What will the GTC be doing in the year ahead? Find out here.
The GTC corporate plan for the next three years was published in April. Here are our key areas of activity for 2007 to 2008.
In the coming year, our policy priorities include mapping the continuing professional development (CPD) that teachers need to deliver Every Child Matters; to support children with special educational needs; and to implement race equality legislation in all schools.We will formulate proposals to help supply teachers and peripatetic teachers gain access to good CPD.Meanwhile our research programme will look at teachers' views on tackling underachievement; effective pedagogy; and teacher innovation.
Assessment
We will contribute to all the major reviews that are in train – the primary and Key Stage 3 reviews; the development of personalised learning; and the assessment pilots.
The GTC will also be giving evidence to the Select Committee enquiry on assessment. We will continue our popular programme of conferences on reforming the assessment regime – read about the latest conference in chapter 4.
Regulation
As Chapter 6 explains, we are working hard to reduce the time it takes to hear cases.We are also ensuring that emerging common themes are highlighted to employers and teachers, enabling preventive action to be taken where possible.
Council will consult teachers, partners and the public on a revision to the GTC Code of Professional Conduct and Practice. The new Code will be published in 2008.
Equality and diversity
The GTC has a comprehensive equality scheme that sets out priorities for the GTC as an employer and as a public body. This year these include: improving the quality of data our Register holds on disability and ethnicity; working with the Disabled Teacher Taskforce to improve access to teaching for disabled entrants; ensuring our pay policies are gender proof; and improving accessibility in our buildings, publications and website. We will of course ensure that our regulatory work continues to comply with human rights and equalities legislation.
Strengthening the Teacher Learning Academy (TLA)
More than 1 000 teachers are currently enrolled in the GTC's TLA. You can read about some of their experiences in Chapter 5. We will extend the reach of the TLA to more schools and teachers, working directly at local level and through our 15 national partnership programmes. In parallel, Council will be examining longer-term options for the development of the TLA.
Legislative changes
Regulations implementing provisional registration for trainee teachers come into force in September 2008. See the article on page 15 for more details about our forthcoming work on this issue.
Also from autumn 2008, there will be important changes in the systems for checking whether a range of employees can safely work with children. A new Independent Barring Board will replace the current arrangements, blocking people who pose a risk of harm to children from working in schools and other relevant settings.We will be working closely with the Home Office and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) to prepare for these changes.
Involving you and keeping you informed
Amongst the ways you can become more involved in the GTC’s work is by joining one of our three professional networks. Achieve is for those working to promote race quality in schools; Connect is our network for CPD leaders; and Engage offers help to newly qualified teachers and those who support them. Our aim is to increase membership by 10 per cent across all three networks this year. Join at: www.gtce.org.uk/networks.
Principally, we keep you informed about our work via Teaching: The GTC Magazine, our website, our publications and Teacher Enquiry Service. We have consulted teachers about how we can improve both the magazine and the website to make them more useful to you. As a result, we plan to relaunch both in 2008.
