Being a Teacher in Scotland
Our increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world faces many social, environmental and economic challenges, and an effective, responsive and inclusive education system is vital if we are to address these. Engaged, reflective, empowered and skilled teachers and learners acknowledge Scotland’s place in the world, our history, our differences and diversity, our unique natural environment, and our culture based on social justice. Scotland’s teachers help to embed sustainable and socially just practices in order to flourish as a nation.
The Professional Standards outline what it means to become, to be and to grow as a teacher in Scotland. A commitment to the professional values of social justice, trust and respect and integrity is at the heart of the Professional Standards and underpins our relationships, thinking and professional practice in Scotland.
The educational experiences of all our children and young people are shaped by the professional values and dispositions of all those who work to educate them. Values are complex: they are the ideals by which teachers shape their practice as professionals. Starting with teachers as individuals, values extend to our learners, our colleagues and community and to the world in which we live.
Professional values help to develop our professional identity and underpin a deep commitment to all learners’ cognitive, social and emotional growth and wellbeing. They provide the foundation to support and encourage teachers to see the whole child or young person and their needs. They are integral to, and demonstrated through, all our professional relationships, thinking and actions and all that we do to meet our professional commitment as teachers registered with GTC Scotland.
As part of teacher professionalism, professional values are required to be enacted in everyday practice both within and outwith the educational establishment. They support us to ask critical questions of educational theories, policies and practices and to examine our own attitudes and beliefs. Values, and the connections between values and actions, require regular reflection over the course of teachers’ careers as society and the needs of learners change and as understanding develops. Our commitment to career-long professional learning is a critical part of developing our professionalism. Enquiring and collaborative professionalism is a powerful force in developing teachers’ agency and delivering our commitment to engaging children, young people, their families and communities in the education process.
1.1 Professional Values
Social Justice
Social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities now and in the future.
- Promoting health and wellbeing of self, colleagues and the children and young people in my care.
- Building and fostering positive relationships in the learning community which are respectful of individuals.
- Embracing global educational and social values of sustainability, equality, equity, and justice and recognising children’s rights.
- Respecting the rights of all learners as outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and their entitlement to be included in decisions regarding their learning experiences and have all aspects of their wellbeing developed and supported.
- Demonstrating a commitment to engaging learners in real world issues to enhance learning experiences and outcomes, and to encourage learning our way to a better future.
- Committing to social justice through fair, transparent, inclusive, and sustainable policies and practices in relation to protected characteristics, (age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex, sexual orientation) and intersectionality.
- Valuing, as well as respecting, social, ecological, cultural, religious, and racial diversity and promoting the principles and practices of sustainable development and local and global citizenship for all learners.
- Demonstrating a commitment to motivating, and including all learners, understanding the influence of gender, social, cultural, racial, ethnic, religious and economic backgrounds on experiences of learning, taking account of specific learning needs and seeking to reduce barriers to learning.
- Demonstrating a commitment to supporting learners who are experiencing or who have experienced trauma, children and young people from a care experienced background and understanding responsibilities as a corporate parent.
- Understanding and challenging discrimination in all its forms, particularly that which is defined by the Equality Act 2010.
Trust and Respect
Trust and respect are expectations of positive actions that support authentic relationship building and show care for the needs and feelings of the people involved and respect for our natural world and its limited resources.
- Promoting and engendering a rights respecting culture and the ethical use of authority associated with one’s professional roles.
- Acting and behaving in ways that develop a culture of trust and respect for self, others and the natural world.
- Understanding, acknowledging, and respecting the contribution of others in positively influencing the lives of learners.
- Understanding health and wellbeing and the importance of positive and purposeful relationships to provide and ensure a safe and secure environment for all learners and colleagues within a caring and compassionate ethos.
- Respecting individual difference and supporting learners’ understanding of themselves, others and their contribution to the development and sustainability of a diverse and inclusive society.
Integrity
Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values.
- Demonstrating kindness, honesty, courage, and wisdom.
- Being truthful and trustworthy.
- Critically examining professional beliefs, values and attitudes of self and others in the context of collegiate working.
- Challenging assumptions, biases and professional practice, where appropriate.
