The Teaching Council has this week published a new Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers which will guide teachers’ professional judgement and practice. The Code sets out the standards of professional knowledge, skill, competence and conduct which are expected of registered teachers. In all, there are 33 such standards which reflect the complexity and variety of teaching and cover areas such as communication and relationships, equality and inclusion, compliance with national and school policies, professional development and pupil/student welfare. The standards are underpinned by four core values - respect, care, integrity and trust.
The new Code of Conduct replaces the existing Code which was published in 2007. It has been developed following a process of consultation with teachers and other stakeholders in education and takes account of a number of developments in the intervening years.
One such development is the emergence of new technologies and social media which play a central role in the way people communicate and learn. This is having an impact across all education provision and, for that reason, the Code includes the following standard:
“Teachers should ensure that any communication with pupils/students, colleagues, parents, school management and others is appropriate, including communication via electronic media, such as e-mail, texting and social networking sites”.
The Code also takes account of the broader context in which teaching takes place and the myriad factors beyond teachers’ control which have a bearing on their work including: the engagement of parents and the wider community; opportunities for teachers’ professional development; and the accelerated degree of educational change.
Over the summer months, more than 3,500 newly qualified teachers are expected to register with the Teaching Council. As part of the registration process, each will be issued with a copy of the new Code. The Code will also be promoted to newly qualified teachers through a series of induction workshops which they will be required to engage in, so as to gain full registration. This will represent the start of a comprehensive communications process, which will see the Code being disseminated to all 73,000 registered teachers and relevant stakeholders by the start of the next school year.
