Bristol event helps shape the future of teaching

The event built on earlier research on how teachers, parents, governors, pupils and other children’s professionals view teaching. This in turn had posed questions like “What sort of expertise do we expect teachers to have? What values should they hold? How should they behave?”

All of this has to be examined in the context of change. We asked teachers what they thought would be the main drivers of change over the next four years, how teaching would change as a result, and how they would like it to change.

As one new teacher said, “my lecturer warned us that if we can’t cope with change we shouldn’t be here.”

As ever at GTC events, teachers talked this through in small groups of around eight, with a facilitator to help keep the discussion focussed. Facilitators came from both the GTC and the Office of Public Management (OPM), a consultancy that helps organisations that want to make a greater social impact and respond to change.

OPM had conducted the earlier research that informed the Bristol event. They will analyse teachers’ feedback from this event and we will use this feedback as we consider the balance that needs to be struck in the new code of conduct.

We took a snapshot of teachers’ views by electronic voting at the end of the meeting. Results included:

• The code should set out what others can expect of teachers – 92% of the audience agreed
• The code should be used to promote the values of teaching – 98% agreed
• The code should set out minimum standards of acceptable conduct and competence – 73% agreed
• The code should affirm for teachers their core values – 95% agreed.

Work will start soon on drafting the code. Further meetings are planned for London and Newcastle in October to consider the draft text. Booking will open in June on our events page.