General Teaching Council for Scotland GTCS and probation 1

1
General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) and
probation (1)

• By law all teachers in Scotland who wish to teach
  in publicly funded schools must be registered
  with the GTCS.
• To register with the GTCS a teacher must
• Be recommended by a University as having
  successfully completed programme.
• Have undergone a further Disclosure Scotland
  check.
• New teachers will be registered provisionally and
  must complete a period of probation before being
  awarded full registration.

2
General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) and
probation (2)

• Full registration is dependent on achievement of
  the Standard for Full Registration (SFR)
• The SFR provides a clear and concise description
  of the professional qualities and capabilities
  teachers are expected to develop in the course of
  their induction year.

3
Routes to achieving SFR

• There are 2 routes to achieve SFR.
• Teacher Induction Scheme not compulsory
• Alternative route (independent sector, supply
  teaching, teaching outwith Scotland.)
• Working on supply or teaching outwith Scotland
  will take longer than one year to complete the
  SFR and you must apply for work on your own.
  There will not be the same level of support given
  through the Scheme. There will be no reduced
  timetable.
• Independent sector has a similar programme to the
  Teacher Induction Scheme, should you apply and be
  successful at interview.
• .

4
What is the Teacher Induction Scheme?

• Guaranteed one-year training post to every
  eligible student.
• Maximum class commitment of 0.7 fte, with
  remaining time set aside for professional
  development.
• Access to an experienced teacher as a
  mentor/supporter.
• 19,440 pa salary compares well with other
  professions.
• Opportunity to achieve the Standard for Full
  Registration (SFR) in one school year.

5
What did the Scheme replace?(Now referred to as
the alternative route)

• Full registration with GTCS after a minimum of 2
  years teaching.
• Teaching experience was normally gained in a
  number of posts.
• Took on average 3½ years to complete.
• Lacked coherence and consistency.
• No guarantee of professional development.

6
Eligibility for Scheme

• Publicly funded students graduating in Scotland.
• Includes other UK and EU students who are
  eligible for Home Fees.
• This is regardless of how these fees are funded
  e.g through SAAS, LEA, self funded, Northern
  Ireland Education and Library Boards.
• Students who pay full fees are not in publicly
  funded places and are therefore not eligible for
  the Scheme.
• Must have successfully completed course for
  notification to GTCS by 7th July 2006.

7
How do I apply for the Scheme?

• Complete GTCS application for registration pack.
• Indicate 5 local authority areas in which you are
  willing to carry out your training post.
• Teachers are needed across Scotland and it is the
  responsibility of local authorities to provide
  every child of school age with school education.
• Computer system will match students with
  vacancies offered by local authorities.
• Each student chosen at random and matched against
  their first choice if unavailable, their second
  choice and so on until matched. You could be
  allocated to your fifth choice.

8
Completing the application form

• If you are working towards the catholic teachers
  certificate/catholic religious studies and wish
  to teach in Roman Catholic Schools
• When you have been allocated to a Catholic
  school, you should contact the relevant Diocesan
  Education Office for details of their approval
  process. The relevant Diocese is the one where
  the school to which you have been allocated, is
  situated. You should indicate on the registration
  form that you have the relevant RC certificate.
• Disability
• If you tick the box, the GTCS will write and
  invite you to provide further information about
  your disability. The information will be passed
  to the authority you have been allocated to.
• Gaelic medium
• If qualified, we will try to allocate you to a
  Gaelic Medium teaching post.
• Dual qualified secondary student
• Will try to match to your first subject first.
  If no teaching post available in your first
  subject in your 5 preference authorities, system
  will attempt to match you to second subject

9
Change of circumstance

• Should your circumstances change from when you
  completed the GTCS registration form. You can
  amend your local authority preferences. You
  should contact the GTCS induction department by
  31 March 2006 to guarantee that changes are made.
• Should you decide for whatever reason that you do
  not want to be part of the induction scheme, you
  must advise the GTCS in writing. There is little
  point in you being allocated to an authority if
  you have no intention of taking up that post.

