The Scottish Government

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Teacher Induction Scheme 2004/05

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1 Introduction

This leaflet describes the Teacher Induction Scheme which was implemented for the first time in August 2002. The Scheme has been developed in partnership with the Scottish Executive, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), Association of Directors of Education Scotland (ADES), Scottish Teacher Education Committee (STEC), General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) and teacher organisations.

The Scheme was introduced as a result of the agreement reached in January 2001 between the teacher organisations, employers and the Scottish Executive, following recommendations made in the McCrone Report. The Agreement, A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century, provides for a guaranteed one-year training place for probationary teachers from August 2002.

2 Benefits of the Scheme

All new teachers in Scotland are required to fulfil a period of probation before being awarded full registration as a teacher with the General Teaching Council for Scotland. The Teacher Induction Scheme replaced the previous probation arrangements in which full registration with the GTCS could only be gained after the equivalent of 2 full years of teaching experience. This period was often spent in a number of posts, sometimes in more than one local authority and could extend over a considerable period of time. It often lacked coherence or consistency of experience for the probationer teacher and on average it took 32 years to complete the requirements of full registration.

The Teacher Induction Scheme changed that unsatisfactory position and improves the experience of new teachers as they enter the profession. The Scheme:

• Guarantees a one-year training post to every eligible* student graduating with a Teaching Qualification from a Scottish Higher Education Institution.
• Ensures a maximum class commitment of 0.7 Full-Time Equivalent, with time set aside for professional development.
• Provides each probationer with access to the services of an experienced teacher as a nominated probationer supporter.
• Ensures a consistently high quality probationary experience.
• Provides remuneration for the probationary period which compares well with that of other professions.

At the end of the Teacher Induction Scheme probationary teachers will be eligible to apply for full registration as a teacher with the GTCS. To achieve this they will have to meet the requirements of the Standard for Full Registration (SFR). The SFR and the new Scheme will together serve to ensure that those entering this challenging and rewarding profession will be given the very best start to their career.

• Eligibility will normally be restricted to those students graduating from a Scottish Higher Education Institution with a Teaching Qualification whose training has been publicly funded. This includes students from other parts of the UK and other parts of the EU provided they have been assessed as eligible for Home Fees. This is regardless of how these fees are funded, i.e. through SAAS, Local Education Authorities, self-funded, Northern Ireland education and Library Boards, etc. Students who pay overseas or full fees are not in publicly-funded places and are therefore not eligible to join the Scheme.

3 The Role of Local Authorities in the Scheme

Local authorities will employ probationary teachers under the Teacher Induction Scheme on a training contract for the period of the Induction Scheme. Probationary teachers will be employed for the 2004/05 school session, starting in the autumn term through until the end of the summer term. A salary of 18,000 (subject to outcome of pay negotiations pending in April 2004) will be paid over the length of the school session. The matching system, as detailed at 6 below, will allocate probationers to local authorities and it will then be the local authorities' responsibility to allocate probationers to schools within their area. Local authorities' prime responsibility is to ensure they meet their statutory responsibilities to provide every child of school age with school education. This means that the allocation of students to authorities (see 5 and 6 below) and schools must take full account of the needs of the service as well as the preferences of students. Local authorities will also be involved in providing and monitoring support, training and development activities.

Should you be allocated to a post which qualifies for Distant Islands Allowance the local authority will ensure that the allowance is paid to you. At present the allowance is 1,425 per annum.

4 Role of the GTCS

The General Teaching Council for Scotland, in partnership with the Scottish Executive Education Department, is responsible for the administration of the Teacher Induction Scheme. To this end, the GTCS will administer the matching system described in section 6. The Council also has a role in providing information and guidance to local authorities and schools on the support and assessment arrangements for probationers. The Council will also be involved in monitoring the quality of provision to ensure a coherent and consistent experience for all probationer teachers.

5 Role of Student

Students expected to complete their programme of Initial Teacher Education successfully will join the Scheme by completing the relevant section of the GTCS Application for Registration form. They will be asked to list, in preference order, those five local authorities to which they would be willing to travel to work, and tick the appropriate box if they are willing to work anywhere in Scotland ( see section 7). Students must be realistic in their choice of authority as they could be allocated to any of their
five choices. Indeed, although we will do our best to allocate places within these preference authorities, and as high up the list of preferences as possible, we cannot offer an absolute guarantee that this will be possible in every case. A map is included for ease of reference.

Those who will be seeking approval to work in denominational schools will be asked to declare this interest. Students will also be asked to indicate if they speak Gaelic fluently and wish to teach in the medium of Gaelic.

Those who have a disability which would need to be taken into account when being placed are invited to declare this when completing the form.

The matching system will do the rest. There will be no need for any further application forms or interviews. However, it is each new teacher's responsibility to ensure that their final TEI profile is taken to the school where the induction year is to be undertaken. It is also each student's responsibility to advise the GTCS if, for any reason, they no longer wish to join the Scheme or if they leave or fail their course and are no longer eligible to join the Scheme. Similarly, a student who decides, for any reason, not to take up the place they are offered on the Scheme, must advise the local authority to which they have been allocated as soon as possible.

