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contents

Context
Starting Point for the Review
Widening Access
Competences and Values
Relationships
Accountability
Membership

Report of the Review Group

Context

Apart from parents and extended family, children almost certainly spend more time in the presence of their teachers than any other adults. Teachers, therefore, occupy a unique and privileged position. They influence how children grow in learning and they help prepare them to make a full contribution to Scottish society.

We need teachers who are committed to giving of their best to ensure all children achieve their highest potential, teachers who are capable of inspiring them and showing them how to learn, not just in their schooldays but throughout their lives.

This is a huge responsibility to lay upon teachers, and, by association, on the professional organisations that represent them, on local authorities as their employers, and on the Universities that provide their ITE courses.

The key role of ITE is:

• to provide aspiring teachers with appropriate professional knowledge and understanding;
• to equip teachers with relevant professional skills and abilities; and
• to help teachers to be aware of, and develop, the professional values and personal commitment they will need to draw upon throughout their careers.

Starting point for the review

This review originated in the commitment given in A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century, the agreement reached following the recommendations in the McCrone Report. The first stage of the review was undertaken by Deloitte and Touche and this second stage acknowledges elements of that earlier work. This review was also flagged up in the Scottish Executive's response to the National Debate.

The review group took as its starting-point Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education's ( HMIE) scoping review of ITE, Evolution or Revolution?, which stated:

"Overall, stakeholders expressed broad satisfaction with the provision of ITE in Scotland. In particular, they saw recently-qualified teachers to have a good understanding of the curriculum they were to teach and the knowledge, skills and understanding to teach effectively."

However, alongside this consensus that much was good about ITE provision, the HMIE scoping review offered some disquieting data. The report revealed that many students and recently qualified teachers did not feel that ITE had prepared them fully to tackle wider professional aspects. For example:

• only a few of the recently-qualified teachers who responded to the survey felt prepared to a large extent to play their part in relation to enterprise education, vocational education, education for sustainable development, lifelong learning and health issues;
• fewer than half felt prepared to a large extent for improving standards of attainment; and personal and social education; and similarly
• fewer than half felt that their preparation was good or better for responding to pupils with a range of learning difficulties, including those with additional support needs, for teaching pupils from varied ethnic groups, and for working with pupils from communities of travelling people.

However, the high proportion of probationer teachers achieving the Standard for Full Registration during their induction year suggests that, notwithstanding their perceptions about their preparedness for teaching, virtually all are sufficiently competent from the outset.

The review group also considered what it thought society is likely to expect of teachers a generation from now, and concluded that:

• society will not consider the teaching profession in isolation but as one of a number of child-focused professions;
• teaching will be considered part of an integrated public sector career network;
• teachers will be expected to teach children and young people how to learn as well as share knowledge and impart information;
• teachers will increasingly be seen as key figures and influences in the positive social development of young people; and
• teaching in school will be seen as an introduction to, and a preparation for, lifelong learning, rather than as either a one-off experience or a pre-cursor to Further or Higher Education.

More frequent changes in career pathways, working patterns and employment prospects can be anticipated. Teaching will not be exempt from this trend and teachers will have to adapt their approaches to respond positively to it. The review group has taken a close look at the implications for developing such skills and abilities within ITE.

The group has also been exercised by the crucial need for all with any responsibility for, or interest in, the initial education and continuing professional development of teachers to work and plan together, in a spirit of collaboration and cooperation. Our teachers need to be confident and committed in the way they exercise their own professional skills and in the ways in which they approach and foster relationships with other professions. They also need to be professional, open and responsive in their dealings with the parents of the children they teach. The esteem in which teachers will be held will, in no small measure, be dependent upon the high level of qualifications they are expected to attain, how they interact with, and are perceived by, society, and how they relate to other professions and professionals.

The remit given to the review group was:

To review available evidence, identify options for change and make recommendations in relation to the following:

• whether the content of existing ITE programmes and courses draws appropriately on latest relevant research and prepares new teachers as well as possible for their entry into the teaching profession through the probationer induction scheme, bearing in mind their career-long commitment to continuing professional development;
• whether the current range of ITE provision, comprising the BEd, PGDE, and Concurrent degree, and the relative contribution of each, remain the most appropriate; how pressures to increase the depth or coverage of ITE should best be addressed and how access might be widened;
• how the structure and content of ITE can best contribute towards improving the quality of education around the primary/secondary transition; and
• whether the current thrust and structure of guidelines, entry requirements and standards relating to ITE remains appropriate.

