24-25/59

I refer to your request for information dated 31 October (FOI 24/25-59) regarding application and registration data for ‘English-qualified teachers’ (which for clarity, we refer to as ‘teachers who qualified in England’, as we apply a different meaning to‘ English-qualified teachers’).

Before I move on to the specific requests, I thought it might be helpful to make some initial observations, as the requests as you have framed them do not fully correspond with how we assess applications and collate information. The first thing we would highlight is that we follow the same process for assessing applications from all individuals who have qualified outside of Scotland; there isn’t a distinct approach for assessing teachers who qualified in England. This has an impact on how we collect information about successful applications, as we record the data as it relates to the specific qualification rather than the individual (in order to then make the information available for prospective applicants to check against).

The second point I would note is that your questions as framed do not allow us to distinguish between full and provisional registration. There are many applicants who apply to us who are not immediately eligible for full registration but who can be provisionally registered and work towards gaining full registration, through a period of assessed teaching practice.

Finally, the information we record is not broken down by local authority area. GTC Scotland operates a professional Register, not an employment-based one. The point at which we collate information regarding applicants who have qualified outside Scotland generally precedes the point at which they have secured employment in a local authority area (or independent school or further education college).

With that in mind, I would respond to your requests as follows.

1.  Total number of registration applications received from teachers qualified in England each year from 2019 to 2023.‍

• Number of successful registrations each year for English-qualified applicants.
• Number of unsuccessful applications each year, where the applicant ultimately did not achieve registration.

As noted above, there are limitations on how we collect this information but we are able to provide the full details requested for this past year because of recent changes we have made to how the information is recorded.

Table 1: The outcomes for registration applications to GTC Scotland from teachers qualified in England, received between 1 August 2023 and 31 July 2024 where country of qualification was recorded. 

In addition, we can provide the number of refused applications from teachers qualified in England for the period between 1 August 2019 to 31 July 2024. This information is based on the date of refusal of registration, not the date on which the application was received. This means that the figures do not fully correspond with those in table 1.

Table 2: The number of refused applications for registration with GTC Scotland from teachers qualified in England, based on the date of refusal.

2. Reasons for Registration Ineligibility

For those applications deemed ineligible or unsuccessful, please provide a breakdown of the main reasons for ineligibility, if recorded.

The options for refusal are prescriptive due to the range of circumstances that we see. These are contained within Table 3 below.

Table 3: The reasons given for refused registration applications by teachers qualified in England to GTC Scotland between, based on the date of refusal between 1 August 2019 and 31 July 2024

By way of assistance there are three core components of a recognised teaching qualification: professional and pedagogical studies, subject studies and assessed teaching practice.

3. Appeals and Reassessments

Number of appeals or reassessment requests by English-qualified teachers following an initial registration refusal over the last five years.

Over the last five years one individual who qualified as a teacher in England raised an appeal in relation to a registration refusal decision. In that case, the individual abandoned their appeal following further explanation from GTC Scotland of the assessment process and how the decision was calculated, advice on how to make up their academic shortfall, as well as confirmation of their eligibility to be reconsidered for registration were they to undertake further study.

4. Provisions for Addressing Ǫualification Gaps

Details on any formal pathways or supplementary qualification processes (if any) available to English-qualified teachers to meet Scottish requirements after an initial unsuccessful application.

The response to this question would depend on the specific circumstances of the individual but in general terms, if an application for registration is refused for most of the reasons detailed above, the necessary course of action would be to undertake a recognised qualification, which we can offer signposting assistance with depending on the location of the applicant. For example, on our website, we provide a list of those qualifications which were accepted as meeting the requirements for registration, assessed from October 2022 onwards. The webpage can be filtered to country (eg England)and demonstrates the awarding body and teaching qualification for prior successful registrations. Where additional subject academic credits are required, we can signpost to relevant options for making up the shortfall where appropriate.

As noted above, we also receive numerous applications from individuals who are unable to demonstrate that they have sufficient qualifications and/or experience to be eligible for full registration but can be offered provisional registration, where, in line with graduating teachers in Scotland, a period of assessed induction to the profession is required; or provisional(conditional) registration, for example where the applicant falls slightly short of the academic requirements to teach their subject but are registered on the basis that they will then work towards attaining the requisite top-up qualification or experience in order to become fully registered.

Provisional conditional registration was introduced in 2014 to ensure a level of flexibility by addressing potential disproportionate barriers to entry to the profession, whilst still preserving minimum standards and the integrity of our Register.

Whilst not addressing a qualification gap as such, we have also supported the development of ‘return to teaching’ programmes at two Higher Education Institutes which provide returning teachers and those teachers looking to teach in Scotland with an important opportunity to refresh or build their knowledge and understanding of teaching in Scotland.

5. Policy and Process Changes

Information on any changes in the past five years to GTCS policies or registration requirements that affect English-qualified teachers, including the reason for these changes and any impact assessments conducted.

Again, as noted in our introduction we have not implemented any changes that specifically aim to address the experience of teachers who have qualified in England. The changes we have implemented have been intended to enable equality of access across all routes towards full registration while ensuring the professional standards of all registered teachers, regardless of where they qualified.

That said, as part of our wider engagement and in response to feedback we have received, we have engaged with individuals who have qualified in England, including discussions with armed forces representatives, and therefore consider that some of the changes we have made recently to refine the process should have a positive impact on individuals who have qualified in England and who are eligible for provisional or provisional conditional registration.

In 2023, we published a refreshed Provisional Registration and probationary service policy, which reduced the assessed teaching service requirement for provisionally registered teachers on the Flexible Route (to bring it in line with the requirement for those who achieve full registration via the Scottish Government’s Teacher Induction Scheme). Assessed teaching experience as a provisionally registered teacher is a core component of teacher preparation and leads to the achievement of full registration. Where an individual who qualified outside Scotland has prior relevant teaching experience, the requirement to complete 190 days (the equivalent of one academic school year) can be reduced accordingly if it can be suitably evidenced.

Since August this year we have introduced an additional layer in our registration assessment process which provides applicants with a pre decision notification. This provides a further opportunity for applicants to provide any additional information they may hold and have not yet shared with us to help inform our final registration assessment decision.

In 2021/22 we publicly consulted on proposed changes to our Registration and Standards Rules. We have taken some time to consider the feedback we received and aim to revisit this work in this strategic planning period. What was clear from the information provided was that ensuring a highly qualified teaching profession was a continued priority.

We also have a scheduled meeting in early 2025 with the Department for Education in England to discuss the elements we assess to be missing in teaching qualifications from some applicants. You will note from table 1 above that the majority of applicants qualified in England have qualifications that are comparable to our requirements.

Summary

By way of conclusion, I thought it would be helpful to set out a number of factors that apply to teaching in Scotland that provide the backdrop for our work to set, uphold and enhance teaching standards and the information provided in this response:

• Teaching is a profession in Scotland
• A teaching qualification is the foundation for registration with GTC Scotland
• Professional standards in teaching must be maintained
• Integrity of the register is critical
• The register needs to work for the whole education system
• Registration informs employment

I hope this information is helpful. If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of this response, please contact informationgovernance@gtcs.org.uk describing the original request and your grounds of review, and we can review the response we have given. In accordance with statutory timescales, you have 40 working days from receipt of this response to submit a review request.