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Apply for Professional Recognition
To achieve Professional Recognition you need to adopt an enquiring approach.
Using this enquiring approach, you need to investigate and evidence how you have:
- engaged in enhanced, significant and sustained professional learning; and
- developed professional knowledge and understanding as a result of this learning.
You need to provide evidence of how this has impacted your skills and abilities, and your learners and learning.
Professional Recognition is awarded for 5 years for the development of expertise that moves beyond that expected of a teacher.
Example
Professional Recognition in assessment techniques
To gain Professional Recognition in a specific area of expertise you will be required to demonstrate:
Professional Portfolio
You are expected to maintain a Professional Portfolio.
A Professional Portfolio should include:
You should discuss your portfolio with your line manager as part of the ongoing Professional Review and Development (PRD) process.
It is not necessary to send your portfolio to GTC Scotland with your application, but please keep your portfolio for 1 year. We conduct a sampling of successful applications twice a year to ensure consistent standards as part of the assessment process.
Discuss your submission with your line manager
You should have a professional discussion as part of the PRD process with your line manager. At this meeting, you should discuss the areas of professional learning and development you have identified for Professional Recognition.
Your discussion should include critical reflection of how your learning and development has impacted on:
You should also reflect on any next steps for the future.
This discussion needs to be agreed and signed off by your line manager.
This reflection and ongoing discussion with your line manager form part of your submission for Professional Recognition.
Questions to consider as part of this discussion:
- How is my work in this area of expertise/accomplishment enabling me to develop as a practitioner?
- How have I applied what I have learned in this area of expertise?
- How is this influencing and enhancing my professional practice?
- What reading and research has challenged and critically informed this learning and development?
- What is the impact on learners and their learning experience?
- What is the impact on my colleagues’ professional learning?
- What evidence do I have to demonstrate the impact on my practice, colleagues and learners?
- How will I take this forward? What are my next steps for development?
- In what ways will I be able to contribute to the school/wider educational community?
The Professional Recognition application form asks teachers to:
Professional Recognition lasts for 5 years. After that time, a teacher must make a new application.
To make an individual application for Professional Recognition:
Applications are assessed by a panel within GTC Scotland. Applicants are notified by email of the decision. Successful individual awards will be recorded on the Register of Teachers.
If a claim for Professional Recognition is unsuccessful then you will have an opportunity to submit a revised application. Should this also be unsuccessful, you may send a written request for the decision to be reviewed by a Professional Standards Panel. Any request for review can only be made where there are grounds for the decision to be reviewed in terms of GTC Scotland having either:
- failed to act in accordance with the Registration and Standards Rules; or
- made an error: either of which must have had a significant impact on the decision made. Review requests are considered in accordance with procedures that are laid down in the Registration and Standards Rules.