GTCS: The Review Of the Professional Standards (Values)

In 2017-18 Children in Scotland worked with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) on The Review Of the Professional Standards for teachers, specifically the section on Values.

The GTCS wanted to put the experiences and views of children and young people at the centre of its review and commissioned us to conduct engagement work with children and young people.

The engagement with children and young people took place in February/March 2018, with three main strands:

• Children in Scotland staff worked directly with children and young people in 5 schools across the country to gather their views
• Teachers and youth group leaders could access a resource, based on the direct work sessions, to complete with the children and young people they work with
• Children and young people were able to complete a survey themselves to tell us what they think, with support from an adult if they wanted.

Children in Scotland captured the voices of the children and young in a report for the GTCS and drew conclusions and recommendations. In September 2018 some of the children from Stobhill Primary School presented their thoughts and opinions to GTCS staff in Clerwood House and the final report was launched at The Scottish Learning Festival.

Ellen Doherty, Director of Education, Registration and Professional Learning at GTCS recognises, “The final report sets out a number of recommendations and key messages for GTCS and its registrants. It is important that GTCS listens carefully to these voices. There is no doubt that the voices of young people across Scotland will echo in the revised standards when they are published in 2020.”