Code of Conduct and Practice for Registered Teachers

published:16 Sep 2009

The General Teaching Council for England approved the revised Code of Conduct and Practice for Registered Teachers on 1 July 2009. The revised Code was developed through an extensive process of public and professional consultation and comes into effect on 1 October 2009.

The Code sets out expected standards of conduct and norms of practice for 540,000 registered school teachers in England. Its expectations for standards of conduct also apply to trainee teachers, overseas-trained teachers and instructors who are provisionally registered with the Council.

GTC Chief Executive Keith Bartley said:

‘Having a professional Code, developed with and shared by members, is a hallmark of a profession. Teaching, and the expectations on teachers, have changed enormously in recent years. A key part of the GTC’s role is to support teacher professionalism and to support the raising of standards in the public interest. The development of a new Code, reflecting teachers’ enormous commitment and unique skills, will help us to support the profession to articulate clearly its shared values and expectations about behaviour and practice.'