GTCE


The end of the GTCE is set to spell the end of comprehensive


professional registration argues its chairwoman Gail Mortimer


reassurance to members of the public – including parents – that those responsible for teaching children are both properly qualified and of good standing. To this end, current legislation states that all qualified teachers working in the maintained sector must be GTCE-registered. In addition, trainee teachers, those who trained overseas, and instructors are required to be provisionally registered. However as the Education Bill continues its


S


journey through Parliament, it appears that there is no intention to maintain such comprehensive professional registration. Instead, the government will keep a list of those barred from teaching. This raises some serious questions for both the public and the profession. For example, under the current arrangements any


member of the public can check to see if a teacher is listed on the register. Employers can also request more detailed information, such as an individual teacher’s qualifications, their induction record and any disciplinary orders that they may have received. Last year alone, more than 600,000 mandatory employment checks were carried out via the GTCE’s online service for employers, providing a reliable, accurate and cost-effective mechanism that keeps bureaucracy and paperwork to a minimum. Registration has overwhelming support from parents


too. In an independent MORI survey in 2005, 92 per cent of parents agreed that state school teachers should be professionally registered. This figure was echoed


Independent thinking What makes a difference?


WHETHER WE work in the state or independent sectors, we are all eager to know exactly what helps our pupils to learn best and how we can use our funds and resources most effectively. It was somewhat disheartening, although not


surprising, to read recently that secondary schools spend far more on examination entry fees than they do on any other resources for learning. Meanwhile, all the money we have spent on


interactive whiteboards is now recognised as not a good investment – apparently, primary children benefit greatly from them but the effect in secondary schools is less certain since these boards are rarely used in a properly interactive way by pupils themselves. As the government spending cuts


come into force, school libraries are bearing the brunt in some areas and children’s authors and others are leaping to their defence, pointing out that children’s literacy and love of reading depend on access to shelves of enticing books. Meanwhile, a high profile independent


school has announced that it is getting rid of its library and thousands of books this summer in order to replace it with an e-learning study centre. How welcome, then, must be the


report just published by the Sutton Trust, which commissioned academics at the University of Durham to review the evidence and give guidance as to exactly what were the most effective and indeed cost-effective ways to improve pupils’ learning. It has produced some interesting headlines. In spite of 73 per cent of teachers who were


surveyed believing that reducing class size would have a major impact, the report does not support this. It concludes that it makes no real difference unless the number of pupils falls below 15 (some effect is seen below 20). Smaller class size has long been claimed as one of the benefits of the independent sector. One might argue that each child receives more minutes of a teacher’s attention if fewer are competing for it. However, having taught in highly successful independent schools with larger classes, I know from


personal experience that where the ability range is narrow and the motivation high, large classes can work well. Indeed, in countries such as Japan and Singapore and others which dominate international league tables, classes of 40-plus are the norm. Similarly, the ultra-smart school uniform with


blazer and tie apparently has little impact on pupil performance or behaviour. Apparently the ethos of a school has a much stronger influence than mere clothes. This is borne out by a recent experience at my own school – a new member of staff commented that this was the first time that he had ever seen a pantomime cow (containing two year 13 students on their last day of formal school) asking for extra past paper examination questions outside the staffroom door. Our year 13 were clad as jungle and farm animals of every kind for their last day, but went to


lessons assiduously and made the most of their teachers’ guidance. So, what does make a difference?


At the moment the dons from Durham are suggesting that rapid and effective feedback from teachers is the most important factor. It costs little, but one study has suggested that it is 124 times more effective than reducing class sizes. What is needed is for teachers to be actively engaged with their pupils and very ready to help them to


review and move on to the next stage. Many of you may be familiar with computer programmes which claim to be able to offer the same service – but I think that human contact scores more highly after the initial


excitement of an interactive PC. Not rocket science – but the Durham group will now work with schools to see whether the experience of those in receipt of the new pupil premium supports their initial research findings. Meanwhile, I am not expecting to see any more furry animals in lessons for a while.


• Marion Gibbs is headmistress of the independent James Allen’s Girls’ School in London.


