Initial teacher education

Initial teacher education (ITE) programs are nationally accredited to ensure that all graduate teachers are prepared to a high standard and have the knowledge, skills, and experiences to make a positive impact on student learning.

Accreditation is undertaken in every jurisdiction by the state or territory authority. In Queensland, we engage nationally trained panel members to assess accreditation documentation.

Minimum requirements are set nationally and detailed in the Accreditation of initial teacher education programs in Australia: Standards and Procedures (AITSL).

The accreditation process involves a rigorous assessment of an ITE program against these standards.

The standards are designed to ensure that all ITE graduates meet the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the Graduate career stage. This ensures the program is of high quality and prepares preservice teachers for the teaching profession. The process also assesses a provider’s quality assurance and continuous improvement mechanisms and confirms that the provider has a nationally endorsed teaching performance assessment, which all graduates must successfully complete.

In Queensland, each program is assessed by a panel of nationally trained panellists, including school leaders, employers, practising teachers, and higher education representatives. A mandatory site visit, including forums with school partners, graduates, ITE students, and the teaching staff of the ITE program, is embedded in Queensland reaccreditation processes. Panels make recommendations to the QCT’s Professional Standards Committee, which grants accreditation and determines the accreditation period. A maximum of five years' accreditation may be granted.

Nationally accredited ITE programs delivered in Queensland are also subject to ongoing monitoring, including:

• submission of an annual report on the operation of the program
• prior approval of any significant changes to the program
• employment of only registered teachers to supervise or assess the work of a preservice teacher in a prescribed school.

All Queensland graduates are also required to understand Queensland teaching and learning priorities, as outlined in Template D – Additional Queensland requirements [PDF 104KB]. All Queensland programs incorporate this priority content.

Additional Queensland requirements must be recorded using Template D – Additional Queensland requirements [PDF 104KB].

Last updated:

16 June 2026