Is the nature of teaching changing because of Every Child Matters? It's unlikely there's a simple answer to that question. Some of the "I'm a teacher, not a social worker" commentary makes you wonder if an artificial battle line has been drawn between those who feel their teaching role is being watered down and their professionalism undermined, and those who want schools to be aware of and responsive to the needs of the "whole child". Of course, the two perspectives are not natural opposites: there are many educationalists who assert that child wellbeing - the cornerstone of the Every Child Matters rhetoric - has always been at the core of the best teaching practice.
What's been put in place to help teachers understand Every Child Matters? The legal framework is (almost) there. School governors are under a legal duty to promote the wellbeing of their pupils. Recently, the Department for Children, Schools and Families consulted on wellbeing indicators for schools that will inform their Ofsted inspection reports. And the government is about to make schools, colleges and pupil referral units named partners under the duty to co-operate in section 10 of the Children Act 2004 - the legislative basis for the children's trust partnership. However, laws rarely assist understanding unless they are accompanied by a persuasive programme of awareness raising and training. And of course the bodies that represent teachers have got to be part of that.
Are they? The General Teaching Council for England (GTC) is consulting on an update to its code of conduct and practice for teachers in which the concepts of safeguarding children, pupil wellbeing and respect for children's rights are central, as is the need for teachers to work with the wider children's workforce. Proof of that final point is confirmed in appendix three of the draft code, which reproduces the Values for Integrated Working agreed by the GTC, General Social Care Council and Nursing and Midwifery Council in 2007.
Is there a statement of values? Would any code of conduct be worth its salt without one? There are eight core values for registered teachers listed, including one focused on respect, equality, diversity and inclusion; another on involvement and empowerment; and one on co- operation. The final value refers to responsiveness to change.
What about conduct and practice? Again, a series of eight principles, with number one referring to a requirement to "place the wellbeing, development and progress of children and young people at the heart of professional practice". Number five deals with teachers working in partnership with parents and carers. And number seven is about co- operating with other professionals.
Does the code explain how teachers are supposed to comply with it? Each headline principle is followed by a set of bullet points on practice. The ones with more of a focus on teaching or the school environment, like principle two on reflective practice or principle six on working as part of the whole-school team, provide more detail than some of the others. In its way, the content of the draft code mirrors current debates on the nature of teaching.
Lisa Payne, policy unit, National Children's Bureau
FACT FILE
- The General Teaching Council for England was launched in September 2000
- It acts as the awarding body for qualified teacher status and maintains the register of qualified teachers
- Responses to The Code of Conduct and Practice: Draft for Consultation are due 27 February 2009