INCE WE were founded more than a decade ago, the registration of teachers remains one of the most visible aspects of the General Teaching Council for England’s (GTCE) work. In essence, the Teaching Register’s primary purpose is to provide vital


Future of registration


in research published this January by the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations. Without access to a public register, how can parents feel assured that the person who is teaching their child is properly qualified and of good professional standing? The GTCE database of around 2.5 million records


of individual teachers – both past and present – also represents a unique resource that is sufficiently robust to be reliably analysed for research and planning. Information of this quality and extent is not held elsewhere on the teacher population in its entirety.


We do not advocate recording information for its own sake; but in this case it can be a powerful tool to help decision-makers create better policy. For example, by tracking trends in the recruitment


and retention of teachers, significant changes, such as a higher than average fall-out from beginning training to employment, can be identified and monitored. The ability to profile the profession by age supports succession planning, ensuring that potential gaps in the pool of future leaders can be addressed. In a nutshell, workforce planning and policy can be


firmly based upon what we know to be statistically accurate, matching current and future needs, rather than calculated guesswork. Other data held on the register includes the disability


status and ethnicity of teachers. This information is collected on a voluntary basis. Before the advent of the GTCE, this information was sparse. We now hold ethnicity data for 65 per cent of all teachers; significantly higher for each cohort of NQTs since the GTCE started requesting it in 2002. Although not yet as comprehensive as we might wish, the register is the best national ethnicity dataset for teachers. That the data within the register is of such scale


and accuracy allows representative and statistically sound surveys of the teaching workforce as a whole, supporting evidence-gathering and consultation across the profession. It also enables smaller groups of teachers to be consulted on specific issues, for instance those working in early years or Black and minority ethnic teachers. Using our register as the starting point, the GTCE


has commissioned a series of regular teacher surveys. This gathers the views and experiences of a nationally representative sample of the profession, for example on the support teachers receive to maintain and improve standards. Findings are used by a wide range of organisations,


including the Department for Education, to inform their work. We believe that this is a key way to gain robust insights into the views and experiences of practising teachers, which should be a vital part of informing policy development. But this type of survey, the further sampling, and the qualitative interviews that accompany it, are only possible because of the validity, completeness, coherence, currency and accuracy of the data held by the GTCE. Of course there is also a fundamental principle


at stake: that of universal registration for teachers in England. Currently more than 640,000 teachers, trainees, overseas trained teachers and instructors appear on the register. In the future, records may feature only those individuals barred from the profession. A similar situation for other professionals, such as


nurses, doctors and social workers, is unthinkable – not least because it would fail to serve the interests of the public that we share a mission to serve.


SecEd


• Gail Mortimer is chair of the General Teaching Council for England. She has more than 32 years’ experience of teaching full-time in state secondary schools, including as an advanced skills teacher and head of English.


Celebrating Cultural


Diversity in the United Kingdom


A COMPETITION FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE


The competition The NASUWT arts & minds competition is a major UK-wide competition that has been running successfully for a number of years. Its aim is to promote and celebrate cultural diversity.


arts & minds is open to children and young people from primary, secondary and special schools across the UK and entries are judged in two categories: art and creative writing. Entries for creative writing must be from individual students. Entries in the artwork category can be from individual students or groups of pupils.


Over the years, schools have been extremely creative in their entries, submitting poems, digital artwork, stories, photography and collages. Teachers have incorporated the competition into their lessons in various subjects, including history, humanities, literacy, art, citizenship and school projects.


2011 This year we want children and young people to find new and imaginative ways of expressing what diversity, equality and identity means to them and how this is reflected in their lives, families, schools and communities.


Awards ceremony and prizes The winners will be invited to attend a prestigious awards ceremony in Central London, which will be held during Black History Month on 11 October 2011. The NASUWT will provide overnight accommodation at a top London hotel and appropriate travel and subsistence expenses for winning pupils, their parent/guardian and a teacher. Prizes include up to £1,000 for schools and vouchers worth up to £100 for individual pupils.


CLOSING DATE: 8 JULY 2011 NASUWT


The Teachers’ Union


To obtain an application form and more details, go to: www.nasuwt.org.uk


The largest teachers’ union in the UK Sponsored by


SecEd • June 9 2011


7


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16