CODE OF CONDUCT
REVISED CODE of Conduct and to a private life. It does require teachers to maintain
A
Practice for England’s teaching reasonable standards of behaviour consistent with
profession (first introduced in 2004) being a member of a respected profession. This is an
comes into force next month and it expectation common to most professions, and to put
has prompted a certain amount it into context, we have held only two disciplinary
of controversy and inaccurate hearings where the allegation related wholly to teachers’
reporting in some quarters. conduct outside school that was within the law but
And of course there will never be consensus on found to be unacceptable.
every point; but it is my view that our profession only It is only if the teacher’s private behaviour becomes
stands to benefit from the opportunity to debate: public in a way that is damaging to the reputation of the
• What do we expect of ourselves as teachers and profession as a whole, and if that behaviour was serious
what should the public reasonably be able to expect enough to warrant dismissal, that a disciplinary hearing
of us? may be considered necessary.
• What values do we share and should we uphold?
Defending
Furthermore, we are unequivocal in our view that
• And what particular skills do teachers need to the Code does not, cannot and should not dictate what
enable all children and young people to realise their teachers must do or how they should teach. As such, it
potential? should not be used to constrain teachers’ professional
But I would like to start even more simply than that, freedom inappropriately.
with one of the most fundamental questions of all: why Many individuals and organisations took part –
does the teaching profession need a code of conduct in teachers, parents, governors, and others – in a series of
the first place?
the code
workshops and we received more than 3,500 responses
One answer is simply that it is a hallmark of a from individuals to the public consultation. More
profession, by which members agree key statements than 50 organisations responded to an invitation to
about their role and purpose. They are then able to participate in the consultation.
provide the communities they serve with open and This gave us the chance to check the tone and
realistic expectations, founded upon norms of practice, language used and to iron out any ambiguities; to
as do other groups of professionals, such as nurses, tighten up the wording and ensure the clarity of the
doctors, lawyers and engineers. principles and to produce a more clearly structured
Teaching should be no exception. Having a code
also promotes and encourages respect. And thinking of Last week, the NASUWT wrote about its
and shortened Code overall – it is now about half its
original length.
the key role that parents play in our professional lives, it Legislation decrees that the Code is sent to every
also creates support for the profession among the public
campaign to have the new Code of Practice
registered teacher in England. When your copy arrives,
because they understand who we “are”. I hope that you will recognise the principles it outlines
Since the Code was first formulated, major
initiatives have radically transformed teachers’ working
for England’s teachers scrapped. We asked
and that you will find it a useful way to reflect upon
your own practice.
lives: the professional standards framework, new
equalities legislation, and the introduction of Every
Keith Bartley, chief of the body which
Ultimately our hope is that the new Code, by making
explicit what the public can – and should – expect from
Child Matters to name a few. Against this changing
landscape, it became apparent that the existing Code created the code, to defend the controversial document
us, serves to enhance the standing of teaching and to
bind our profession together no matter the age of our
risked becoming increasingly out of touch with what pupils, our own area of expertise, or where and in what
was happening in schools. kind of school we teach. SecEd
Additionally, given that one of the Code’s purposes as no surprise when this revealed that teachers have understanding of what can be expected from the
is to inform disciplinary decisions, we believed that it consistently higher expectations of themselves than profession. • Keith Bartley is the chief executive of the General
should draw on the significant body of casework (more anyone else. Instead of devising a set of strict criteria, against Teaching Council for England.
than 650 hearings concluded) that the General Teaching This in-depth consultation also spearheaded a major which the practice and conduct of individuals might
Council for England (GTCE) has now dealt with. shift in emphasis. While the existing Code had focused be measured, our aim was to arrive at some guiding
Have your say
So rather than simply updating a few sections of on what teachers should not do, those taking part in principles, which help and support teachers in their What do you think? Read the NASUWT’s critique
the existing Code, it felt more fitting to make a fresh our discussions expressed a clear desire to create a professional decisions, judgements and actions. of the Code in SecEd issue 223 (September 17,
start: initially by talking to teachers as well as parents, different kind of Code; one which affirms the positive The Code does not raise the bar on standards, and 2009). Download the digital edition of this issue from
children and young people, school governors, and role that teachers play in improving the life chances we are not expecting to deal with more cases as a result www.sec-ed.co.uk. The Code can be downloaded from
members of the wider children’s workforce. It came of children and young people, by developing a shared of it. Neither does the Code limit a teacher’s right www.gtce.org.uk/publications/code_of_conduct_2009/
EVENTS
Book listings
Thursday, October 1
Fourth Annual Delivering Diplomas Conference: Engagement and Collaboration
Meeting the Needs of Gifted and Talented Students
SecEd and Delivering Diplomas continues the successful series of Delivering Diplomas events, with a day of Gwen Goodhew
workshops and addresses from employers, further education and secondary Diploma deliverers. The focus is
Network Continuum: www.networkcontinuum.co.uk
on how to implement successful partnerships, and work together to secure effective Diploma delivery. We
ISBN: 9781855394650
have speakers and educationalists from all sectors, including Rolls Royce, the Learning and Skills Network, all
£19.99
10 of the Sector Skills Councils for Phases 1 and 2, and, excitingly, a group of first year Diploma students.
