Gail takes the chair
last updated:25 Sep 2009
When new GTC Chair Gail Mortimer first qualified as a teacher in 1976, she was amazed to discover that there was no independent regulatory body to safeguard professional standards.
‘I knew that other established professions had their own bodies and I remember thinking: why not teaching?’ says Gail. As a founding member of the GTC, Gail has served on Council as an elected teacher since 2000, most recently chairing the audit committee. ‘Serving on the GTC has enabled me to appreciate the role it plays in raising the status of the profession,’ she says. ‘Teachers are not going to be respected as professionals unless we can give public assurance that we meet the standards expected of us. It’s what both parents and teachers deserve.’
Having taught English in comprehensive schools for 33 years, Gail is a passionate advocate for the profession. She gained accreditation as an advanced skills teacher (AST) in 2002, rather than choose a more managerial role.
Born in Yorkshire, Gail did her PGCE at the University of Manchester, and continued to teach in Lancashire until last September. New career opportunities heralded a move from Rochdale to Kent.
Setting out her agenda for the coming two years as GTC Chair, Gail says: ‘My priority for the organisation is to set standards and to regulate the profession.’ Of the GTC’s policy work, Gail particularly highlights the organisation’s leading contribution to raising the profile of a teacher's right to continuing professional development (CPD).
I want Council to build on the good work that is already in place but not be afraid of embracing change. I hope I am able to repay the faith that colleagues have shown in me.
‘It’s far from a level playing field,’ she says. ‘One report I read said that the percentage of the school budget spent on teachers’ CPD ranged from 0.25 to 15 per cent. That’s a huge variation. The GTC has helped to push this vital issue up the agenda and I’ll continue to bang the drum for fair access to quality opportunities for all.’
But whether the GTC’s remit remains the same is up for debate, as Gail explains.
‘We’ve set out a transformational programme for teaching in 2012 and inevitably, as part of that process, it’s healthy to ask some searching questions. For me, these include: what are we doing now? Are we doing it effectively? What should our focus be? And how can we improve our own governance?’
Paying tribute to her predecessors, Gail says: 'They have enabled the GTC to become the mature organisation that it is today. I want Council to build on the good work that is already in place but not be afraid of embracing change. I hope I am able to repay the faith that colleagues have shown in me. With their support I’m sure I will.’
Moves and changes
Primary teacher Christine Green, from south Yorkshire, takes over as vice chair of Council from Sarah Bowie. We congratulate Christine and thank Sarah for her service. Sarah will remain on Council.
Congratulations also to secondary teacher member Alice Robinson, who has been elected as junior vice-president of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers.
