The Scottish Government

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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 complete 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 two 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 3-4 years to complete the requirements of full registration.

The Teacher Induction Scheme changed that unsatisfactory position and has improved 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 (the current balance between class commitment and CPD is under review).
• 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 favourably with other professions.

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

* Eligibility is normally 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 2006/07 school session, starting in the autumn term through until the end of the summer term. A salary of £19,440 rising to £19,878 from 1 April 2007 will be paid. 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 £1,536 per annum.

Alternatively you can complete your period of probation in an independent school (see section 8, frequently asked questions).

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 expecting to complete their programme of Initial Teacher Education 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 in which they would be willing to work, or to 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. However, they should also recognise that all local authorities depend on a regular supply of new teachers. 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. Once allocated to a school by the authority you must apply for church approval to the Diocesan Education Office in which the authority is located. 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 HEI 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 local authority's vacancy list and student's preference list. Each student will be chosen at random and matched against their five preferences, beginning with their first preference. Where an appropriate vacancy is unavailable they will be matched against their second preference, and so on until allocated to their fifth preference if necessary. Therefore each student applying for the Teacher Induction Scheme should be aware that they may indeed be placed in any one of their five preferences.

7 Preference Waiver Payment - Pilot Scheme 2006/07

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

Accordingly we are piloting a scheme in 2006/07 whereby students will be paid £6,000 if they are prepared to be allocated to an authority of our choosing.

You are invited to tick the appropriate box on the application form if you are prepared to be allocated to any of the 32 local authorities.

For the 2006/07 scheme, the payment will be £6,000 and will be paid in three instalments - in August 2006 (£3,000), January 2007 (£1,500) and April 2007 (£1,500) by the local authority with whom they are placed. You will receive the first instalment with your August salary. 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 preference waiver payment will be monitored before any decision is made as to whether a similar scheme may be applied to the 2007/08 Induction Scheme. You should be aware that if you tick the anywhere box and do not take up your allocation to that authority you will not receive the payment and, having given up your place on the Induction Scheme, will need to follow the supply route into teaching.

8 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 or do your induction year in an indpendent school. 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 if you opt out of the Induction Scheme 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.

Can I work in an Independent school?

You can do your induction year in one of the independent schools in Scotland. To do so you should apply for posts which are advertised. Applicants may be interviewed by the school and will be asked to provide a report from their Higher Education Institution. Arrangements for the induction year are made with the school, in conjunction with the GTCS and the Scottish Council for Independent Schools ( SCIS). On completion of your probation, you will be able to apply for full registration with the GTCS, provided that you meet the SFR. Most teachers in the independent sector are fully registered with the GTCS. More information can be found at www.SCIS.org.uk

If I have ticked the anywhere box and I do not want to work in the authority I have been allocated can I ask for a change?

No. If you have ticked the anywhere box you could be allocated in any one of the 32 local authorities, anywhere from the Scottish Borders to Orkney. If you choose not to accept the allocation you will not be considered for reallocation to another authority and will not receive the £6,000 payment. You would be following the alternative route into teaching - the supply route.

Once I have completed the GTCS registration form can I change my five preferences?

Should your circumstances change from completing the form up to 31 March 2006 you can ask the GTCS for your preferences to be altered. You should contact the GTCS direct and every effort will be made to take your new preference authorities into account.

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 you 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. In the first instance you should contact the local authority you have been allocated to. The council you have been allocated to will advise you if they are willing to release you. If they are unwilling to release you, the Scottish Executive Education Department will be unable to attempt to reallocate you. While your reasons will be considered by the authority, there is no guarantee that you will be released from that authority and offered a training post in another location.

If the authority is willing to release you, you must officially turn down your initial allocation before SEED can attempt to reallocate you to another authority. It is by no means a guarantee that SEED will be able to reallocate you and if SEED are unable to reallocate you to another authority you will no longer be on the Teacher Induction Scheme and will have to follow the alternative route to meet the Standard for Full Registration and must speak with the General Teaching Council for Scotland.

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 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?

The GTCS will ultimately determine if you have met the standard for Full Registration, if you have been granted an extension, and the length of period of that extension. 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.

Whilst every effort will be made to allocate probationers to one of their five preference authorities, we cannot give an absolute guarantee, although over the last five years we have been able to do so. Should you be allocated outwith your five preferences, you will automatically become eligible for the £6,000 Preference Waiver Payment.

Timetable of Events

Information on Teaching

For up-to-date information visit www.infoscotland.com/teaching