ANU Education Practicum Arrangement Process and Placement School Allocation Rules

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Both the Bachelor of Education and the Master of Teaching at the Australian National University (ANU) College of Education include a mandatory Professional Experience placement. According to the Professional Experience Guidelines published by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) in 2019, the total placement must last at least 80 days (four-year undergraduate) or 60 days (two-year master’s). In 2023, the ANU College of Education partnered with the ACT Education Directorate and the NSW Department of Education to sign agreements with more than 120 partner schools in Canberra and the surrounding region. Placements are allocated through a “preference ranking + system matching” mechanism rather than random assignment, and this rule directly affects whether students can secure a placement at a particular year level or in a particular subject area.

Placement Timeline and Prerequisites

The ANU College of Education runs its placements on a fixed academic calendar. Each year is divided into two main placement windows: Semester 1 (February to June) and Semester 2 (July to November). Students must submit their placement preferences through the InPlace system at least 12 weeks before the placement begins.

Prerequisites include completing the designated core courses (such as educational psychology and curriculum design), holding a valid Working with Children Check (WWCC), and passing the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students (LANTITE). According to the Australian Government Department of Education’s 2021 Teacher Education Quality Assessment Report, students who do not pass the LANTITE cannot proceed to the final placement stage. The ANU College of Education requires students to submit all materials at least 4 weeks before the placement begins; those who miss the deadline are deferred to the next placement window.

Placement Types and Duration Requirements

The ANU education programs include three types of placement: observation placement (Professional Experience 1, 10 days), supervised teaching placement (Professional Experience 2, 20 days) and independent teaching placement (Professional Experience 3, 30 days). Four-year undergraduate students must complete at least 80 days of placement in total, with the independent teaching placement making up the largest share. Because the Master of Teaching program is shorter, its students complete 60 days of placement in total, but the independent teaching placement is still no less than 30 days.

Prerequisite Course Registration and GPA Threshold

Students must complete all designated prerequisite courses before their placement and hold a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 4.0 (out of 7.0). Internal ANU College of Education data for 2023 shows that around 8% of students had their placement deferred for not meeting the GPA requirement. In addition, students must complete the online module “Professional Conduct Training” before the placement begins; the module covers classroom management, data privacy and professional boundaries.

The Preference Ranking Mechanism for School Allocation

ANU uses an allocation model of “student preference ranking + automatic system matching”. Eight weeks before each placement window opens, students select 3 to 5 preferred schools from the partner school list via the InPlace system and rank them in order of priority. The system matches students according to the following weights: preference order (weight 40%), commuting distance between the student’s address and the school (weight 30%), school intake capacity (weight 20%) and past placement performance (weight 10%).

According to the ANU College of Education’s 2022 Placement Allocation Annual Report, about 62% of students receive their first-choice school and 85% receive one of their top three choices. Students who are not matched to any of their preferences are assigned manually by the placement coordinator to schools with vacancies. Allocation results are usually announced by email 6 weeks before the placement begins.

Tips for Ranking Preferences

Students should prioritise schools that match their own teaching interest areas — for example, those pursuing primary education can give priority to schools offering Kindergarten to Year 6 (K-6) programs. Of the schools on ANU’s partner list, about 30% are in inner Canberra, 40% in the Canberra suburbs, and the remaining 30% in the New South Wales border region (such as Queanbeyan). Students who choose schools in remote areas receive a transport allowance, but they bear the commuting time cost themselves.

Special Needs and Exemption Applications

Students with medical or family special needs can apply for “priority allocation”. They must submit supporting documentation issued by a doctor or social worker and lodge the application 10 weeks before the placement window opens. The ANU College of Education undertakes to make a decision within 14 working days of receiving a complete application. In 2022, 47 students applied for priority allocation and 39 were approved.

Types of Placement Schools and Subject Coverage

ANU’s 120-plus partner schools span the government, independent and Catholic systems. Government schools (about 70) are administered by the ACT Education Directorate and include primary schools, secondary schools and special schools. Independent schools (about 35) include independent and church schools such as Canberra Grammar School and Radford College. Catholic schools (about 15) are coordinated by the Catholic Education Office.

In terms of subject coverage, secondary placement positions are organised around the College of Education’s subject pedagogy courses and include English, mathematics, science, humanities, languages (Chinese, French, Japanese) and the arts. According to the ACT Education Directorate’s 2023 Teacher Demand Projections Report, placement positions in mathematics and science are the most competitive, with an average of 4.2 applicants per position, while language positions (especially Chinese) are relatively easier to secure, with an average of 1.8 applicants per position.

Special Education Placement Opportunities

ANU has cooperation agreements with 3 special schools in the ACT (such as Malkara School). Students who choose the special education stream must additionally complete the “Inclusive Education” course module, and at least 15 days of their placement must be completed in a special education setting. In 2023, a total of 22 students chose this stream.

Rural and Remote Placement Program

ANU participates in the Rural and Remote Professional Experience Program. The program allows students to complete placements at schools more than 200 km outside Canberra and provides an accommodation allowance of A$300 per week. In 2022, 18 students took part in the program, and 12 of them subsequently obtained formal teaching positions at their placement schools.

Assessment Criteria and Passing Requirements During the Placement

Placement assessment is carried out jointly by the Mentor Teacher at the partner school and the ANU University Supervisor. Assessment is based on the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST), which cover 7 standard domains: knowing students, teaching content, classroom management, assessment and feedback, engaging in professional learning, and working with parents and the community. Each standard is rated on a three-level scale: “Not Met / Met / Excellent”.

