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Business as usual
Government proposals to make GTC Scotland the first independent regulator of teachers in the world will not detract the organisation from its key role in education.
GTC Scotland has said that it believes the move to independence announced recently by the Scottish Government offers opportunities and will open new areas to work in.
The organisation is particularly pleased to note that the proposals recognise the Council as the guardian of both teacher professionalism and of teaching standards in Scotland; and that they offer a strong endorsement not only of the current work of GTC Scotland but also its reputation for professional integrity and for protection of the public interest over the last 45 years.
The announcement by the Scottish Government, made at the end of February, follows a consultation that took place between 2 April and 26 June, 2009, to gather views on the role and governance arrangements for the GTC Scotland as it moves towards becoming a fully independent body.
Tony Finn, CEO of GTC Scotland, said: "It was pleasing to note that respondents to the consultation showed continuing confidence in GTC Scotland not just as a long-standing regulator but also as a professional body with much to contribute to the development of good professional practice in Scottish education."
The consultation followed an announcement by the First Minister in January 2008 that, as part of wider plan to reform public bodies in Scotland, GTC Scotland was to become a self-regulating, profession led body.
Keith Brown, Minister for Schools and Skills, said: "As Scottish education undergoes a period of transformational change with our new approach through Curriculum for Excellence, it's vital that GTC Scotland can act both as a strong regulator and as the body that will maintain and improve standards in the teaching profession in the years ahead.
"These changes will increase the effectiveness of GTC Scotland and locate it firmly in the heart of Scottish education - assuming full responsibility for teaching standards is a key part of this."
Secondary legislation under the Public Service Reform Bill, currently going through the Scottish Parliament, will be required to take forward changes to GTC Scotland. The Scottish Government will issue a consultation towards the middle of this year on the draft legislation. It is expected that all legislative changes will be made by the end of 2010 and a fully independent Council will be in place by the end of 2011.
So will the move have a significant impact on the way that teachers relate to GTC Scotland?
Teachers can be assured that there will be no immediate change to the way they engage with GTC Scotland (Anthony Finn)
"We anticipate that the link teachers have with the services we provide and the support we offer will continue as before. In addition, the proposals will mean that we can consider ways in which we might enhance the service that we provide to teachers and the ways in which we engage with them."
Significant changes announced in the proposal include a reduction in the size of the Council, from 50 to 37.
Anthony Finn recognises that this presents a significant challenge, but one which the organisation relishes.
He said: "We did not seek a reduction in the size of the Council and we emphasised the need to take into account the workload and related issues already facing members within the current Council.
"However, the ability to co-opt to some key panels may allow us to offset the difficulties associated with a smaller Council by bringing in additional co-opted members for appropriate purposes. We will look closely at this issue over the months to come to try to ensure that the size of Council does not become an issue once the new Council is in place.
"It is disappointing that GTC Scotland role in CPD and in Further Education have not been fully endorsed at this stage. GTC Scotland, however, is keen to continue to work with stakeholders in these areas to protect and enhance professionalism."
Re-accreditation
Part of the proposal includes GTC Scotland gathering views on re-accreditation, to ensure all teachers keep their skills up to date as their careers develop and changes in education take place.
Anthony Finn stressed that a lot of work needs to be done before any such system is implemented.
He said: "We will be speaking to all of the key stakeholders, including teachers, local authorities and trades unions to ensure that any initiative reflects a balanced consensus and assists teachers to do their jobs as well as they can.
"It is important to say that teachers in Scotland are highly trained and, consequently, the overwhelming majority already work to high standards. Any work that might be done in the future to introduce re-accreditation should serve to confirm the already high standard of teaching in schools in Scotland and to support teachers in updating their professional skills in an environment in which change is now a constant.
"It is, therefore, anticipated that any future developments in Scotland would not follow the style and requirements of relicensing recently announced in England.
He concluded: "Any system of re-accreditation would, in time, require GTC Scotland, in partnership with other stakeholders, to consider how best to promote a balance between the entitlement of teachers to appropriate advice, guidance and opportunities to maintain and improve standards of teaching and the availability of suitable means of achieving these expectations."
Government proposals at a glance
GTC Scotland will:
- Have the lead role in relation to all current and future teaching standards
- Have responsibility for setting standards for teachers working in state schools in Scotland
- Accredit and approve courses, which lead to the attainment of the standards in respect of initial teacher education
- Play a central role in decisions about the development of appropriate and effective CPD for Scotland's teachers
- Reduce the Council size to 37.