the school.
The delivery of such a course may take place on or off school premises and during or outside school hours.
Persons employed by the school as casual teachers, or persons who provide specialist expertise for part of a course that is under the supervision of a teaching staff member who has responsibility for teaching the course at the school, are not considered outside tutors.
Further requirements must be met when outside tutors deliver courses of study for the Record of School Achievement and/or Higher School Certificate.
Evidence of compliance
A registered non-government school must document the process used by the school to:
- verify an outside tutors' capacity to teach a course
- ensure that in accessing any outside tutor the school continues to comply with the requirements under the Child Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012
- ensure that the school, if accredited, continues to comply with the requirements of the Assessment Certification Examination (ACE) website for approved study with an outside tutor.
For each outside tutor approved by the school to conduct individual courses of study with students,the school must maintain documentation that records:
- evidence that originals of the outside tutors' qualifications and/or evidence of relevant experience and/or expertise have been seen by the principal (or equivalent) or the principal's (or equivalent's) authorised delegate
- evidence that the school has sought and obtained satisfactory reports from referees concerning the outside tutor's' suitability as an outside tutor
- details of the process undertaken by the school to verify the outside tutor's capacity to teach the course and the outcome of that process
- evidence of a working with children check clearance as required under the Child Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012 in relation to the outside tutor and the outcome of that process
- the procedures in place to ensure that curriculum requirements are being met and will continue to be met for the course(s) of study delivered by the outside tutor.
The use of an outside tutor does not abrogate the school's obligation to ensure that all of the registration requirements that are relevant to that mode of delivery are met.