18-20Co(19)Ag7 Page 1 of 3

A meeting of the General Teaching Council for Scotland will take place in Clerwood House, 96 Clermiston Road, Edinburgh EH12 6UT on Wednesday 25 September 2019 at 10.15 am. The official photograph of the

2018-2020 Council will be taken at 10.00 am.

BUSINESS Public Session

1 Apologies for Absence Convener

2 Announcements Convener

3 Intimation of Any Competent Business Convener

4 Declaration of Interest Convener

5 Minute of Meeting held on 12 June 2019 Convener 18-20Co(19)Min6

6 Matters Arising Convener

7 Chief Executive’s Report CEO Oral Report

For Discussion and Approval

8 Draft Annual Report and Accounts 2018-2019 SSMFP 18-20Co(19)100

9 Draft Letter of Representation SSMFP 18-20Co(19)101

10 Audit Management Report SSMFP 18-20Co(18)102

11 Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 reporting requirements

SSMFP 18-20Co(19)103

12 Draft Revised Standing Order and Committee Scheme SMCEG 18-20Co(19)104

13 Draft Revised Accreditation ITE Documentation CEO 18-20Co(19)105

For Noting

14 Financial Position as at 30 June 2019 SSMFP 18-20Co(19)106

15 Committee Minutes (Conveners): (a) Finance and Corporate Services – 20 August 2019

(except Items 3, 5(a), 5(c), 6, 8, and 9 which will be taken in private session)

FCS Convener 18-20FCS(19)Min6

(b) Professional Regulatory Assurance –22 August 2019 (except Items 3, 5, 6 and 7 which will be taken in private session)

PRA Vice Convener

18-20PRA(19)Min6

(c) Education – 27 August 2019 (except Items 3, 6 and 21 which will be taken in private session)

Educ Convener 18-20Educ(19)Min6

(d) Executive – 11 September 2019 (except Items 3, 4, 8, 9, 11, 12 and 20 which will be

Convener 18-20Exec(19)Min6

18-20Co(19)Ag7

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4-11

12-109

110-115

116-136

137-143

144-166

167-214

215-220

221-225

226-229

230-234

235-239

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18-20Co(19)Ag7 Page 2 of 3

taken in private session)

16 Any Other Competent Business Convener

Private Session

17 Date of Next Meeting Wednesday 11 December 2019 at 10.00 am.

Convener

For Discussion and Approval

18 Draft Professional Review and Development Guidance SEO

19 Frequency of Council and Committee Meetings and Draft Meeting Schedule 2020-2022

SMCEG

18-20Co(19)107

18-20Co(19)108

20 Employment Appeal Tribunal Intervention - Outcome and Implications

CEO 18-20Co(19)109

21 Broad General Education Registration Category Working Group Recommendation

CEO Oral Report

22 Draft Code, Refreshed Professional Standards and Public Consultation

CEO/ DRLS 18-20Co(19)110

23 Internal Audit SSMFP 18-20Co(19)111

24 Pro-Rata Initial Registration Fee SMO 18-20Co(19)112

25 Professional Update Statistics and Next Steps SSME 18-20Co(19)113

26 Draft Revised Excellence in Professional Learning and Professional Recognition Awards Documentation

SEO 18-20Co(19)114

27 Draft Revised Fitness to Teach Threshold Policy and Witnesses and Hearsay Evidence Practice Statement

DRLS 18-20Co(19)115

28 Strategic Plan 2020-2023 Update SSMPDS 18-20Co(19)116

29 Risk Assessment and Management Convener/ CEO 18-20Co(19)117

30 Work and Professional Learning Plan SMCEG 18-20Co(19)118

For Noting

31 VAT Update SSMFP 18-20Co(19)119

32 Corporate Communications Update DCS 18-20Co(19)120

33 Fitness to Teach Stakeholder Engagement Report DO 18-20Co(19)121

34 Brexit Update DCS 18-20Co(19)122

35 Equality and Diversity Update LA 18-20Co(19)123

36 Decision Process Review Group Report SMR 18-20Co(19)124

37 Health and Safety Update SSMFP 18-20Co(19)125

38 Information Compliance Update ICO 18-20Co(19)126

39 Committee Minutes:

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18-20Co(19)Ag7 Page 3 of 3

(a) Finance and Corporate Services – 20 August 2019 (Items 3, 5(a), 5(c), 6, 8, and 9 which will be taken in private session)

FCS Convener 18-20FCS(19)Min6

(b) Professional Regulatory Assurance –22 August 2019 (Items 3, 5, 6 and 7 which will be taken in private session)

PRA Vice Convener

18-20PRA(19)Min6

(c) Education – 27 August 2019 (Items 3, 6 and 21 which will be taken in private session)

