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 Full Registration

Professional Values and Professional Commitment are at the core of the Standard for Provisional Registration. They are integral to, and demonstrated through, all our professional relationships and practices. They are about doing well by ourselves, others and the world in which we live. The personal and professional qualities of sustainability and social justice, integrity, trust and respect and professional commitment are crucial if we are to inspire and prepare learners for success in our complex, interdependent and rapidly changing world.

‘Learning for Sustainability’ is a whole-school commitment that helps the school and its wider community develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes, values and practices needed to take decisions which are compatible with a sustainable future in a just and equitable world. Learning for Sustainability has been embedded within the Standard for Full Registration to support teachers in actively embracing and promoting principles and practices of sustainability in all aspects of their work.

All teachers are leaders of and for learning. They lead learning of, and with, all learners with whom they engage. They also work with and support the development of colleagues and other partners. The Standards for Registration include a focus on leadership of and for learning.

The Standard for Full Registration is the gateway to the profession and the benchmark of teacher competence for all teachers. It must therefore constitute standards of capability in relation to teaching, with reasonable adjustments as required, in which learners, parents, the profession itself and the wider community can have confidence.

The scope of this document is limited to defining expectations of student teachers and does not address in detail how judgements will or should be made. It is not intended that the Professional actions should be used as a checklist. In broad terms, the person reviewing the work of a teacher needs to be reassured that the capabilities described by the Professional Standard are achieved. Where it is thought that further development is needed, the Professional actions provide a focus for what needs to be done.

Having attained the Standard for Full Registration teachers will continue to develop their expertise and experience across all areas of their professional practice through appropriate and sustained career-long professional learning. The Standard for Career-Long Professional Learning has been developed to support professional teacher growth and to identify, plan and develop their own professional learning needs and to ensure continuing development of professional practice.

The purposes of the Standard for Full Registration are:

• a clear and concise description of the professional qualities and capabilities probationer teachers are expected to attain
• a professional standard against which reliable and consistent recommendations and decisions can be made on the fitness of new teachers for full registration with GTC Scotland
• a clear and concise description of the professional qualities and capabilities fully registered teachers are expected to maintain and enhance throughout their careers
• a benchmark standard of professional competence which applies to teachers throughout their careers

The Professional Standards are organised into interrelated categories with Professional Values and Professional Commitment at the heart. These categories are inherently linked to each other in the development of teachers, and one aspect does not exist independently of the others. It is this inter-relationship among all of the categories which develops a teacher’s understanding, practice and professionalism. Effective and systematic Professional Review and Development (PRD) and Professional Update processes support fully registered teachers’ ongoing learning.