Students must achieve “Met” or above on all 7 standards to pass the placement. According to the ANU College of Education’s 2021 Placement Assessment Statistics, about 90% of students pass their placement on the first attempt, 7% need to extend the placement (usually by 2 to 4 weeks), and 3% fail and must retake the placement course. Students who fail must reapply in the next window and pay an additional placement administration fee (A$1,200 at 2023 rates).

Mid-Placement Review and Remediation Mechanism

In the 3rd week of the placement, the supervisor conducts a mid-placement review. If a student is judged to be at risk of “Not Met” on any standard, the supervisor and the mentor teacher jointly draw up an Improvement Plan setting out specific improvement goals and a timeline. A follow-up review is held in the 2nd week after the Improvement Plan is implemented. In 2022, 34 students were placed on an Improvement Plan, and 28 of them eventually passed the placement.

Placement Journal and Reflective Report Requirements

Students must keep a daily journal throughout the placement, recording teaching activities, student feedback and self-reflection. After the placement, students must submit a reflective report of 2,500 to 3,000 words analysing how their own teaching practice aligns with the APST standards. Both the journal and the reflective report count toward the overall placement assessment, with weights of 20% and 10% respectively.

How the Placement Relates to Degree Progress

The placement course is a compulsory component of ANU’s education programs, and students cannot be awarded their degree without passing it. Under ANU academic policy, students may retake the placement course at most twice; a third failure results in termination of the degree program. In addition, if a serious breach of professional conduct occurs during the placement (such as an inappropriate relationship with a student or disclosure of student privacy), ANU will launch an academic integrity investigation that may lead to immediate termination of the placement and expulsion.

Placement progress is directly tied to degree completion time. Four-year undergraduate students must complete the observation and supervised teaching placements by the end of their third year, and the independent teaching placement in their fourth year. If a student’s degree is delayed because of a placement deferral, they must pay additional tuition per credit (the 2023 international student tuition rate was A$1,020 per credit). For cross-border tuition payments, some study-abroad families use dedicated channels such as Flywire Tuition Payments to complete the remittance.

Credit Transfer for Overseas Placements

ANU allows students to convert overseas placement experience into credit under certain conditions. Students must apply through the International Placement Program, and the placement school must be accredited by the ANU College of Education. In 2022, 5 students completed placements through this pathway, mainly in Singapore and the United Kingdom.

After a student passes the placement, ANU submits a certificate of completion to the ACT Teacher Quality Institute (TQI). Students must additionally pass the Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA) to obtain formal teacher registration. The ANU College of Education runs the TPA in the 8th week after the placement ends, with a first-attempt pass rate of about 85%.

Support Services from the Professional Experience Office

ANU has a dedicated Professional Experience Office located in the Hedley Bull Centre on campus. The office offers the following services: placement allocation advice, school liaison, and emergency handling (such as school closures or mentor teacher changes during a placement). Students can book 10-minute or 30-minute consultation slots through the online booking system (Schedulicity).

The office holds a monthly “Placement Preparation Information Session” covering preference ranking strategy, adapting to school culture and professional dress standards. The attendance rate for the 2023 sessions was 78%. The office also offers pre-placement mock interviews to help students prepare for meetings with school principals. Each mock interview lasts 30 minutes and is conducted by an experienced teacher.

Emergency Handling Procedure

If a school closes during a placement (for example due to a natural disaster), a mentor teacher suddenly leaves, or a student has a health problem, the student must notify the Professional Experience Office by phone or email within 24 hours. The office will arrange a replacement school or adjust the placement schedule within 3 working days. In 2022, the office handled 12 emergencies, with an average resolution time of 2.1 working days.

Additional Support for International Students

International students can additionally use ANU’s English language support services at the Academic Skills and Learning Centre, which offers one-on-one writing tutoring and speaking practice. The Professional Experience Office also works with the ANU International Student Office to run cross-cultural communication workshops for international students, covering Australian classroom language and techniques for communicating with parents.

FAQ

Q1: Can students contact schools directly for their ANU education placement?

No. The ANU College of Education requires all placements to be allocated through the InPlace system. Students cannot contact schools on their own or reach placement agreements directly with a school. Students who break this rule are treated as not having completed the placement application process and must wait for the next window. In 2022, 3 students had their placement eligibility for that round cancelled for contacting schools directly.

Q2: Can students take leave during the placement, and what is the maximum number of days?

Leave is permitted during the placement, but the total number of leave days must not exceed 10% of the placement’s total duration. For a 30-day independent teaching placement, for example, a maximum of 3 days of leave is allowed. Students must notify the mentor teacher and the Professional Experience Office at least 48 hours in advance, and provide a medical certificate (sick leave) or a written explanation (personal leave). Students whose leave exceeds 10% must extend their placement, with the extension calculated on a 1:1 basis.

Q3: Can students appeal an unsatisfactory placement allocation?

Yes. Students may submit a written appeal within 7 working days of receiving their allocation, stating the reasons for their dissatisfaction (such as a commute of more than 60 km or a subject mismatch at the school). Appeals are reviewed by the Placement Coordination Committee within 10 working days. In 2022, 23 appeals were received: 8 were approved and the students were re-allocated, while 15 upheld the original allocation. The appeal approval rate was about 35%.

References

  • Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). 2019. Professional Experience Guidelines.
  • Australian Government Department of Education. 2021. Teacher Education Quality Assessment Report.
  • ACT Education Directorate. 2023. Teacher Demand Projections Report.
  • Australian National University College of Education. 2022. Professional Experience Placement Annual Report.
  • Unilink Education. 2023. ANU Education Program Student Database (internal reference).