Educ Convener 18-20Educ(19)Min6

(d) Executive – 11 September 2019 (Items 3, 4, 8, 9, 11, 12 and 20 which will be taken in private session)

Convener 18-20Exec(19)Min6

40

Any Other Competent Business

Convener

Private Session Items Explained:

Agenda Item Reason for Exclusion

18 (c) 19 (c) 20 (b, c) 21 (c) 22 (c) 23 (c) 24 (c) 25 (c) 26 (c) 27 (c) 28 (c) 29 (c) 30 (c) 31 (c) 32 (c) 33 (c) 34 (c) 35 (c) 36 (b) 37 (c and d) 38 (c) 39 (a – d)

(a) Personal data (as defined by the Data Protection Act 2018 or any subsequent legislation). (b) Information which may be considered to be legally privileged or relate to matters of legal

proceedings either in progress or relating to GTCS. (c) Draft policies, procedures or similar under consideration and not yet approved by Council. (d) Any other matters which if publicly disclosed might reasonably prejudice the effective discharge of

GTCS’ functions. Acronyms • CEO – Chief Executive and Registrar – Ken Muir • Convener – Convener of Council – David Innes • Vice Convener – Vice Convener of Council – Edith Swinley • DCS – Director of Corporate Services - Martin Osler • DO – Development Officers – Jim Moore and Sarah Stevenson • ICO – Information Compliance Officer – Suzanne Valente • LA – Legal Adviser – Katie Kearney • SMCEG – Senior Manager Corporate Executive and Governance – Lisa Dobie • SMO -Senion Manager Operations – John Adams • SSME – Senior Strategic Manager Education – David Graham • SSMFP – Senior Strategic Manager Finance and Procurement – Lindsey Furness • SSMPDS – Senior Strategic Manager Projects and Digital Services – Thomas Madden • Educ Convener – Education Committee Convener – Craig Carson • FGP Convener- Finance and General Purposes Committee Convener – Ian Jackson • PRA Convener – Professional and Regulatory Assurance Committee Convener – Lorraine McBride

For any enquiries, please contact Lisa Dobie (SMCEG) Direct Dial: 0131 314 6021 E-mail: lisa.dobie@gtcs.org.uk

18-20Co(19)Min6 34

MINUTE of the meeting of the General Teaching Council for Scotland held in Clerwood House, 96 Clermiston Road, Edinburgh, on Wednesday 12 June 2019 at 10.00 am.

Present: David Innes (Convener)] Richard Bell, Thomas Britton, Kevin Campbell, Craig Carson, Lynsey Cleland, Pamela Currie, Lawrie Davidson, John Devine, David Dodds, Karen Farrell, Lilian Field, Donald Gillies, Nazim Hamid, Ian Jackson, Margaret Lannon, Iain Macmillan, Jane Malcolm, Adela Mansur, Lorraine McBride, Alison Palmer, Coral Riddell, Patricia Scott, Barrie Sheppard, Neil Simco, Charles Smith, Adam Sutcliffe Edith Swinley and Carole Wilkinson.

Officers: Lisa Dobie (SMCEG), Ellen Doherty (DERPL), Jennifer Macdonald (DRLS), Ken Muir (CEO), Martin Osler (DCS).

In Attendance: Tracy Manning (Scottish Government).

Private Session

Annual Evaluation Business Handover Exercise 2018-2020 (18-20Co(19)78)

The handover report was approved, subject to a few amendments.

Public Session

1 Apologies

Council Member apologies were received from David Alexander, John Bell, Helen Budge, Paula Cowan, John Rodgers, and Martin Whitfield.

Non-Council Member apologies were received from Gillian Hamilton (Education Scotland), the Education Workforce Council, the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland, Stuart Robb (Scottish Government), Stephanie Walsh (Scottish Government) and the Teaching Council Ireland.

2 Announcements

The Convener welcomed those present to the meeting and reminded them of the need to maintain focussed discussion given the number of weighty business items requiring consideration. Members welcomed Charles Smith to his first Council meeting. Charles succeeded Sandy Fraser as the member nominated by the Church of Scotland. Aileen Lynch, an elected registered teacher in the Secondary Schools category had tendered her resignation from the membership of Council following a change in her post. A letter of thanks would be sent to her by the CEO on behalf of Council. Members were reminded that the filmed interviews of individual Council members would take place immediately after the conclusion of the meeting. These would be used to produce a promotional video for the forthcoming GTCS Council elections. The final meeting of the Broad General Education Category Working Group was scheduled to take place that afternoon.

3 Intimation of Any Other Competent Business

There was no intimation of any other competent business.

