Press

Overview

To help us manage journalist requests effectively we have set out our standard responses to the most frequently asked media queries we receive.

Please read these responses and the information in the related links, and if your query is not answered here, get in touch via our contact form.

We aim to ensure that media requests are identified promptly but due to the large number of queries we receive daily, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to provide an immediate response. We will treat media requests that contain questions which fall under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 as Freedom of Information requests, and issue requests for additional clarification if required. These requests will be dealt with in line with the Scottish Information Commissioner’s Office guidelines.

Who we are, what we do and why we do it

The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTC Scotland) is the teaching profession’s independent registration and regulation body. We work to maintain and enhance trust in teaching.

GTC Scotland’s role is to keep a public register and set and uphold the standards for entering and remaining in the teaching profession. We were created in 1965 following calls from teachers for a body to ensure teaching standards.

Find out more about us Who we work with Governance

Our areas of expertise

We can provide expert opinion on topics such as:

Professional regulation and what that means for teaching in Scotland;
The standards of competence and conduct that the public can and should expect from teachers and college lecturers working in Scotland’s schools and colleges;
Statistics on the number of teachers and college lecturers registered in Scotland and the subjects they are registered to teach (we cannot confirm that all these teachers and college lecturers are employed and actively working in Scotland).

The Register of Teachers

In the 1960s, teachers campaigned to become a self-regulating profession to ensure high standards for teachers were maintained. This resulted in the establishment of GTC Scotland in 1965.  

There was, however, no requirement for teachers employed in the independent sector to be registered with GTC Scotland or another regulatory body. Compulsory GTC Scotland registration for these teachers was brought in by law and this came fully into effect in June 2021. 

Today, it is a legal requirement for all those employed as teachers in local authority and independent schools to be registered with GTC Scotland.

As part of agreed national terms and conditions of employment, college lecturers must register with us.

You can check if an individual is registered with us using our 'Search the Register' tool.

Search the Register

A snapshot of the Register

The register is ‘live’, and changes every day as people come on to, and leave, the register.

The following figures are taken from our Annual Report 2023-24:

There were 81,806 teachers and college lecturers registered with GTC Scotland
There were 94,175 total registrations as some individuals are registered in more than one category
3,237 registration applications were received from individuals qualifed in Scotland
1,261 people who qualified outside Scotland applied for registration with GTC Scotland

Fitness to Teach hearings

Commenting on cases

We are unable to comment on individual Fitness to Teach cases for legal reasons
We cannot confirm what has been said in a hearing
We publish information about individual cases only where they reach a certain stage in the Fitness to Teach process
We cannot share further information about the hearing other than what has been published on the website
Notices of scheduled hearings will be added to the upcoming hearings up to 7 days before the hearing is due to take place to allow members of the public and media to attend
Hearings are held at our offices or on Microsoft Teams
The teacher or college lecturer will not be named in the hearing notice; names of individuals are disclosed during the hearing and at the end of our Fitness to Teach process unless an Anonymity Order has been granted by a Panel
Information on the granting of an Anonymity Order, and examples of the reasons they are granted can be found in the Privacy and Anonymity Practice statement

Fitness to Teach panels

Fitness to Teach panels decide the outcome of Fitness to Teach cases
Fitness to Teach panels are made up of independent members who decide the outcome of Fitness to Teach cases, according to a legal process and solely based on the evidence before them
There are at least three people on a Panel; there will always be a majority of registered teachers on every panel, and at least one non teacher (a lay person)
Any action taken through our Fitness to Teach process must be proportionate, transparent, consistent and targeted where action is needed.
The Fitness to Teach Panel will look at the shortfalls identified, alongside where the teacher is now; this includes considering what steps have been taken by the teacher to reflect on the issues, learn from them and make changes to ensure they will not happen again

Fitness to Teach statistics

In 2023-24, we received 191 Fitness to Teach cases, closed 204 and had 212 open cases at year end
29 teachers were removed from the register in 2023-24
We received referrals in respect of 0.3% of our total number of registrants
Our Fitness to Teach Insight Report 2018-2023 looks at our work investigating conduct and professional competence concerns raised with us about teachers between 2018 and 2023

How to attend hearings

Members of the public and media are expected to give at least 2 working days’ notice to use if they wish to attend a hearing so we can make appropriate arrangements. Please follow the instructions within the specific hearing notice on our website.

When decisions are published

The Panel’s written decision will be published on our recent decisions page normally within 28 days of the conclusion of the hearing.

Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme

All registrants must be a member of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme. We are notified by Disclosure Scotland if a registered teacher is placed under consideration for listing as being barred from working with children or protected adults.

The notification tells us that the teacher is under consideration for listing but does not tell us what the allegations are that have led to this. If Disclosure Scotland subsequently lists a teacher as unsuitable for regulated work, by law we must remove their name from our Register of Teachers – any ongoing Fitness to Teach investigation will be immediately closed. We do not publicly disclose Disclosure Scotland’s decisions as this is unlawful.

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The Teacher Induction Scheme

GTC Scotland is responsible for the administration of aspects of the Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS), on behalf of Scottish Government. We regularly respond to media and other requests about the operation of TIS and have created this page to provide information about some of the regular topics that arise. If your query is about the policy that sits behind TIS, please contact the Scottish Government.

TIS provides a guaranteed 1-year training post in a local authority to every eligible student graduating with a teaching qualification from one of Scotland’s Higher Education Institutions.

For those who don’t meet the criteria for TIS or choose to opt out, they can complete their induction via the Flexible Route, which we are responsible for all aspects of.

Preference Waiver

Before starting their induction year as part of TIS, student teachers are asked to select five preferred local authorities that they would be happy to work in.

Instead of selecting five preferred local authorities, student teachers can opt to be placed anywhere in Scotland by ticking the preference waiver payment (PWP) box. Opting for this means they receive the PWP which is £6,000 for primary teachers and £8,000 for secondary teachers (minus tax and national insurance contributions).

You can find out more about PWP along with allocation statistics, on the PWP webpage.

Statistics

TIS allocations happen in May. However, numbers can fluctuate throughout the year as people withdraw or defer from the scheme, or in some cases opt in. There can also be the addition or amendment of placements by local authorities.

Please check the FOI disclosure log for previous requests around TIS or probationer data.