Minister for School Education Peter Garrett today announced the opening of nominations for the 2012 Australian Awards for Outstanding Teaching and School Leadership, recognising the top performing teachers and school leaders across the country.

Mr Garrett delivered the keynote address to around 500 education stakeholders at the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Professional Learning Convention in Melbourne.

“These prestigious awards recognise teachers and school leaders with expert knowledge, exemplary skills and commitment to meeting the needs of young Australians,” Mr Garrett said.

“Teacher quality and effective school leadership are major forces in improving education outcomes, with the Review of Funding for Schooling this week determining that ‘the quality of an education system depends on the quality of its teachers’.

“The final report by David Gonski is the result of 18 months of consultation and research, and more than 7,000 submissions from schools, organisations and individuals across the country.

“The Gillard Government is carefully considering the findings and recommendations in the Report, to ensure that any funding model is transparent and accountable, supports parental choice, and helps give every kid access to a world-class education.

“We know that investment in schools will need to be accompanied by continued efforts to strengthen our education system through excellent teaching and school leadership.”

Nominations for the 2012 Australian Awards for Outstanding Teaching and School Leadership will be sought from peak education authorities in each state and territory for the following categories:

• Australian Primary Teacher of the Year
• Australian Secondary Teacher of the Year
• Australian Primary Principal of the Year
• Australian Secondary Principal of the Year
• Australian Early Childhood Teacher of the Year
• Australian Government Minister’s Award for Excellence 

As in 2011, this year’s Minister’s Award for Excellence will be awarded to a teacher or school leader who shows innovation and initiative in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education.

At today’s convention, Minister Garrett also launched new initiatives developed by AITSL to support quality teaching, including the National Professional Standards for Teachers website, and a ‘Teacher Feature’ platform, which allows teachers to upload video snapshots of themselves talking about their practice.

“The Gillard Government understands that the key to a world-class education system is excellent teaching, which is why we are investing $550 million over five years for teacher quality,” Mr Garrett said. 

AITSL is also developing a performance and development framework to be introduced in schools from 2013 and aligned with the Gillard Government’s Rewards for Great Teachers program.

For more information on the Australian Awards for Outstanding Teaching and School Leadership visit www.aitsl.edu.au.

Details of Government initiatives to boost teacher quality are available at www.deewr.gov.au/schooling.