Publication scheme: guide to information
Introduction
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (the Act) requires The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTC Scotland) as a Scottish public authority to produce and maintain a publication scheme. GTC Scotland has adopted the Scottish Information Commissioners Model Publication Scheme.
The purpose of this Guide to Information is to:
- help you see what information we make available about who we are, what we do and how we do it;
- state what charges may be applied when we provide a publication to you;
- explain how to find the information we publish easily;
- provide contact details for enquiries and to get help with accessing the information; and
- explain how to request information we hold that has not been published.
Availability and formats
The information we publish through the model publication scheme is, where possible, available on our website. We offer alternative arrangements for people who do not want to, or cannot, access the information online. For example, we can usually arrange to send information out in paper copy (although there may be a charge for this).
Exempt information
We will publish the information we hold that falls within the classes of information detailed below. If a document contains information that is exempt under the Act and any related laws (for example, personal information), we will remove or redact the information before publication and explain why.
Copyright
Where GTC Scotland owns the copyright in its published information, the information may be reproduced by you provided that this is done fairly, non-commercially and GTC Scotland is acknowledged as the source where it is supplied to others. Where GTC Scotland does not own the copyright in any published information, this will be highlighted.
Charges
This section explains when we may make a charge for our publications and how any charge will be calculated. There is no charge to view information on our website.
We may charge for providing a publication to you to cover, for example, photocopying costs, the costs of any USB flash drive supplied and postage costs. We will charge you no more than it actually costs us to supply the information and will always tell you what the cost is before providing the information to you.
Our photocopying charge is shown below.
- Black and white photocopying: A4 size of paper 10 pence per sheet
- Colour photocopying: A4 size of paper 20 pence per sheet
- Information provided on USB Flash Drive will be charged based on the size of drive required.
Postage costs will be recharged at the rate we paid to send the information to you. Our charge is for sending information by Royal Mail First Class.
Please note that this charging schedule does not apply to any commercial publications that we may publish from time to time.
Contact us
You can contact us for assistance with any aspect of this publication scheme.
The classes of information that we publish
We publish information that we hold within the classes below. Where information has been updated or superseded, only the current version will be available. If you would like to see previous versions, you may make a request to us for that information.
Class 1: About us
Information about us, who we are, where to find us, how to contact us, how we are managed and our external relations:
- Chief executive and executive team
- Core tasks and governing legislation
- Council elections
- Council members and their role
- Our Council
- Council committees and panels (including the relevant committee standing orders)
- Give feedback or complain about us
- Who we work with
Keeping others informed:
Class 2: How we deliver our functions and services
Information about our work, our strategy and policies for delivering functions, services and information for our service users.
- Accessibility statement
- Annual report and accounts
- Code of professionalism and conduct
- Equality, diversity and inclusion policy
- Headship qualifications
- Strategic plan
- Legal information about using our website
- The use of cookies on our website
- Professional Standards for Teachers and Lecturers in Scotland's Colleges
Fitness to Teach
Information for the professional development of teachers
Information on our regulation of the teacher probationary service period
Information on our teacher registration processes
- Apply for registration
- Cancelling registration
- Criminal Record checks required to register
- How to re-apply for registration
- How to update your details with us
- Information for college lecturers on work being done to register the profession
- Protection of Vulnerable Groups Scheme
- Registration in Additional Support Needs category
- Registration and Standards Rules
- Registration fee
- Secondary subjects
Class 3: How we take decisions and what we have decided
Information about the decisions we take, how we make decisions and how we involve others.
- Council meetings and minutes
- Committee meetings and minutes – available on request
- Our consultations and responses to external consultations
- Recent Fitness to Teach decisions
- Fitness to Teach rules and policies
- Upcoming Fitness to Teach hearings
Class 4: What we spend and how we spend it
Information about our strategy for, and management of, financial resources (in sufficient detail to explain how we plan to spend and what has actually been spent)
- Annual report and accounts
- Financial policies and procedures for budget allocation – not currently available
- Pay scales – available on request
- Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 (PRSA) reporting
- Purchasing plans and capital funding plans
- Senior staff salary details
- Travel and expenses policy, scheme of delegation and contracts register – available on request
Class 5: How we manage our human, physical and information resources
Information about how we manage our human, physical and information resources.
- Current vacancies
- Employment policies (including, for example, staff development, disciplinary/ grievance procedures, redundancy, attendance etc.) – these are available on request
- Equality, diversity and inclusion policy
- Office policies (including, for example fire procedures and health and safety) – these are available on request
- Standard terms and conditions of employment – these are available on request
- Privacy policy
- Records Management Policy – available on request
Class 6: How we procure goods and services from external providers
Information about how we procure goods and services, and our contracts with external providers.
- Procurement Policy
- Value of contracts currently in place – this is available on request
Class 7: How we are performing
Information about how we perform as an organisation, and how well we deliver our functions and services.
Class 8: Our commercial publications
Information packaged and made available for sale on a commercial basis and sold at market value through a retail outlet e.g. bookshop, museum or research journal.
We do not hold or publish information.
Class 9: Our Open Data
Open data made available by the authority as described by the Scottish Government’s Open Data Resource Pack and available under an open licence.
Copyright and reuse
All GTC Scotland Content belongs to GTC Scotland or its licensors who own all intellectual property rights in the GTC Scotland Content and any selection or arrangement of the GTC Scotland Content. No intellectual property rights in any GTC Scotland Content are transferred to you. Third Party Site content (including the Education Source package and the Leadership & Management Learning Centre to which access is provided through MyGTCS) will be subject to the copyright policy specified by the relevant site owner and you should refer to them for information about this. You are permitted to use and reproduce GTC Scotland Content provided that you do so fairly, non-commercially and acknowledge us as the source where you supply the information to others.