Against this background, the review group identified four aspects of ITE that should be considered, and on which views should be put to the Minister. These are:

• Issues relating to widening access to the teaching profession bearing in mind the diversity of Scottish society.
• Issues relating to the competences and values required by newly-qualified teachers, by which the group means the knowledge, understanding, skills, abilities, values and commitment referred to in the Standard for Initial Teacher Education.
• Issues relating to relationships between and among the stakeholders in ITE and among the teaching profession and other professions.
• Issues relating to the various accountability and quality assurance mechanisms that are in place, and whether they are proportionate and sufficiently robust.

The review group did not cover the primary/secondary transition element of the third bullet point in the belief that it should be looked at separately. A number of pilot projects are currently being evaluated and the General Teaching Council for Scotland have established a Specialist Teachers Working Group which will consider, among other things, what teachers would need in the way of professional development to enable them to teach in a sector other than that in which they are registered. The outcome of the evaluation of the pilot projects and the findings of the working group will inform future thinking on primary/secondary transitions.

The views of the group on each of the four aspects above are presented in the sections that follow.

Widening access to teaching to better reflect and support Scotland's diverse society

What we want

• the teaching profession drawing upon the largest possible pool of talent; and
• the teaching profession reflecting, and contributing to, the diversity of Scottish society.

Commentary

The review group agreed that, in order to achieve its long-term aspirations for the future of the teaching profession, we must make teaching as a career more accessible. We must identify and remove any barriers to widening access. In any current debate on access and diversity, geography, gender, age, disability, race and class will feature significantly. The changing nature of University degree courses, the mode and balance of course and programme delivery in ITE, and the roles of those who deliver them, must also come into play. Entry requirements may require review and refinement, but we must guard against lowering standards.

Evidence that we haven't got what we want

Men, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities are under-represented in the teaching profession.

Many people cannot undertake ITE because they live too far from teacher education universities, and only these institutions provide it. Domestic circumstances may preclude many potential candidates from living and studying away from home.

Many people, of either sex, cannot afford to give up work to gain access to ITE on a full-time basis.

Many well-qualified graduates are unable to embark upon PGDE (secondary) courses because they do not meet specific aspects of the minimum entry requirements.

For example:

Of the first cohort of probationers on the teacher induction scheme, 92% in the primary sector and 65% in the secondary sector were female.

At the 2004 Scottish Qualification for Headship graduation ceremony, 74% were female.

A women-only course in Manchester has increased the proportion of Muslim women prepared to attend.

Innovative, flexible part-time courses at Aberdeen, Strathclyde and Dundee Universities have proved attractive.

Teacher education universities in general, however, have not yet fully explored the potential of remote/distance learning. Current Scottish Higher Education Funding Council funding arrangements also constrain innovations in this field.

Post-2000 changes to entry requirements have caused some difficulties. In the area of mathematics, for example, such changes have meant that many well qualified Engineering and Computing graduates are ineligible to train to become maths teachers.

Key actions to overcome challenges

• The Executive taking steps to redress the problem of the under-representation of men, disabled people and people from ethnic minority groupings in teaching;
• Universities offering, and SHEFC facilitating funding for, ITE courses which incorporate a wider range of modes of delivery, including distance learning and part-time courses, and which capitalise on the advantages of information and communication technology;
• All stakeholders engaging to identify and deal effectively with the barriers to the introduction of new/innovative courses;
• The Executive amending legislation so that health screening is no longer required as a pre-requisite to entry to the teaching profession; and
• Adjusting specific entry requirements to ensure that more well-qualified graduates are eligible for entry to the teaching profession.

Competences and values required by newly-qualified teachers

What we want

• a teaching profession that is critically reflective, comprising teachers who both demonstrate their own commitment to lifelong learning and draw upon research and other evidence to inform their teaching;
• ITE ensuring that newly-qualified teachers are competent in classroom management and discipline issues;
• a less overcrowded curriculum in ITE courses, recognising that ITE is exactly what it claims to be: the initial phase in a continuum of teacher education which extends into the induction period and through the remainder of every teacher's career; and
• teachers who recognise their role in the social development of young people and understand the importance of working collaboratively with fellow teachers and others who share an interest in children such as social workers and health service workers.

Commentary

In the phrase, "competences and values", the review group includes the knowledge, understanding, skills, abilities, values and commitment referred to in the Standard for Initial Teacher Education. The present range of University courses offers a sound foundation with different strengths, but there is scope for improvement.

