Registration in an additional subject/sector

Professional (Additional) Registration allows teachers who hold Full Registration in Primary or Secondary (subject) categories to add additional subjects/sectors to their registration.

Applicants need to

For registration in a secondary education category: meet the academic and/or professional learning requirement for registration in the additional subject in which registration is sought. For Modern Foreign Languages, this includes a foreign residency requirement.
For registration in a different category (primary to secondary / secondary to primary): Standard for Provisional Registration in the category (and subject if secondary education) in which registration is sought.
For both the above: be recommended for registration in the additional area of registration by a headteacher or senior leader with current Full (General) Registration with GTC Scotland.

Applicants for Professional (Additional) Registration in an additional secondary education subject registration category (subject area), who do not fully meet the academic and/or foreign residency requirements, may still be considered for Provisional (Conditional) Registration in the additional secondary education category.

Routes to Professional (Additional) Registration

For primary teachers in a secondary education subject

If you hold Full Registration in primary education, you can gain Professional (Additional) Registration in a secondary education registration subject.

Eligibility

You will need to:

  • hold Full Registration with GTC Scotland;
  • show that you have met the appropriate academic requirements;
  • be recommended for registration by a secondary school headteacher or senior leader with current Full (General) Registration with GTC Scotland.

What subjects are available?

View the full list of Secondary teaching subject areas available for registration.

Step One – Check you have met the academic requirements

The academic requirements for registration in Secondary Education appear below:

  • 80 Scottish Credit Qualifications Framework (SCQF) credit points in the Secondary teaching subject – some subjects have specific requirements
  • at least 40 credit points must be SCQF level 7
  • at least 40 credit points must be SCQF level 8

If you have completed at least 40 credit points at SCQF level 7, or above, you can still apply and will be considered for Provisional (Conditional) Registration. If successful, you will have three years to complete the remaining credit points required.

Evidence of academic study

When you apply, you will need to submit evidence of any relevant academic study you have completed.

You do not need to submit evidence of academic study which was not relevant to the additional secondary education registration category.

This evidence may include:

  • Degree certificate, if your degree was in the additional subject and this is clearly indicated by the degree title (only applies if the subject does not have specific entry requirements);
  • Academic transcript(s), showing a breakdown of all the modules you studied within your degree (or any other degree-level programmes you may have completed). If your degree was awarded in the UK/European Economic Area we can accept a Diploma Supplement or Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) document in place of a transcript;
  • Official pass sheets, giving details of individual modules completed outside of a degree or degree-level programme, e.g. Open University modules;
  • Module descriptors: the detailed descriptors of modules completed during a degree, degree-level programme or on an individual basis (only required if the content of the module is not clear from its title).

We can only accept official documentation as evidence of academic study.

We do not require a copy of your initial teacher education qualification.

Step two – find an appropriate supporter

First, contact a secondary school headteacher or senior leader with current Full (General) Registration with GTC Scotland who is willing to act as your supporter and recommend you for registration in your chosen secondary education subject. If you are currently in employment as a primary teacher, this could be the headteacher of your school’s cluster secondary school.

Your supporter must only recommend you once they are satisfied you have met the Standard for Provisional Registration (SPR) in respect of secondary education in the specific subject area. To help them to reach this decision, you should both use the toolkit provided to identify any areas of the SPR which you have not yet fully met in respect to secondary education in the specific subject area.

You should then agree and complete a Professional Learning (PL) plan to enable you to meet the SPR in these areas.

Step three – submit an application for registration in the additional area of the register

You will need to submit evidence of your relevant academic study as well as the Recommendation for Provisional Registration form completed by the headteacher or senior leader who is acting as your supporter.

Completed applications should be submitted to gtcs@gtcs.org.uk with the subject line “Professional (Additional) Registration Application”.

Step four – application assessed by a Registration Case Officer

Your application will be assessed by a Registration Case Officer, and you will be issued with the decision on your application.

If you are successful, Provisional Registration in your new registration area will be added to your registration with GTC Scotland.

You will then need to meet the requirements for Full Registration before completing the Flexible Route document-based profile. To complete this profile, you must obtain a declaration from a headteacher or senior leader who currently holds Full (General) Registration with GTC Scotland that you have met the Standard for Full Registration in respect of your additional area of registration. Full information about this is provided in the Probationer Teachers section of the website.

If you are awarded Provisional (Conditional) Registration you will not gain Full Registration until you have also met the academic condition on your registration.

For secondary teachers as a primary teacher

If you hold full registration in a secondary education registration category, you can gain Professional Registration in primary education.

Eligibility

You will need to:

  • have Full Registration with GTC Scotland.
  • be recommended for registration by a primary school headteacher or senior leader with current Full (General) Registration with GTC Scotland.

