GTC Scotland, the teaching profession's independent registration and regulation body, has set out its vision of Trusted Teaching in its draft five-year strategic plan.
The organisation’s role is to keep a public register, and set and regulate the standards for entering and remaining in the teaching profession. It was created in 1965 following calls from teachers for a body to ensure teacher standards.
Khadija Mohammed, Council Convener, GTC Scotland said:
Teaching is a self-regulating profession in Scotland, which means we set our own professional standards, which include our professional values. GTC Scotland works with the profession to achieve this.
For almost 60 years GTC Scotland has been working to uphold the high standards that the teaching profession demands of itself. By doing so it serves a public function to maintain trust in teachers and college lecturers. It is fitting that the vision we want to realise for the profession is that of trusted teaching.”
Dr Pauline Stephen, Chief Executive and Registrar, GTC Scotland said:
Among the many lessons learned from Covid is that we must be prepared for the unexpected. Our draft strategic plan takes our learning from that period, situates it in the current context of education recovery and reform, and sets out our ambitions for the future.
This work centres around four key areas: improving our registration and regulation frameworks; speaking up for high standards in the profession; accountability to the teaching profession and the public; and being a good employer.
Sustainable improvement
GTC Scotland is independent of government and receives no funding for its core role of registration and regulation. This work is funded by the £65 annual registration fee that teachers and college lecturers pay.
As a charity, GTC Scotland must maintain good financial governance; we have a duty to teachers and college lecturers to ensure our money is managed well. We are required to strike a balance between holding enough in our reserves to ensure sustainability while furthering our purpose of registration and regulation.
To this end, efficiency savings have been identified over the course of the next five years. This includes continuing to hold meetings virtually, scaling back awards ceremonies and replacing the paper version of Teaching Scotland magazine with the digital version.
By doing this, the £65 registration fee, supplemented by use of reserves, is sufficient to fund our work for the beginning of our strategic planning period. The level of the registration fee will be kept under review and may need to increase to ensure GTC Scotland’s financial sustainability.
Strategic plan 2023-2028 in summary
Purpose: Maintain the integrity of registration and regulation of the teaching profession as a safeguard for the quality of education in Scotland. To enhance trust in teaching at an individual, group and system level. We believe this ensures the best possible outcomes for learners.
Vision: Trusted teaching
Strategic themes: Trust and impact
Strategic outcome 1: Trust in teaching is enhanced at an individual, group and system level, influencing the best possible outcomes for learners and guiding educational change. This is achieved by:
- Strengthening confidence in registration and regulation frameworks
- Speaking up for high standards in teaching
Strategic outcome 2: GTC Scotland makes a positive difference for the teaching profession and the public. This is achieved by:
- Further developing systems and processes to perform functions that meet needs
- Valuing and empowering our people to deliver with impact
Read the plan and feedback your views by 5pm on 17 November.