1.2 Professional Commitment
Making a professional commitment to learning and learners that is compatible with the aspiration of achieving a sustainable and equitable world embodies what it is to be a teacher in Scotland. This means teachers commit to living the professional values and engage in lifelong learning, reflection, enquiry, leadership of learning and collaborative practice as key aspects of their professionalism. This commitment to professional learning and growth, to the growth of learners, and to helping support that of colleagues, is demonstrated through engagement with all aspects of professional practice. It is demonstrated by working collegially, in English or Gaelic medium with all members of our learning communities with enthusiasm, adaptability, critical thinking and associated constructive, professional dialogue.
A core component of teachers’ professional commitment is understanding the needs of all learners. Some children and young people may have a barrier to wellbeing and learning associated with a range of circumstances such as the learning environment, family circumstances, disability or health need, and social and emotional factors. This includes learners with additional support needs such as: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD); Autism; Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia) (DCD); Dyslexia; and Tourette syndrome. Teachers recognise, see and acknowledge the value in everyone and have a deep awareness of the need for culturally responsive pedagogies. They promote equality and diversity, paying careful attention to the needs of learners from diverse groups and in upholding children’s rights.
Upholding the professional values of social justice, trust and respect and integrity requires a commitment to leadership that inspires confidence and encourages aspiration. This commitment underpins leadership of learning in all contexts and change for improvement. It values the contribution of others, challenges biases and assumptions and applies critical thinking to make effective decisions, in the interests of maintaining and improving the quality of education and leading to improved outcomes for all children and young people in Scotland.
The professional commitment of teachers in Scotland is to lead learning through:
- developing deep knowledge of learning and teaching
- critically examining how our teaching impacts on learners
- using evidence collaboratively to inform teacher judgement and next steps for learners.
1.3 Standard for Headship
The Standard for Headship recognises that effective leadership depends on the principles of collegiality and that all teachers are leaders of and for learning, who lead learning for, and with, all learners. Headteachers work with, and support the development of, colleagues and other partners. The Standard for Headship includes a focus on leadership of and for learning, teacher leadership, and working collegially to build leadership capacity in others.
Those in, or aspiring to, the headteacher role will develop increasing responsibility and capacity, in relation to the kinds of roles outlined here, including enabling and empowering individuals and teams across the wider learning community. Headteachers have a responsibility to actively engage in and ensure multi and inter-agency working across the learning community and beyond, particularly by building capacity and capability with colleagues, in order to achieve positive outcomes for every learner and support improvement.
Headteachers lead the whole school community in order to establish, sustain and enhance a positive ethos and culture of learning through which every learner, including colleagues, is able to learn effectively and achieve their potential. Headteachers are accountable for developing and supporting an ethos and culture which enables and empowers others to lead effectively with a clear and agreed focus on self-evaluation and improvement.
Learning for Sustainability has been embedded within the suite of Professional Standards to support headteachers in actively embracing a robust, demonstrable ‘whole-school’ approach to Learning for Sustainability. This is enabled by headteachers establishing and modelling a coherent, progressive and holistic Learning for Sustainability vision and ethos that supports planning across the curriculum, professional learning and collegial practice. In Scotland, Learning for Sustainability is an entitlement for learners. As such, it is a professional requirement for all teachers to demonstrate in their practice the professional values, skills, knowledge and understanding and actions that are compatible with a sustainable and equitable world, as part of an effective whole-school and community commitment.
The headteacher acts as the leading professional in the school and/or learning community. The headteacher also plays a pivotal role within the broader children’s services network. Headteachers work with and support their peers and other educational establishments and make significant contributions to policy development across their cluster, local authority, regional or national education systems. Headteachers proactively contribute to leadership for improvement at system level (authority, regional and national level). This includes the ability to work collaboratively and collegially, encouraging and seeking views from across the learning community – from colleagues, parents/carers and families, children and young people, partners in other schools, the local authority and regional settings.
Leadership is the ability to:
- develop a vision for change, which leads to improvements in outcomes for learners and is based on shared values and robust evaluation of evidence of current practice and outcomes
- mobilise, enable and support others to develop and follow through on strategies for achieving that change
Management is the operational implementation and maintenance of the practices and systems required to achieve this change.
The Standard for Headship is designed to support individual self-evaluation and reflection as an integral part of leadership development. It is vital that leadership development is supported by effective and systematic Professional Review and Development (PRD) and Professional Update processes.
