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GTC Scotland, the independent regulator for teachers in Scotland, has announced that it will increase its annual registration fee from £65 to £75 from April 2025 followed by planned increases to £83 in 2026 and £88 in 2027.
What does the annual registration fee pay for?
The annual registration fee, which is paid by registered teachers, pays for the work the organisation does to:
- set standards of competence, conduct and ethics which teachers must meet to be on the Register, including those who have qualified outside Scotland
- set requirements for initial teacher education programmes in Scotland to ensure that student teachers develop the knowledge, skills and qualities to register
- maintain a publicly accessible register of teachers who meet its standards
- investigate serious concerns about teachers and make decisions about whether they should be on the Register
- advise the government on matters relating to the education and career development of the profession, including teacher supply
Commenting on the the increase to the registration fee, Omar Kettlewell, Convener of Council said:
“As a registered teacher, I am proud to be part of a regulated profession. The purpose of professional regulation includes maintaining society’s trust in the profession, safeguarding the interests of the public, and providing a framework for teachers to meet and exceed high professional standards. GTC Scotland is the independent regulator for over 80,000 teachers. The registration fee covers the costs of what we do to set, maintain and uphold teaching standards in Scotland.”
Dr Pauline Stephen, Chief Executive and Registrar said:
“We have a duty to teachers and college lecturers to ensure our money is managed well. We keep fees under regular review and always aim to keep costs down and offset them elsewhere if possible. We aim to find the right balance between the frequency of fee adjustments to ensure our financial sustainability while providing reasonable predictability for registrants. This fee increase means that our income for each year will cover the current estimated cost of delivering our core functions.”
Responding to feedback
The annual registration fee has been held at £65 since April 2017, which is the longest amount of time without an increase. The organisation has been able to absorb the impact of turbulent economic conditions in recent years without having to increase the fee due to the level of reserves that had built up and changes to working practices which have resulted in efficiency savings, but it is no longer sustainable for it to continue operating like this.
The longer the organisation leaves implementing a fee increase, the higher the increase will ultimately need to be. Based on the feedback received from registrants the last time a fee increase was implemented, it is believed that raising the fee incrementally is a better approach. This means the fee would need to increase from April 2025.
Views are being sought on the approach that is being taken to increase the fee.
