Influencing policy

published:March 2009

The GTC gives advice to the Government and others about the major issues that affect teaching and learning. We host events all over England, encouraging teachers to share their views and expertise to find practical solutions to these issues. The GTC also draws on the best available research evidence.

Read on for examples of the GTC’s recent work on major areas of policy.

Assessment
The GTC has argued in favour of:

• a bank of national tests for teachers to use when pupils are ready
• national standards to be monitored through sampling groups within schools.

Personalising learning
The GTC supports the view that pupils will learn more effectively if teaching is adapted towards their needs and interests. Our advice to the Government highlights the use of assessment for learning, and new technologies and approaches that increase pupils’ participation in learning.

The children’s workforce
The GTC strongly supports:

• Every Child Matters, which sets out goals for all children and young people, and
• the Children’s Plan, which looks at how all the services for children can help promote the wellbeing of children and young people.

The GTC has worked closely with other children’s workforce regulators to produce a shared statement of values to support children’s service professionals to work together as effectively as possible on behalf of children and young people.

As part of its 2020 Children’s Workforce Strategy, the Government is now reviewing the remit and future responsibilities of major organisations in the children’s workforce and the GTC is part of that review.

Promoting equality
We work with teachers to promote equality and diversity in schools and to remove any barriers to teachers entering and progressing in teaching.

The law says that schools must introduce, and keep to, equality measures (known as the equalities duties) in gender, race and disability, and the GTC works closely with schools and teachers to promote and support these measures.

The study of teaching
What do teachers need to know? What skills and strengths do they need, so they can teach well and help all children fulfil their potential? The study of these questions is called ‘pedagogy’, and it forms an important aspect of the GTC’s research and policy work.