6 System to Match Students to Local Authorities

A computer system has been developed which will match and allocate students to local authorities using each student's preference list. Each student will be chosen at random and matched against their first choice. Where an appropriate vacancy is unavailable they will be matched against their second choice, and so on.

7 Preference Waiver Payment - Pilot Scheme 2004/05

The first two years of the Teacher Induction Scheme have demonstrated that, because such high priority is afforded to students' preferences as to which authorities they want to be allocated to, a significant number of vacant teaching posts remain unfilled at the end of the matching process. This is particularly so in secondary schools in the remoter parts of Scotland. This is an unsatisfactory outcome as far as the education service across Scotland is concerned.

Accordingly, it has been decided to run a pilot scheme in conjunction with the 2004/05 Teacher Induction Scheme whereby a student prepared to waive their local authority preferences, may be offered a payment for doing so. Payment would be made on the basis that their allocation to an authority other than one of their five preferences, would benefit the education service generally.

You are invited to tick the appropriate box on the application form if you wish to do so.

However, you should be aware that ticking the waiver option does not automatically entitle you to the payment. You will only be eligible if you have ticked the waiver box and you are allocated to an authority outside your five preferences. It is therefore important that you indicate your five preferences since the matching system will still try to match as many students as possible to one of their preferred authorities.

Under the pilot scheme, a payment amounting in total to 4,000 will be made to an eligible student by the local authority with whom they are placed. The payment will be made in three instalments - in August 2004 (2,000), January 2005 (1,000) and April 2005 (1,000). These instalments are gross amounts, they will be non-pensionable and will be subject to deductions in respect of income tax and National Insurance contributions.

The success of the pilot scheme will be monitored before any decision is made as to whether a similar scheme may be applied to the 2005/06 Induction Scheme.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to join the Scheme?

If you wish to be considered for full registration with the GTCS within one year you must complete the Induction Scheme. Should you wish to work towards becoming a fully registered teacher outwith the Scheme you would be Provisionally Registered with the GTCS but you would have no guarantee of access to the benefits of the induction programme. It is likely that your probationary period would consist substantially of periods of short-term employment in a supply capacity. The GTCS may also require you to complete a probationary period of longer than one year.

It is the policy of local authorities only to employ fully-registered teachers for permanent appointments, but you will be free to apply for any temporary post which is available, on the basis of your provisional registration.

You can also do your probationary period in an independent school in Scotland, should you apply and be successful at interview. Arrangements will be made with your school, in conjunction with the GTCS and the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS). On completion of your probation you will be eligible to apply for full registration with the GTCS, provided that you meet the SFR. Teachers working in the independent sector are normally required to be registered with the GTCS.

Why do I have to indicate my five preferred authorities even though I am prepared to be allocated anywhere in Scotland and receive the 4,000 payment?

Ticking the "anywhere" box does not entitle you to the waiver payment. The Scheme will try to allocate you to one of your preferred authorities first. You will only be eligible for the waiver payment if the Scheme needs to allocate you outwith your preferred authorities for the good of Scotland's education service as a whole.

When do I join the Scheme?

It is expected that you will join the Scheme at the start of the school session immediately following successful completion of your Initial Teacher Education programme.

Can I delay joining the Scheme?

You must be fully qualified before you are eligible to join the Scheme. If you fail to qualify at the end of a session you would delay entry to the Scheme until the following school session.

If there are extenuating circumstances that prohibit your joining the Scheme at the beginning of the school session, you may be able to delay joining the Scheme until the following year.
The precise circumstances that would allow an individual to delay joining the Scheme would be decided on an individual basis and would be determined by the Scottish Executive, the GTCS and representatives of local authorities. Your Provisional Registration would enable you to work on a supply basis as a teacher in a non-permanent capacity in the meantime. The teaching experience will be of benefit to you when you join the Induction Scheme the following year.

What if I can't work in the local authority I've been allocated due to a change in my circumstances?

If it emerges that you cannot move to, or work in, the local authority area to which you are allocated, you may ask to be placed elsewhere. While your reasons will be considered, there is no guarantee that you will be offered a training post in another location.

You should ensure that when making your choices that you could work in any one of your five choices.

What if I don't wish to work in the school I've been allocated?

Local authorities' prime responsibility is to deliver education to children throughout their area and they will first and foremost ensure the needs of the pupils are met. They will endeavour to take your wishes into account in allocating you to a school. However, there can be no guarantee of an allocation to a particular school.

What if I cannot complete my Training Post?

Depending on the circumstances, which would not include issues arising from incompetence or indiscipline on your part, you will be given credit for that part of the posting you have completed. Subsequently, it may be possible for you to rejoin the Scheme later in the school session or rejoin the Scheme the following year or in a subsequent intake. However, consideration of these options will depend on the precise circumstances and timing of your withdrawal and there can be no guarantee that a later place will be available.

However, it is for you to discuss with the local authority, as your employer, the best way forward in these circumstances.

What if I do not achieve the Standard for Full Registration at the end of the Training Post?

You will be advised by the GTCS of the aspects of your professional abilities that require to be developed and the timescale you have to reach the Standard for Full Registration. If you do not achieve the SFR by the end of this period you would be at risk of losing your Provisional Registration.