How registration status impacts who can teach
Registration status
As well as registration categories, we have registration statuses. These are:
- Provisional Registration
- Provisional (Conditional) Registration
- Full Registration (General)
- Full Registration (Associate)
Provisional Registration
Provisional Registration is awarded when someone meets the Standard for Provisional Registration but has not yet demonstrated that they meet the Standard for Full Registration through a period of assessed teaching service.
Teachers with Provisional Registration must meet and maintain the Standard for Provisional Registration and adhere to the Code of Professionalism and Conduct. They should be supported to work towards demonstrating they meet the Standard for Full Registration within the required timescale. You will be required to assess their teaching practice and recommend them for Full Registration after they have met our requirements. You must be fully registered with us to do this.
Provisional (Conditional) Registration
Provisional (Conditional) Registration can be awarded when an applicant meets the Standard for Provisional Registration but does not yet fully meet all of the academic requirements. The teacher has academic conditions to complete along with assessed teaching practice within a period of time before Full Registration (General) can be offered.
Teachers with Provisional (Conditional) Registration should work towards gaining Full Registration and be supported to meet the condition of their registration (which will mean gaining a qualification) along with assessed teaching practice within the required timescale.
Full Registration (General)
Full Registration (General) is awarded when an individual meets the requirements for Full Registration and has completed assessed teaching service. To maintain this registration status, teachers must confirm their commitment to professional learning every 5 years through a reaccreditation process called Professional Update.
Full Registration (Associate)
An individual who meets the requirements for Full Registration (General) can opt to move to Full Registration (Associate) if they will not engage in any further teaching or are working outside Scotland and are not in a position to complete the Professional Update reaccreditation process.
Individuals who hold Full Registration (Associate) status are not eligible to employed as a teacher in Scotland. This status is for those who will not engage in any further teaching or are working outside Scotland. Any individual who is employed as a teacher in Scotland must hold Full Registration (General).
Legacy registration categories
In 2017 it became a legal requirement for teachers employed in the independent sector to register with GTC Scotland under the Registration of Independent Schools (Prescribed Person) (Scotland) Regulations 2017.
The NSO status is a legacy ringfenced category for individuals in the independent sector who were appointed to their post prior to October 2017. It was created to provide a transitional route for individuals who did not meet our qualification requirements to support registration of those already employed..
Teachers on the Register with NSO status are registered with Provisional (Conditional) Registration. They must meet and maintain the Standard for Provisional Registration and adhere to the Code of Professionalism and Conduct and only be employed in the named school. We recommend that teachers with this registration are encouraged and supported to successfully complete the qualifications they need to gain Full Registration.