The review group are of the view that our traditional models of initial teacher education ( ITE) - the 4-year Bachelor of Education ( BEd) and the 1-year Postgraduate Diploma in Education ( PGDE) - serve us well. Both models successfully deliver high quality teachers. The system demonstrates considerable flexibility in terms of the number of teachers that can be trained and, latterly, the system has begun to show flexibility in other respects. In particular, other modes of delivery of ITE including part-time provision and distance learning models have been developed.

The group accepts that ITE must provide a range of knowledge and core skills to enable newly-qualified teachers to cope with the demands of classroom management and organisation. Some lack confidence and/or competence in some areas of curricular knowledge. Newly-qualified teachers will, therefore, need to be committed to the profession and enabled to continue to learn beyond their initial academic and professional qualifications. They should model the attitude to lifelong learning that they encourage in their pupils. The group acknowledged that ITE courses do not have the capacity to respond positively to all the demands for greater emphasis on, for example, sustainable development, health issues, enterprise in education, inclusion or child protection. Much of this is more appropriately addressed during the induction year or by targeted CPD post-induction.

It is important to distinguish between the Standard for Initial Teacher Education and the Standard for Full Registration, particularly in relation to what might be done in ITE to introduce multi-agency working. Many elements could appropriately be allocated to other phases of the professional development continuum. This suggests a greater role for local authorities than at present, and raises the need to encourage more positive relationships and cooperation between universities, local authorities and others with an interest in children and young people.

Evidence that we haven't got what we want

The HMIE scoping review, Evolution or Revolution?, while emphasising the overcrowded nature of the curricula of ITE courses also recorded that new teachers felt ill-prepared in a number of areas. Influential and well argued cases are made from time to time for greater emphasis to be placed on particular aspects, eg modern languages or physical education, but cannot practicably be acted on.

PGDE students have concerns that they are not well equipped to handle the immediate demands of the workplace, including classroom organisation and management and matters relating to pupil behaviour.

Data relating to probationer teachers indicate that a small proportion of them fail to demonstrate all the competences required of a teacher.

Some experienced teachers undertaking chartered teacher programmes have had difficulty in providing robust evidence of reflective practice. Many teachers claim to be unaware of major research studies, including those underpinning important reports such as Better Behaviour, Better Learning.

Key actions to overcome challenges

• Education authorities and the GTCS providing constructive, critical feedback to universities on the preparedness of new probationer teachers, and universities to adjust courses accordingly, subject to GTCS agreement if major changes are proposed;
• Universities modifying and updating ITE courses to reflect changes in national priorities and other changes to the social and educational environment, while recognising that demands for ITE to give greater emphasis to particular interests cannot all be accommodated;
• Stakeholders exploring the opportunities afforded by the newly-acknowledged continuum of professional development, particularly in relation to the extension of some aspects of ITE into induction and further continuing professional development; and
• The Standard for Initial Teacher Education to be reviewed for consistency with the more recent Standards for Full Registration, Chartered Teacher and School Headship, and these standards to be re-published if necessary under appropriate branding.

Relationships

What we want

• a clear understanding among stakeholders of their roles and relationships;
• local authorities and universities to establish new, effective and proactive partnerships, with local authorities being more actively engaged in ITE; and
• greater benefits to accrue from education faculties now being parts of universities, for example in terms of giving student teachers better insight into a range of inter-professional relationships, and through collaborative research.

Commentary

Encouraged to interpret its remit widely, the review group gave much thought to the importance of relationships among stakeholders in ITE. From the beginning of their experience of ITE aspiring teachers will be introduced to the ways in which a wide range of professionals and others, including parents and carers, contribute to the education and development of children and young people. They should quickly understand the importance of teachers working effectively alongside these other significant groups in the interests of their pupils and their families. Critically, they should be able to witness such cooperative working while on school placements, reflect on this and discuss it as part of their ITE course.

The review group cannot emphasise too strongly the importance of the role of local authorities. Indeed, the group would welcome an extension of that role at various phases of the teacher education process. Input and commitment from local authorities are essential: to the success, or otherwise, of partnerships which deliver ITE, the induction year and CPD thereafter; to the management of student teacher placements; to the assessment of students' attitudes and performance on these placements; and to the selection and release of suitable teachers for temporary secondment to Higher Education Institutions ( HEI) to staff ITE.

Local authorities should also be encouraged to collaborate still further with each other in maintaining CPD support initiatives, and to complement University research by scrutinising such areas as deprivation, socio-economic issues and educational outcomes. While collaborative research relationships between faculties within Universities are often complex and constrained by funding arrangements, it would be important to give students early insights into the role of research in education and of the contribution made to education by other professions.

Evidence that we haven't got what we want

There is inconsistency in the level of support given to student teachers on placements, and universities are having increasing difficulties in securing sufficient good quality student placements.

