The end of the academic year is a professional milestone for many teachers with provisional registration as they receive confirmation that they have met the Standard for Full Registration from the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTC Scotland).
This year over 2,400 teachers have been recommended for the Standard for Full Registration, with more expected to meet the Standard over the coming months.
They are taking their place in a profession that was recently ranked in the top ten most trusted professions in the UK.
Scotland’s teachers must meet and maintain the Standard for Full Registration, abide by the Code of Professionalism and Conduct and engage in Professional Update. The teaching profession has a long track record of upholding standards and in doing so helping ensure trusted teaching.
Dr Pauline Stephen, GTC Scotland’s Chief Executive and Registrar, said:
Meeting the Standard for Full Registration is a significant achievement, and in doing so, fully registered teachers have displayed their commitment to developing knowledge, understanding, skills and abilities across all areas of their professional practice.
Communities place a high degree of trust in teachers. Registered teachers make a professional commitment to demonstrate their professional values of social justice, trust and respect, and integrity through their professional relationships, thinking and actions.
Elaine Napier, GTC Scotland’s Head of Education and Standards, said:
These new fully registered teachers represent a range of experience, including those embarking on their careers; career changers who are bringing a range of life experience to the classroom; and experienced teachers who have moved to Scotland from elsewhere. They have worked hard to achieve their teaching qualification, the Standard for Provisional Registration, and the Standard for Full Registration, and in doing so have shown their dedication to high standards and professional values.
As we mark the achievement of these newly fully registered teachers, we would like to pose some reflective questions that they can answer on X, or consider in their own time.
Reflective questions
- What areas of expertise would I like to develop as I begin my career as a fully registered teacher in Scotland?
- What advice would I give to those who have just met the Standard for Provisional Registration and who are starting on the road to the Standard for Full Registration?
- What do the Professional Values mean to me?
You can answer these questions tagging our X account @gtcs, discuss them with friends and colleagues, or use them for self reflection.
The Standard for Full Registration
The Standards for Registration - the Standard for Provisional Registration and Standard for Full Registration - are the benchmark of competence required of all registered teachers in Scotland.
The Standard for Full Registration constitutes the teaching standards in which learners, parents, the profession itself and the wider community can have confidence.
After successful completion of their initial teacher education programmes, student teachers are awarded the Standard for Provisional Registration. They then complete a period of probationary service either through the Teacher Induction Scheme – the Scottish Government’s guaranteed 1 year training post scheme, aspects of which are administered by GTC Scotland – or the Flexible Route to develop the knowledge, understanding, skills and abilities they need to meet the Standard for Full Registration.
The Flexible Route is completed both by provisionally registered teachers who have qualified in Scotland and chosen to follow this route to Full Registration, and by teachers who have qualified outside Scotland.
Being and growing as a teacher in Scotland
Once Fully Registered, teachers maintain the Standard for Full Registration through continued engagement in the Professional Update process through:
- self-evaluation against the Professional Standards
- engagement in ongoing professional learning
- maintaining a reflective professional learning record, and
- engagement in the Professional Review and Development process.
As they gain experience and progress through their career, fully registered teachers can then engage with the aspirational Professional Standards: The Standard for Career-Long Professional Learning; The Standard for Middle Leadership; and the Standard for Headship.
The Professional Standards have been designed to offer support in identifying, planning and developing professional learning to ensure continuing development of professional knowledge, skills, understanding and practice. This involves asking deep and searching questions about knowledge, skills understanding and practice.
