InSchool education placements

This contact list provides pre-service teachers with information about who to contact to answer questions or address concerns about their education placement/s.

This contact list provides education settings with information about who to contact to answer questions or address concerns about education placement/s. 

Question: When will I receive confirmation of placement dates? 
Answer: The Inschool team starts organising placement when you enrol in the placement unit and have uploaded pre-placement clearances in the student portal (InPlace).

Question: Can I complete any unit (including a final placement) at a school where I have a conflict-ofinterest request approved?
Answer: Yes, any unit. 

Question: How many placements can I undertake in my workplace? 
Answer: If approved, a PST can undertake one placement in the workplace.

Question: Can I defer placement during the semester enrolled? 
Answer: If you can no longer participate in a unit they should withdraw before the census date without penalty or after the census date but with a financial (and sometimes with academic) penalty.

Question: Can a diploma-qualified teacher at a kindergarten supervise a PST? 
Answer: Diploma-qualified early learning teachers are qualified to supervise PSTs in early learning centres.

Question: Can a placement be extended? 
Answer: Check with the unit coordinator. If the purpose is to allow the PST more time to achieve the requirements, then it can be extended. See the degrees of concern procedures for more information.

Question: What happens if I miss a day of my placement? 
Answer: You need to notify inschool@cdu.edu.au and the education setting. If you are absent for more than one day, you need also to provide a medical certificate. 

Question: Do I have to make up missed days of placement? 
Answer: Missed days must be made up. This is because the number of days of supervised teaching practice in your course is required for eligibility for provisional teacher registration. Please plan with your mentor teacher to make up missed days and inform inschool@cdu.edu.au of your new end date.

Question: Can I organise my own placement? 
Answer: No. All education placements are organised by the InSchool team. When PSTs contact education settings directly, it can work against our processes and may jeopardise future placements. If you would like to request to undertake your placement in a particular education setting, please email inschool@cdu.edu.au with the information. A member of the InSchool team will contact the setting and follow up with you to let you know the outcome. 

Question: What if my placement is not completed during the semester I am enrolled? 
Answer: If a placement unit is not completed within the semester of enrolment, because a placement has not yet been found or a variation has been approved due to extenuating circumstances, a Practicum Ongoing (PO) grade will be awarded. A PO grade is applicable for two (2) admission periods, or until a suitable placement has been sourced and completed.

Question: What should I do if my security clearances do not arrive/I am not fully vaccinated before I am due to commence my placement? 
Answer: Education settings cannot approve PSTs to be on site until clearances/vaccination certificates or exemptions have been uploaded to InPlace and registered. Please email InSchool@cdu.edu.au or call 08 8946 6602 if you expect your placement to be delayed due to this.

Question: Do the placement units need to be completed in the order they appear on the study plan? 
Answer: Yes. Although there are no prerequisites, each placement unit has assumed knowledge, which is the previous placement.

Question: What time do I start and finish each day? 
Answer: Negotiate with your mentor teacher to arrive at least 20 minutes before school starts and stay at least an hour after school finishes. 

Question: Do pre-service teachers need to record their placement hours? If so where do they do that? 
Answer: The number of days placement completed is recorded by the mentor teacher when they complete the final report. One day of supervised teaching practice is a minimum of 7.5 hours.

Question: My placement is due to start after week 7 of the semester but I need to start in week 4. Is this possible? 
Answer: No. It is not possible to commence placement until after week 7. Placements are timed to ensure that PSTs have engaged with the theory that will inform their placement and are well prepared for a positive and productive experience. 

Question: What is the earliest date a PST can commence final placement? 
Answer: The earliest placements can commence is Week 2 of the CDU semester in which they are enrolled unless there are extenuating circumstances in which case the unit coordinator may approve the placement to commence in Week 1 of the semester enrolled. This is because the final placement units do not have a theory component but rather a summative assessment that is mostly completed during the placement.

Question: How many hours per day do I attend placement? A: 7.5 hours per day minimum Q: How many hours is full-time teaching? Answer: In the NT it is 24 hrs week primary and 21-23 hrs per week secondary

Question: Can I complete the EPR100 5-day placement across 2 weeks? 
Answer: Because the accredited requirements state "5 days professional experience, with a minimum of one lesson planned and taught" it is possible to complete the placement across two weeks if the school agrees. 

Question: If my placement is fifteen days with a two-week block, can I split the first five days across five weeks? 
Answer: Because the accredited requirements state "15 days professional experience, with a two-week block" it is possible to spread out the first five days if the school agrees. 

Question: My placement is a six-week placement with four weeks of full-time planning and teaching, but the school holidays fall in between. Is that okay? 
Answer: Yes. While it is ideal for the placement to occur in one school term, we understand that this is not always possible. 

Question: I am not able to complete full weeks. What are my options? 
Answer: PSTs should follow the breakdown of days and weeks required as indicated in the unit requirements and weekly guidelines.