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Supporting your growth
As GTC Scotland takes evolutionary steps, the views of Scotland's teachers are being put at the centre of plans for a scheme of Professional Update.
In January 2008, the First Minister announced that GTC Scotland would be established as a "self-regulating, profession-led body, along the lines of the General Medical Council".
Part of the subsequent proposal charged GTC Scotland with implementing a form of ongoing "re-accreditation", which would support the continued professional development of all teachers throughout their careers.
Since then, the Donaldson Review reinforced the requirement to formalise a methodology that supports teachers' ongoing development.
Both these steps have been taken not only to support individual teachers, helping them to update and build skills and practices, but also to safeguard the overall standards and reputation of the profession.
Professional update, a working name for the system of re-accreditation, is currently being considered and designed by GTC Scotland.
CEO Tony Finn is keen to stress that this new system is regarded by teachers as supportive. He said: "I'd like to allay any fears that may remain that this is anything other than a way of supporting teachers to achieve their very best throughout their careers.
"We recognise that a great deal of support is provided to teachers at certain stages in their professional lives, such as during the induction programme. We are keen to ensure that teachers throughout Scotland can use a consistent infrastructure to continually update their skills and practices in line with current expectations."
So how is this being achieved? According to Director of Education and Professional Learning at GTC Scotland, Tom Hamilton, it is being done with painstaking recognition of the potential sensitivities surrounding the topic.
Tom said: "Throughout our work in this area, we have taken significant steps to include the thoughts and opinions not only of the teaching profession, but also of the wider community.
"To this end, we set up a working group in 2011, which includes representatives from a number of stakeholder groups to help us to develop a system which reflects their needs and desires, while supporting the core objectives of the programme."
The programme, while still in its early stages of development, has already defined principles and parameters within which it will work. These include launching a system which:
- Is supportive of teachers
- Through largely making use of existing structures and professional requirements, does not add to workload or impose bureaucratic burdens on teachers
- Offers opportunities to assist teachers to develop skills
- Offers teachers the opportunity to demonstrate skills they already employ.
David Drever, GTC Scotland's Convener and Chair of the working group, highlighted that GTC Scotland is embarking on a consultation which will help shape and refine the programme.
He said: "From the autumn, representatives from GTC Scotland will be holding a series of open meetings to answer questions and listen to thoughts, opinions and concerns.
"We will be visiting all corners of the country, which illustrates our commitment to an open and transparent process of consultation that will affect and determine our future direction.
"In addition, representatives from GTC Scotland will be delivering an outline of plans and progress at the Scottish Learning Festival in September."
For those who cannot attend any of these meetings, there will be an opportunity to take part in the consultation online. Links to the online resources will be available on www.gtcs.org.uk in due course.
Professional update working group
The professional update working group includes representation from a wide-range of stakeholder groups. This will help to devise proposals which are representative of not only the profession, but also the wider society it operates within. Delegates are:
- Kay Barnett, EIS
- Donald Christie, STEC
- Bob Cook, COSLA
- Fiona Dalziel, SSTA
- David Drever, GTC Scotland (Chair)
- Frieda Fraser, GTC Scotland
- Darren Wapplington, NASUWT
- Leslie Manson, ADES
- Peter McNaughton, HMIE
- Pam Nesbitt, AHDS
- Eileen Prior, SPTC
- Susan Quinn, EIS
- Tony Rafferty, NPFS
- Sean Stronach, Scottish Government
- Jim Thewliss, SLS