Our increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world faces many social, environmental and economic challenges, and an effective, responsive and inclusive education system is vital if we are to address these. Engaged, reflective, empowered and skilled teachers and learners acknowledge Scotland’s place in the world, our history, our differences and diversity, our unique natural environment, and our culture based on social justice. Scotland’s teachers help to embed sustainable and socially just practices in order to flourish as a nation.
The Professional Standards outline what it means to become, to be and to grow as a teacher in Scotland. A commitment to the professional values of social justice, trust and respect and integrity is at the heart of the Professional Standards and underpins our relationships, thinking and professional practice in Scotland.
The educational experiences of all our children and young people are shaped by the professional values and dispositions of all those who work to educate them. Values are complex: they are the ideals by which teachers shape their practice as professionals. Starting with teachers as individuals, values extend to our learners, our colleagues and community and to the world in which we live.
Professional values help to develop our professional identity and underpin a deep commitment to all learners’ cognitive, social and emotional growth and wellbeing. They provide the foundation to support and encourage teachers to see the whole child or young person and their needs. They are integral to, and demonstrated through, all our professional relationships, thinking and actions and all that we do to meet our professional commitment as teachers registered with GTC Scotland.
As part of teacher professionalism, professional values are required to be enacted in everyday practice both within and outwith the educational establishment. They support us to ask critical questions of educational theories, policies and practices and to examine our own attitudes and beliefs. Values, and the connections between values and actions, require regular reflection over the course of teachers’ careers as society and the needs of learners change and as understanding develops. Our commitment to career-long professional learning is a critical part of developing our professionalism. Enquiring and collaborative professionalism is a powerful force in developing teachers’ agency and delivering our commitment to engaging children, young people, their families and communities in the education process.
1.1 Professional Values
Social Justice
Social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities now and in the future.
- Promoting health and wellbeing of self, colleagues and the children and young people in my care.
- Building and fostering positive relationships in the learning community which are respectful of individuals.
- Embracing global educational and social values of sustainability, equality, equity, and justice and recognising children’s rights.
- Respecting the rights of all learners as outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and their entitlement to be included in decisions regarding their learning experiences and have all aspects of their wellbeing developed and supported.
- Demonstrating a commitment to engaging learners in real world issues to enhance learning experiences and outcomes, and to encourage learning our way to a better future.
- Committing to social justice through fair, transparent, inclusive, and sustainable policies and practices in relation to protected characteristics, (age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex, sexual orientation) and intersectionality.
- Valuing, as well as respecting, social, ecological, cultural, religious, and racial diversity and promoting the principles and practices of sustainable development and local and global citizenship for all learners.
- Demonstrating a commitment to motivating, and including all learners, understanding the influence of gender, social, cultural, racial, ethnic, religious and economic backgrounds on experiences of learning, taking account of specific learning needs and seeking to reduce barriers to learning.
- Demonstrating a commitment to supporting learners who are experiencing or who have experienced trauma, children and young people from a care experienced background and understanding responsibilities as a corporate parent.
- Understanding and challenging discrimination in all its forms, particularly that which is defined by the Equality Act 2010.
Trust and Respect
Trust and respect are expectations of positive actions that support authentic relationship building and show care for the needs and feelings of the people involved and respect for our natural world and its limited resources.
- Promoting and engendering a rights respecting culture and the ethical use of authority associated with one’s professional roles.
- Acting and behaving in ways that develop a culture of trust and respect for self, others and the natural world.
- Understanding, acknowledging, and respecting the contribution of others in positively influencing the lives of learners.
- Understanding health and wellbeing and the importance of positive and purposeful relationships to provide and ensure a safe and secure environment for all learners and colleagues within a caring and compassionate ethos.
- Respecting individual difference and supporting learners’ understanding of themselves, others and their contribution to the development and sustainability of a diverse and inclusive society.
Integrity
Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values.
- Demonstrating kindness, honesty, courage, and wisdom.
- Being truthful and trustworthy.
- Critically examining professional beliefs, values and attitudes of self and others in the context of collegiate working.
- Challenging assumptions, biases and professional practice, where appropriate.