10
Registration Fees

• The cost of initial registration fee is 45.
• The GTCS will write to you in July 2006 seeking
  payment (must pay before term starts because not
  registered until fee paid).
• Subsequent years registration fee is currently
  35 per annum, payable in April each year,
  normally deducted from salary. If paying by
  direct debit you must have sufficient funds to
  cover it.
• The only contact details the GTCS will have for
  you is the address you give to them. Its up to
  you to advise them of changes. www.gtcs_at_gtcs.org.c
  om or 0131-314-6057

11
Alternative Route

• If you are following the alternative route you
  must still register with the GTCS.
• Must complete GTCS application for registration
  and Disclosure Scotland form.
• Must apply for supply work on your own.
• Will take longer than one year to complete, no
  guarantee of professional development time or
  mentor support unless working in the Independent
  sector.

12
Disclosure Checks

• The right to be a member of the teaching
  profession and teach Scotlands children and
  young people goes hand-in- hand with certain
  responsibilities. This is done by establishing
  if applicants have any criminal convictions or
  criminal proceedings pending through enhanced
  disclosures from Disclosure Scotland.
• Enhanced disclosures will be requested for all
  new probationer teachers regardless of how
  recently disclosure has been sought for your
  teacher education programme.
• You fill in the form that is in the application
  pack but the GTCS will seek disclosures and meet
  this cost.

13
Preference waiver payment pilot scheme (1)

• Since Scheme started a number of authorities have
  not been allocated enough probationers through
  the 5 preference system - but teachers are
  needed right across Scotland. Generally some of
  more rural authorities do not attract enough
  probationers.
• The aim of preference waiver payment is to help
  achieve a lower level of unfilled vacancies by
  offering a payment to students who are prepared
  to be allocated to any of the 32 local
  authorities in Scotland anywhere from Scottish
  Borders to Orkney.
• Students are invited to tick waiver option (no
  preferences to be indicated) if prepared to work
  anywhere in Scotland.
• Those students will receive 6,000 (in 3
  instalments and subject to tax and NI
  contributions)

14
Preference waiver payment pilot scheme (2)

• Must take up post with authority and complete
  full year to receive money.
• 6,000 paid by instalments by local authority
  (August 3,000 January 1,500 and April 1,500).
  First payment should be received with August 2006
  salary.
• Payments subject to tax and NI contributions.
• Can spend it on what you want its up to you!
• All students will receive notification of their
  local authority allocation from the GTCS by 26
  May 2006. If you ticked the anywhere box you
  will receive a letter from the Scottish Executive
  regarding how the 6,000 will be paid.

15
Allocation

• GTCS disclosure forms registration packs to be
  returned to universities and will be returned to
  GTCS by 14 December 2005.
• By end of February the GTCS will input your
  details on to the register, which will give a
  total number of student teachers requiring to be
  allocation to teaching posts in 2006. Subject
  numbers will be shared with authorities.
• In March we will ask authorities to provide
  teaching post for the scheme.
• GTCS notifies students of local authority
  allocation by 26 May 2006
• If you are unable to take up your post for
  whatever reason you should contact the local
  authority you have been allocated to. Contact
  details will be contained on the letter.

16
After application/allocation

• Must advise GTCS (and local authority when
  appropriate) of changed circumstances (eg change
  of contact details, withdrawal from scheme,
  failure to pass programme etc.)
• Local authority will contact you about school
  allocation and about induction arrangements.
• You can only ask to be reallocated to another
  authority if the authority you are allocated to
  agrees to release you.
• Reallocation may not be possible, in which case
  you lose your place on the Scheme if you give up
  your original allocation.
• If you have ticked the preference waiver option,
  reallocation is not an option.
• There can be no guarantee of allocation to a
  particular school within an authority.