The General Teaching Council for England (GTCE) Code of Conduct and Practice
The General Teaching Council for England's revised Code of Conduct and Practice for Registered Teachers is due to come into force in October 2009.
The General Teaching Council for England (GTCE) is an independent body. The legislation does not require the Council to establish a Code of Conduct and Practice, nor is such a Code necessary for the GTCE to be able to discharge its statutory functions. However, the GTCE claims that the revised Code of Conduct and Practice will guide teachers’ everyday judgements and actions, and provide the principles that the GTCE will use as part of a fair and robust disciplinary procedure for regulating the profession.
Despite this, research evidence available to the NASUWT confirms that the majority of teachers do not see the relevance of the GTCE and are opposed to the GTCE’s Code of Conduct and Practice.
Teachers are already subject to adequate standards governing their professional conduct.
The NASUWT has examined the draft Code in detail and concluded that there is no justification for the GTCE to proceed with its proposals.
Key Points
The NASUWT has examined the draft Code and concluded
• It intrudes into teachers’ private lives
• It is riddled with vague statements that are open to wide interpretation and abuse and therefore puts teachers at risk
• It unreasonably extends the GTCE’s responsibilities
• It was developed on the basis of a fundamentally flawed consultation process
• There is no justification for the GTCE to proceed with its proposals