Step one – find an appropriate supporter

First, contact a primary school headteacher or senior leader with current Full (General) Registration with GTC Scotland who is willing to act as your supporter throughout the process and recommend you for registration in primary education. If you are currently in employment as a secondary teacher, this could be the headteacher of one of your school’s cluster primary schools.

Your supporter must only recommend you once they are satisfied that you have met the Standard for Provisional Registration (SPR) in respect of primary education. To enable them to reach this decision, you should both use the toolkit provided to identify any areas of the SPR which you have not yet fully met in respect to primary education. You should then agree and complete a Professional Learning (PL) plan to enable to you meet the SPR in these areas. 

Step two – submit an application for Provisional Registration in Primary Education

You will submit the Recommendation for Provisional Registration form completed by the headteacher or senior leader who is acting as your supporter.

Completed applications should be submitted to gtcs@gtcs.org.uk with the subject line “Professional (Additional) Registration Application”.

Your application will be assessed by a Registration Case Officer and you will be issued with the decision on your application. If you are successful, Provisional Registration in your new registration area will be added to your registration with GTC Scotland.

You will need to meet the requirements for Full Registration before completing the document-based Flexible Route profile. To complete this profile, you must obtain a declaration from a headteacher or senior leader who currently holds Full (General) Registration with GTC Scotland that you have met the Standard for Full Registration in respect of your additional area of registration. Full information about this is provided in the Probationer Teachers section of the website.

For secondary teachers in an additional subject

If you hold full registration in a secondary education registration category, you can gain Professional Registration in an additional subject.

Eligibility

You will need to:

  • hold Full Registration with GTC Scotland.
  • meet the academic requirement for registration in the additional subject as listed here Secondary teaching. Please note some secondary education subjects have specific academic requirements.
  • meet the foreign residency requirement for registration (only if applying to add registration in a Modern Foreign Language).

What subjects are available?

View the full list of Secondary teaching subject areas in which registration is available.

Step One – Check you have met the academic requirements

The academic requirements for registration in Secondary Education appear below:

  • 80 Scottish Credit Qualifications Framework (SCQF) credit points in the Secondary teaching subject – some subjects have specific requirements
  • at least 40 credit points must be SCQF level 7
  • at least 40 credit points must be SCQF level 8

If you have completed at least 40 credit points at SCQF level 7 or above you can still apply and will be considered for Provisional (Conditional) Registration. If successful, you will have three years in which to complete the remaining credit points required.

Evidence of academic study

When you apply, you will need to submit evidence of any relevant academic study you have completed.

You do not need to submit evidence of academic study which was not relevant to the additional subject.

This evidence may include:

  • Degree certificate if your degree was in the additional subject and this is clearly indicated by the degree title (only applies if the subject does not have specific entry requirements).
  • Academic transcript(s) showing a breakdown of all the modules you studied within your degree (or any other degree-level programmes you may have completed). If your degree was awarded in the UK/European Economic Area, we can accept a Diploma Supplement or HEAR document in place of a transcript.
  • Official pass sheets giving details of individual modules completed outside of a degree or degree-level programme, e.g., Open University modules.
  • Module descriptors if the content of the module is not clear from its title.

We can only accept official documentation as evidence of academic study.

We do not require a copy of your initial teacher education qualification.

Step Two – Submit an application for registration in the additional area of the register

You will need to submit evidence of your relevant academic study as well as the Recommendation for Provisional Registration form completed by the headteacher or senior leader who is acting as your supporter.

Completed applications should be submitted to gtcs@gtcs.org.uk with the subject line “Professional (Additional) Registration Application”.

Step three – assessment by GTC Scotland for Provisional Registration in the additional area of the register

Your application will be assessed by a Registration Case Officer and you will be issued with the decision on your application. If you are successful, Provisional Registration in your new registration area will be added to your registration with GTC Scotland.

You will need to meet the requirements for Full Registration before completing the document-based Flexible Route profile. To complete this profile, you must obtain a declaration from a headteacher or senior leader who currently holds Full (General) Registration with GTC Scotland that you have met the Standard for Full Registration in respect of your additional area of registration. Full information about this is provided in the Probationer Teachers section of the website.

If you are awarded Provisional (Conditional) Registration you will not gain Full Registration until you have also met the academic condition on your registration.

Right of Review

If GTC Scotland has awarded you registration but not to the extent you wished (e.g. you have not been awarded Full Registration or you have not been awarded registration in all of the categories that you believe you are eligible to be registered in) you have the right to ask for that decision to be reviewed by a Registration Panel. You must do this within 28 days of the date that you receive your decision letter.

Read more about your Right of Review

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