Our General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) is under vigorous attack. A new report from the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) has exposed a growing pipeline of misconduct allegations. The independent regulator for Scotland’s 82,000 teachers is under fire for not investigating more than one accusation against a teacher. This shocking negligence casts real doubt on student safety and the moral imperative needed to pursue the teaching profession.
At the heart of the GTCS’s work is its duty to make sure that everyone on its register is fit to teach. Our research Training and Development Agency statistics suggest that less than 200 teachers a year receive a fitness to teach referral. Of these, a mere 25 teachers a year are taken out of the classroom. Alarmingly, some cases of misconduct have gone unresolved for years, with one egregious case lasting almost eight years.
Stakeholders are rightly alarmed at the increasing backlog. This concern is further compounded by a new rule from GTCS which permits them to close cases over five years old at any stage in the process. That’s an outcome that’s prompted critics to ask if the regulator is being aggressive enough in pursuing allegations against teachers.
PSA’s 2021 report singled out GTCS for harsh criticism. It noted that in two of the teacher referral cases examined, GTCS did not check the outcomes of employer probes and the key evidence those probes yielded. This gap in accountability could have serious consequences for the safety and welfare of students.
Jennifer Macdonald, strategic director of GTCS, agreed the difficulties raised in the report. She stressed that accepting hard outside critique is key to making great art.
“We wanted to be challenged and that is what the PSA has done in this report.” – Jennifer Macdonald
Despite this admission, concerns remain rampant. Neil McLennan, a local education consultant and critic, expressed intense feelings about the issue. He claimed the GTCS has abdicated its most basic responsibility to protect kids and their teachers.
“The GTCS have failed to protect children, teachers and the public. They have not been protecting anything than their own reputation.” – Neil McLennan
McLennan called on senior figures throughout GTCS to be held accountable. He emphasized that they have continued to stonewall on any objections raised by people on how they would respond to misconduct allegations.
“Senior figures who have ignored, undermined and attacked those who raised legitimate concerns must immediately resign.” – Neil McLennan
PSA’s report findings uncovered an urgent need for change within GTCS. First, GTCS needs to cut through its backlog of cases. It’s equally important that the organization do a credible job of investigating and teaching about all allegations of misconduct in the teaching profession.