1.2 Professional Commitment
Making a professional commitment to learning and learners that is compatible with the aspiration of achieving a sustainable and equitable world embodies what it is to be a teacher in Scotland. This means teachers commit to living the professional values and engage in lifelong learning, reflection, enquiry, leadership of learning and collaborative practice as key aspects of their professionalism. This commitment to professional learning and growth, to the growth of learners, and to helping support that of colleagues, is demonstrated through engagement with all aspects of professional practice. It is demonstrated by working collegially, in English or Gaelic medium with all members of our learning communities with enthusiasm, adaptability, critical thinking and associated constructive, professional dialogue.
A core component of teachers’ professional commitment is understanding the needs of all learners. Some children and young people may have a barrier to wellbeing and learning associated with a range of circumstances such as the learning environment, family circumstances, disability or health need, and social and emotional factors. This includes learners with additional support needs such as: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD); Autism; Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia) (DCD); Dyslexia; and Tourette syndrome. Teachers recognise, see and acknowledge the value in everyone and have a deep awareness of the need for culturally responsive pedagogies. They promote equality and diversity, paying careful attention to the needs of learners from diverse groups and in upholding children’s rights.
Upholding the professional values of social justice, trust and respect and integrity requires a commitment to leadership that inspires confidence and encourages aspiration. This commitment underpins leadership of learning in all contexts and change for improvement. It values the contribution of others, challenges biases and assumptions and applies critical thinking to make effective decisions, in the interests of maintaining and improving the quality of education and leading to improved outcomes for all children and young people in Scotland.
The professional commitment of teachers in Scotland is to lead learning through:
- developing deep knowledge of learning and teaching
- critically examining how our teaching impacts on learners
- using evidence collaboratively to inform teacher judgement and next steps for learners.
1.3 Standard for Headship
The Standard for Headship recognises that effective leadership depends on the principles of collegiality and that all teachers are leaders of and for learning, who lead learning for, and with, all learners. Headteachers work with, and support the development of, colleagues and other partners. The Standard for Headship includes a focus on leadership of and for learning, teacher leadership, and working collegially to build leadership capacity in others.
Those in, or aspiring to, the headteacher role will develop increasing responsibility and capacity, in relation to the kinds of roles outlined here, including enabling and empowering individuals and teams across the wider learning community. Headteachers have a responsibility to actively engage in and ensure multi and inter-agency working across the learning community and beyond, particularly by building capacity and capability with colleagues, in order to achieve positive outcomes for every learner and support improvement.
Headteachers lead the whole school community in order to establish, sustain and enhance a positive ethos and culture of learning through which every learner, including colleagues, is able to learn effectively and achieve their potential. Headteachers are accountable for developing and supporting an ethos and culture which enables and empowers others to lead effectively with a clear and agreed focus on self-evaluation and improvement.
Learning for Sustainability has been embedded within the suite of Professional Standards to support headteachers in actively embracing a robust, demonstrable ‘whole-school’ approach to Learning for Sustainability. This is enabled by headteachers establishing and modelling a coherent, progressive and holistic Learning for Sustainability vision and ethos that supports planning across the curriculum, professional learning and collegial practice. In Scotland, Learning for Sustainability is an entitlement for learners. As such, it is a professional requirement for all teachers to demonstrate in their practice the professional values, skills, knowledge and understanding and actions that are compatible with a sustainable and equitable world, as part of an effective whole-school and community commitment.
The headteacher acts as the leading professional in the school and/or learning community. The headteacher also plays a pivotal role within the broader children’s services network. Headteachers work with and support their peers and other educational establishments and make significant contributions to policy development across their cluster, local authority, regional or national education systems. Headteachers proactively contribute to leadership for improvement at system level (authority, regional and national level). This includes the ability to work collaboratively and collegially, encouraging and seeking views from across the learning community – from colleagues, parents/carers and families, children and young people, partners in other schools, the local authority and regional settings.
Leadership is the ability to:
- develop a vision for change, which leads to improvements in outcomes for learners and is based on shared values and robust evaluation of evidence of current practice and outcomes
- mobilise, enable and support others to develop and follow through on strategies for achieving that change
Management is the operational implementation and maintenance of the practices and systems required to achieve this change.
The Standard for Headship is designed to support individual self-evaluation and reflection as an integral part of leadership development. It is vital that leadership development is supported by effective and systematic Professional Review and Development (PRD) and Professional Update processes.
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