18-20Co(19)Min6

18-20Co(19)Min6

35

4 Declaration of Interest

Jane Malcom declared an interest in Agenda Item 15 – ‘Broad General Education’. It was taken as read that all Council members but particularly those non-returning Council members would have a declaration of interest in Agenda Item 19 – ‘Proposed Appointment of Education Panel Members’. There were no other new declarations of interest.

5 Minute of the Meeting on 13 March 2019 (18-20Co(18)Min5)

The Minute was approved. 6 Matters Arising from Minutes:

There were no matters arising.

7 Chief Executive’s Report

The CEO presented his report to Council and highlighted the key areas of work undertaken by GTCS Officers since the previous meeting.

For Discussion and Approval 8 Annual Report and Accounts Template 2018-19 (18-20Co(19)79)

Members were invited to consider the proposed revision to the format of the Annual Report which would ensure that the Annual Report and Accounts were more closely aligned with the following headings, as set out in the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP). Members approved the proposed changes to the layout and presentation of the Annual Report. The Annual Report and Accounts 2018-2019 would be produced using the revised template and would be presented at the September meeting for approval. Action: By: Date:

Annual Report and Accounts 2018-2019 to be produced using the revised template and submitted to the next meeting for approval. SSMFP 25 September 2019

For Noting 9 Financial Position as at 31 March 2019 (18-20Co(19)80)

Members noted the financial position as at 31 March 2019. A further update would be presented at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented to the September Council meeting. SSMFP 25 September 2019

10 Committee Minutes (a) Professional Regulatory Assurance – 7 May 2019

(except Items 3, 4 and 5 which were taken in private session) Tom, Britton, Vice-Convener presented the Minute formally as all substantive items were covered elsewhere on the agenda.

18-20Co(19)Min6

36

(b) Finance and Corporate Services – 9 May 2019 (except Items 5 and 6 which were taken in private session) Ian Jackson, Convener presented the Minute formally as all substantive items had been covered elsewhere in the agenda.

(c) Education – 14 May 2019 (except Item 3 and 11 which were taken in private session)

Craig Carson, Convener presented the Minute formally noting that all substantive items were covered elsewhere in the agenda.

(d) Executive – 22 May 2019

(except Items 3, 4, 6 and 8 which were taken in private session)

David Innes, Convener presented the Minute formally, noting that all substantive items were covered elsewhere in the agenda.

11 Any Other Competent Business

There was no other competent business. 12 Date of Next Meeting The next meeting was scheduled to take place at 10.00 am on Wednesday 25 September 2019.

Private Session

For Discussion and Approval 13 Court of Session Appeals (18-20Co(19)81)

An update was given on current Court of Session appeals. Members homologated the decisions taken by GTCS and discussed the associated legal risk identified. Theywould be informed of the outcomes in due course.

Action: By: Date:

Members to be informed of the outcomes of the appeals in due course. DRLS ongoing

14 IMI Update (18-20Co(19)82)

Members were reminded that the Public Services Reform (General Teaching Council for Scotland) Order 2011 (the Order) did not allow GTCS to include Instrumental Music Instructors (IMIs) on its Register of teachers. Members approved the proposed next steps associated with the potential registration of IMIs. The IMI Working Group would meet again in September 2019 to recommence the work which was put hold until the outcome of the Scottish Government review of Education was known.

Action: By: Date:

IMI Working Group to meet in September and a progress report to be submitted at the next meeting. DERPL 25 September 2019

18-20Co(19)Min6

37

15 Broad General Education Category Update (18-20Co(19)83)

The Broad General Education Category (BGE) Working Group had failed to reach consensus in recommending whether or not a new registration category should be created. A further meeting had been scheduled to take place following the Council meeting. Some concerns were expressed regarding the accreditation of two University Courses offering registration in a potential BGE category and the associated risk of reputational damage to GTCS. Following lengthy discussion, it was agreed that the Working Group should continue to meet later that day and that their recommendation be given further consideration at the September Council meeting.

Action: By: Date:

BGE recommendation to be presented at the next Council meeting. DERPL 25 September 2019

16 Professional Update Evaluation

(a) Annual Evaluation Report 2017/18 (18-20Co(19)84) Members welcomed the report and the national view which it provided. Professional Update was now into its fifth year of national implementation. The annual report was an important tool for gathering data which ensured that GTCS had an insight and understanding of the experiences of registered teachers as they engaged with and completed the process of Professional Update (PU). Members approved the report and recommended next steps. Action: By: Date:

Results of the Annual Evaluation Report 2018/19 to be circulated to Council for information. DERPL 25 September 2020

(b) PU Evaluation Report 4-year Longitudinal Study (18-20Co(19)85) Members were provided with the four-year longitudinal study of Professional Update evaluations which provided indications of an improving picture. Professional Update was now in its fifth year and the final report for the 2018/19 cohort would produce a fuller picture of the impact on the profession. Members approved the report which would be published online following the meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Reports to be made available online following the meeting. DERPL 12 June 2019

17 Strategic Plan 2019-2020

Strategic planning materials would be issued to all Council members by email following the meeting. All feedback received would be collated and used as part of the drafting process for the 2020-2023 Strategic Plan. A further update would be presented to the September Council meeting.

