St Joseph's School
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St Joseph's School provides an induction that supports new staff to succeed in their role. We provide relevant information about our school and about their role and responsibilities. We follow up the induction process with support as required and may ask staff members to evaluate their induction to identify how we can improve our processes.
We discuss the induction process with new staff members as part of their appointment. Any costs associated with induction (e.g. paying new staff members for their time during the induction process) are confirmed with new staff members before induction begins.
The school has a formal induction and mentoring process for teachers who are new to teaching in New Zealand, including recent teaching graduates and overseas teachers. We ensure these teachers are supported to develop the competence and skills required by their role.
Induction for all new staff
At St Joseph's School, we provide all new staff with an introduction to our school, including important policies and procedures, our facilities and resources, and key staff members. We share expectations that apply to all staff at our school to support a safe and inclusive school environment. We emphasise staff wellbeing as part of the induction process, including discussing policies to support staff wellbeing, and any external programmes available to staff (e.g. employee assistance programmes).
We ensure that health and safety information is a key part of the induction process. We share our health, safety, and wellbeing policies with new staff and discuss their responsibilities under these policies. See Health and Safety Induction and Training.
Other important policies that we share with new staff include but are not limited to:
As well as discussing policies and procedures that apply to our school as a whole, we discuss the specific role and responsibilities of the new staff member, and our expectations of them. We review their position description to confirm this is accurate and that there is a shared understanding of the role.
We ensure that new staff members are aware of their rights as an employee and as a union member if applicable. We ensure all new staff have an employment agreement and are aware of the terms and conditions of their employment. See Employment Agreements.
Induction and mentoring for beginning teachers
St Joseph's School supports beginning teachers through an induction and mentoring programme. Beginning teachers at our school may include Initial Teacher Education (ITE) graduates and overseas teachers who are new to teaching in New Zealand. Beginning teachers are required to have a provisional 
practising certificate. Our induction and mentoring programme supports beginning teachers to be endorsed as meeting the Standards for the Teaching Profession | Ngā Paerewa and be eligible to apply for a full practising certificate.
Beginning teachers are supported by a mentor teacher who holds a Tūturu | Full (Category One) practising certificate. The mentor teacher plans and supervises a learning programme with the beginning teacher and reports to the principal about their progress.
ITE graduates are required to complete a two-year programme of induction and mentoring before being eligible for full certification as a teacher. Overseas-trained teachers may only need to complete one year of formal induction and mentoring in New Zealand. This must be approved by the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Our induction and mentoring programme for beginning teachers includes opportunities for:
The mentor teacher and principal maintain a record of the induction and mentoring programme for beginning teachers, including professional discussions, observations, feedback, and any professional development. At the end of the induction period, the principal considers this evidence to attest to whether the beginning teacher can independently use and meet the Standards for the Teaching Profession | Ngā Paerewa as required for a full practising certificate. The Teaching Council issues practising certificates based on evidence and assessment supplied by the school.
Release history: Term 4 2024, Term 3 2020
