What are the cross-cutting themes

The Professional Standards are underpinned by the interdependent key themes of learning for sustainability, Professional Values and Leadership.

It can be helpful to look across the Professional Standards to explore interdependencies, key themes and ideas and see how they can best support you in your role.

The Professional Standards are organised into interrelated categories over three sections:

1. Being a Teacher (Professional Values and Professional Commitment, Leadership and Learning for Sustainability)
2. Professional Knowledge and Understanding
3. Professional Skills and abilities

These elements are inherently linked to each other, and one aspect does not exist independently of the others.

There are a number of additional cross-cutting themes in the Professional Standards – Equality and Diversity, Additional Support for Learning, Gaelic Medium and Digital Literacies – and it is the inter-relationship between these themes which enables teacher professionalism and leads to appropriate professional action and growth.

See our dedicated areas for the cross-cutting themes:

• Professional Values
• Learning for sustainability
• Leadership
• Additional Support Needs
• Equality and diversity
• Ethics and the teaching profession