Meeting the Needs of Gifted and Talented Students aims to provide educationalists
Venue: Aston University Conference Centre, Birmingham
with a starting point to develop their knowledge in the field of gifted and
Contact: For the full programme, visit www.deliveringdiplomas.com
talented education.
The book emphasises the importance of dealing with students whose
October 6 and 7 potential may not have been spotted due to lacking opportunities, or additional
School and Public Health Nursing needs.
This event is being hosted by SecEd’s sister magazine, the British Journal of School Nursing, and aims to
The chapters look into a lot of issues concerning gifted children. These vary
provide school and public health nurses and partner agencies with an update on some of the challenges and
from defining what talented means, to advice on school-wide strategies for
opportunities facing the specialty. It will showcase personal examples and case studies to help improve and
dealing with exceptional students.
enhance performance and practice. It will look at commissioning services for school-aged services, as well as
The book lists numerous case studies of talented children, highlighting how
they frequently have trouble fitting into school environments.
health and wellbeing in schools and changing behaviour in young people.
Many of these cases show that special teaching requirements need to be made to absorb the children into
Venue: The Centennial Centre, Birmingham
the school community, or help them to perform better in their academic work.
Contact: 020 7501 6762 and laura.denne@markallengroup.com
The book identifies checklists that teachers should use to identify potentially gifted children and, in a later
chapter, also recommends alternative approaches to teaching them.
Wednesday, November 4 The book features an array of illustrations and easy-to-read charts, which the author uses to help put
One-to-One Support: Developing the Agenda for Mentoring and Befriending
forward her point. It has, for example, a spider diagram explaining how to engage talented students. Ideas
National charity the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation is hosting its annual conference for all education
include increased use of ICT, and the inclusion of outside experts to chat to the students.
professionals wanting to explore the impact of one-to-one support for young people with a specific focus
Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do
on early intervention strategies. The conference will bring together over 250 policy-makers, funders and
Dan Olweus
commissioners with mentoring and befriending leaders and practitioners. Held in partnership with CoSA,
Blackwell Publishing: www.blackwell.co.uk
SecEd and The Third Sector.
ISBN: 0631192417
Venue: Inmarsat Conference Centre, London
£19.99
Contact: nationalconference@mandbf.org.uk and www.mandbf.org.uk
Bullying at School sets out to explain the facts about bullying. The book details the causes, consequences and
November 17 and 19
potential solutions to tackling bullying.
Fifth National Autism Today Conference
It aims to provide educationalists (and parents) with information to help
Hosted by SecEd and its sister magazines 5to7 Educator and Early Years Educator, this event is aimed at
determine if a child is being bullied, or bullies others. Mr Olweus identifies
common behavioural traits of both victim and bully – in the case of the latter,
all those working with individuals on the autism spectrum. The second day of this event will focus on the
the author seeks to highlight that psychological issues can influence their
sharing of strategies and successful practice in education.
behaviour – for example, a lack of motherly care.
Venue: Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh
The section on how to identify a bully and victim is explained simply
Contact: www.mahealthcareevents.co.uk, 020 7501 6762 and laura.denne@markallengroup.com through quick-to-read bullet points.
The book delves into potential solutions for dealing with bullying. These
Wednesday, December 2
are numerous and vary from school-wide initiatives to individual chats with
National Conference: Gender and Education – Exploding the Myths
the culprits. A school-wide initiative could be a conference on bullying,
A conference for education professionals that will debate complex issues relating to single-sex teaching and
whereby pupils will spend an entire day talking about the issue.
The book’s advice is diverse, and ranges from imposing sanctions on
learning in co-educational and single-sex environments. Delegates will learn from current research presented
bullies, to even praising them for working well, or producing good work
by eminent academics including Mike Younger, head of Cambridge University’s Faculty of Education;
– this, he argues, can improve the class climate.
Professor Diana Leonard, Faculty of Policy and Society, Institute of Education; and Professor Patricia Murphy,
He finishes the book explaining that there have been significant decreases
Professor of Education, Faculty of Education and Language Studies, Open University.
in bullying in schools, following the implementation of some of his ideas.
Venue: Perse Girls School, Cambridge
Contact: www.persegirls.com/conference Listings by Charles Gubert
18 SecEd • September 24 2009
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