ATL

Wales

General Teaching Council for Wales' code of conduct causes concern for ATL Cymru

In October, the General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW) published its proposed code of conduct, and opened a public consultation on its contents. If first impressions are the most important, then the code leaves a lot to be desired. We can sum up our concerns in terms of three Ts: timing, tone and tension.

The announcement of the code was badly timed to say the least. The Assembly Government's announcement of the ending of the CPD bursary scheme - coupled with the imposition of the extra registration fee - has left many teachers wondering what the GTCW is for. The tone of the code is very prescriptive.

Instead of celebrating the conduct and professionalism of the vast majority of teachers, the code implies that teachers need to be told to be honest, caring, and decent. And at the heart of the code is a fundamental tension between the sanctions that should be applied to the tiny minority of teachers who bring the profession into disrepute and the promotion of educational excellence practised by the vast majority.

The code places burdens upon individual teachers that are really the responsibility of schools, local authorities and the Assembly Government. It's hot on prescription and weak on support. For instance, teachers are expected to keep their knowledge up to date - but the code does not tell them how they can do this when money is scarce or non-existent.

The code is on the GTCW website. Members on email will have received a link to the code and a request for comments. Let us know what you think.