Registration rules

Thank you to those who responded to our consultation on proposed new Registration rules to replace the current Registration and Standards rules which were put in place in 2015. This consultation closed at 5 pm on 5 January 2022. We published our response on 4 March 2022.

The Registration rules set out GTC Scotland’s registration criteria, ongoing registration requirements and how the Register of Teachers operates. They cover initial registration (entry to the Register) as well as enhancements to registration (for example, the awards of Professional Standard for Headship and Professional Recognition).

The current Registration rules are now over 6 years old and require to be reviewed. Over the last six years, there have been many changes to Scottish education, teaching and GTC Scotland’s own policy context, including the introduction of mandatory registration for teachers in the independent school sector (by 1 June 2021) and college lecturers (from September 2021) as well as a new requirement for headteachers in local authority and grant-aided schools to be awarded the Professional Standard for Headship. Brexit has also taken place, meaning the legal framework in relation to the recognition of professional qualifications between European member states is no longer in place.

Recognising all of these factors and following internal review and engagement with key stakeholders, we consulted on proposed new (and renamed) Registration rules.