Proposals to boost teaching standards
Lauren Higgs
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The General Teaching Council (GTC) is to launch a raft of measures to drive up standards in teaching during the next four years.
The Teaching in 2012 proposals set out a vision for the profession that will eliminate teaching variations, meet all learners' individual needs, support inter-agency working and give children greater influence over teaching practice.
This will be achieved through the Teacher Learning Academy initiative, a new system designed to recognise professional development, and the GTC's Teaching Network, which will pilot ways of sharing best practice.
Research projects will inform how the GTC advises the government on policy and practice, and teachers will benefit from revised conduct, competency and development standards.
Keith Bartley, chief executive of the GTC, said the plans would reflect the public's interest in teaching. He said: "These are exciting times for the profession as we plan how the Teaching in 2012 vision will shape the council's work for the next four years. We will be working closely with all agencies and organisations that have a commitment to the values and ethics that unite the wider children's workforce."
He added that he would be launching a drive to encourage more teachers to join GTC professional networks to help the council respond better to the needs of all teachers.
But Christine Blower, acting general secretary at the National Union of Teachers, said new measures to drive up standards would not be welcomed. "However, proper dialogue with the profession to share best practice on a piloted basis would be helpful. Simply piling initiative on initiative with no review or proper discussion with teacher organisations will not result in better outcomes for teachers or children."
However, a spokeswoman for the Association of Teachers and Lecturers said the GTC proposals seem largely positive. She said: "Sharing best practice, improving inter-agency working and improving professional development are all things we would support. But we would be dubious about giving children greater influence over teaching practice. The Devil will be in the detail of the plans."
The GTC is to start work on the Teaching in 2012 proposals immediately.