Successful initiatives have resulted when teachers have been seconded to Universities to staff ITE courses, but examples are still too rare.

There are good examples of inter-authority cooperation in relation to CPD which could be replicated in ITE.

Student teachers tend to be unaware of the development of key initiatives and the links between research and policy.

Key actions to overcome challenges

• local authorities engaging more actively in the arrangements for student placements and the support and assessment of students during placements;
• groups of local authorities working in partnership with universities on ITE generally, and on placements in particular, a possible model being the way probationer placements are managed;
• local authorities and universities engaging in more interchange of teachers and lecturers;
• local authorities undertaking more, and better, inter-local authority partnership working in areas such as support for probationer and student teachers, where duplication of effort can be reduced and economies of scale realised;
• teacher education universities developing relationships with other universities and colleges, and other ITE stakeholders, with a view to engaging in mutually-beneficial research; and
• faculties of education developing relationships with other faculties within
  their university with a view to exploring and developing inter-professional relationships and the concept of "public service" qualifications. This might, for example, involve elements of combined learning with social workers, nurses and allied health professionals.

Accountability

What we want

• certainty that the £50 million per annum that we spend on ITE represents money well spent;
• a clear understanding of stakeholders' respective roles and responsibilities for quality control within the ITE process, and for the monitoring of students' progress throughout;
• appropriate feedback/monitoring mechanisms in operation to ensure that ITE courses are being fine-tuned year on year to give optimum results; and
• accreditation and feedback/monitoring requirements to be proportionate rather than over-burdensome.

Commentary

The main issue in accountability is how it can be guaranteed that the ITE system as a whole is delivering in terms of quality, and is meeting the needs of its recipients, given the financial outlay entailed. The review group is clear that we have to have confidence in ITE, based on quality assurance which is enabling and non-restrictive. Consequently, the roles and responsibilities among its stakeholders require to be transparent, systematic and accessible to all, and accountability processes have to be efficient and manageable. Well established mechanisms for institutional accountability, that are already in place within the universities' internal validation and self-evaluation arrangements and in the GTCS accreditation procedures, provide a basis for further improvement or refinement. The useful and tested focus of thematic inspections by HMIE should play a role in accountability processes too.

The ultimate accountability, however, rests on whether the system of ITE is producing a teaching force fit to respond to the needs of the young people in Scotland's schools. More might be made of feedback from the induction scheme which provides accurate data about the very high proportion of probationers that achieve the Standard for Full Registration during their probationer year and also, usefully, identifies the small number that do not. The review group would strongly encourage a greater role for local authorities in assuring the quality and development of their employees, present and to be. By fully engaging the cooperation and imagination of all these stakeholders, a more coherent, effective and manageable system of quality assurance should be achievable.

Evidence that we haven't got what we want

GTCS accreditation procedures are hugely resource intensive and may not be sustainable in their current form.

Accountability is strong in discrete areas but there is no coherent overview.

Students have differing experiences, particularly on placements, and there is no agreed procedure in place to address this.

Key actions to be taken to address the challenges

• Local authorities having consistent quality assurance arrangements in place for student teachers;
• Local authorities developing formal feedback mechanisms about the quality of student and probationer teachers;
• Best use being made of induction scheme data about probationer teacher performance to identify possible weaknesses in ITE;
• HMIE conducting thematic inspections of ITE provision and delivery so that possible weaknesses can be identified and best practice shared; and
• All stakeholders continuing to improve current quality assurance arrangements, including GTCS accreditation and universities' internal validation and self-evaluation procedures, and ensuring that systems are both transparent and proportionate in order that a coherent view of the effectiveness of ITE and its interface with induction and CPD is clearly demonstrated.

Membership

Mr Matthew MacIver, Registrar, General Teaching Council for Scotland
Professor Pamela Munn, Dean, Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh
Mr Roy Jobson, Director of Education, Edinburgh City Council
Ms Sheena Wardhaugh, Vice President, Educational Institute of Scotland
Mr Keith Yates, Chief Executive, Stirling Council
Professor James Calderhead, Vice Principal, University of Dundee
Dr Hirek Kwiatkowski, Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Glasgow
Mr John Mulgrew, Director of Educational and Social Services, East Ayrshire Council
Mr Greig Ingram, Headteachers Association of Scotland, Stirling High School
Mr Jim Dignan, HMIE
Philip Rycroft (Chairman), Scottish Executive
Donald Henderson, Scottish Executive
John Gunstone, Scottish Executive
Jennifer Stewart (Secretary), Scottish Executive