Adding an additional secondary subject to Secondary (Subject) Education registration: case studies

Hannah Walker

Full Registration in Secondary (Drama) Education (2018), added Provisional Registration in Secondary (Film and Screen) Education (2025)

Hannah was always interested in the performing arts and went to university to study performance, which covered theatre, film, TV presenting and script writing as part of her degree programme. She worked as an actor for several years but always had in the back of her mind that she would go into teaching. To become a teacher, she went back to college to do her maths qualification and then completed the Secondary Education PGDE at the University of Aberdeen.

Her degree was a 50/50 split between theatre and screen and her dissertation was on film making and directing short films. When she heard that registration in Secondary (Film and Screen) Education was possible, she found out that she qualified for Provisional Registration based on her degree.

Hannah would encourage colleagues to check whether their qualifications have enough credits for additional subject registration. She recommends Screen Scotland in building skills towards additional registration in film and screen. They have amazing professional learning, offering regular CPD sessions, summer schools or opportunities for peripatetic screen educators to come out to schools to work alongside colleagues.

Hannah has been supported by her line manager, the headteacher and the senior leadership team. On the GTC Scotland website she discovered that she could potentially achieve Full Registration within a number of days. Hannah is developing a film and screen curriculum looking at Broad General Education (BGE) and embedding film and screen units into the drama curriculum. The plan is to then move this into a standalone S3 subject and then potentially senior phase qualifications.

Hannah has developed a unit on lego motion animation and intends being observed teaching this by her headteacher. Along with her completed GTC Scotland provisional registration profile, this will enable her to request that her headteacher submits a recommendation for Full Registration. Hannah thinks the process is supportive and straightforward and aims to get things completed and signed off this term.

Zara Wardrop

Full Registration in Secondary (Music) Education (2022), added Provisional Registration in Secondary (Drama) Education (2025)

Zara originally worked in the performing arts but also had a real urge and passion to teach. In 2020, alongside her studying and performing, she created a small community interest company where she taught performing arts to children such as acting, dancing and singing. Zara loved working with children and realised that she needed to move into teaching. She completed her Secondary Education PGDE after her music degree and became a part-time teacher, completing her Master's in Music at the same time. A full-time post teaching music came up in her school, and she was encouraged to apply and was successful.

Zara had a lot of formal training in acting and drama through her Bachelor of Music and Master’s in Music because of her role as an opera singer. An opportunity opened at her school when the drama teacher retired, and Zara was encouraged to apply by the school. Zara feels that without the encouragement to go for additional registration by the leadership team she would not have applied, thinking she would need to go back to university.

Firstly, she looked at the GTC Scotland website How to register in an additional secondary education subject and clarified what credits she had in her current degrees and whether it fitted with the specification for secondary drama on the website.

She held a meeting with her line manager to check through making an application and found she had more than enough credits to apply for provisional registration. She set about getting her transcripts and sent GTC Scotland the evidence required to gain provisional registration in drama. She is now actively working towards full registration supported by the senior leadership team in her school. She has done some observed lessons for her own professional learning and plans to have an observation from her headteacher shortly. She also started a university programme though she didn't need the credits. Zara feels it has been really beneficial to work with other teachers, to build her confidence and to focus on the theory and the literature side as an area of development rather than the performance background.

Additional registration has broadened her teaching portfolio and opened completely different curricular opportunities, as well as strengthening her pedagogy in both music and drama. She feels grateful for having someone in her school that was able to encourage and support her.