Action: By: Date:

• Strategic planning materials to be sent to all Council members following the meeting and feedback requested.

• Update to be presented to the September Council meeting. SCEG/ SSMPDS June/ 25 September 2019

18 Collection of Registration Fees (18-20Co(19)86)

As a result of the registration fee increase in 2017, feedback suggested that there would be interest in the introduction of a registration fee paid by Direct Debit either monthly or twice yearly. Similar feedback had been received from registrants as part of the Why? Research survey work carried out in 2014. Members were invited to consider the implications of moving from the DAS system to direct

18-20Co(19)Min6

38

debit for the collection of registration fees. The total additional cost as a result of moving to direct debit (£274,000 per annum) would be in the region of £4 per registrant and, if added to the fee, would see it increase from £65 to £69 with no tangible improvements in services to registrants provided. In addition, the move would see significant additional resource implications for GTCS and local authorities. Following due consideration, Members agreed that the current method of fee collection should remain unchanged. In article would be included in the next issue of ‘Teaching Scotland’ to communicate the reason behind the decision.

Action: By: Date:

Article on the collection of registration fees to be included in the next issue of ‘Teaching Scotland’. DCS August 2019

19 Proposed Appointment of Education Panel Members (18-20Co(19)87)

At the November 2018 meeting of the Executive Committee, it was agreed that consideration be given to the appointment of a pool of Education Panel members as a result of the increasing number of panels taking place and the demands placed on Council members who are required to serve on them. In addition, some Council members had previously raised concerns relating to governance in that trustees are in effect acting both as policy makers and policy implementers. This could be perceived to be questionable in terms of good governance. The introduction of a separate pool would provide members of the profession with an opportunity to have greater involvement with the work of GTCS. The proposal was approved by a majority vote in favour of the complete separation of panels from GTCS. Action: By: Date:

• Revised Standing Order and Committee Scheme to be presented at the next meeting for approval.

• Appointment round to be scheduled with a view to the pool taking up office as at 2 April 2020.

SMCEG 25 September and ongoing

20 Risk Assessment and Management (18-20Co(19)88)

Members approved the updated Risk Register which had been discussed in detail by all committees in the recent meeting cycle. The Risk Register would continue to be regularly reviewed by CMT and an updated version presented at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Updated risk register to be presented at the next meeting. CEO 25 September 2019

21 Work and Professional Learning Plan (18-20Co(19)89)

Members approved the work and professional learning plan. This was noted to be a live document which would be updated and presented at the next meeting for approval.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented to the next meeting SMCEG 25 September 2019

For Noting 22 MyPL Update (18-20Co(19)90)

Members noted the progress made with the with the MyPL initiative. A further update would be presented at a future meeting.

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Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented to a future meeting DCS ongoing

23 Corporate Communications Update (18-20Co(19)91)

Members noted the latest update on the work of the Corporate Communications Team. A further update would be presented at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented to the next meeting SMCEG 25 September 2019

24 Employer Engagement Update (18-20Co(19)92)

Members noted the update on recent work undertaken by Development Officers in employer engagement. A further update would be presented at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented to the next meeting DO 25 September 2019

25 Brexit Update (18-20Co(19)93)

The revised Brexit Action Plan was noted. A further update would be presented at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Updated Action Plan to be presented to the next meeting. DCS 25 September 2019

26 Equality and Diversity Update (18-20Co(19)94)

A copy of the Equality and Diversity Action plan was circulated for information. A further update would be presented at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented to the next meeting. LA 25 September 2019

27 Regulatory End of Year Report (18-20Co(19)95)

Members noted the Regulatory End-of-Year Report which provided a summary of the Fitness to Teach casework, activity and decisions during the period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019. A mid-year report would be presented at the December Council meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Mid-year Report to be circulated at the December Council meeting. DRLS December 2019

28 Decision Process Review Group Report (18-20Co(19)96)

The report was received. A further report would be presented to the next Council meeting.

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Action: By: Date:

Update report to be presented to the next meeting SMR 25 September 2019

29 Health and Safety Update (18-20Co(19)97)

Members noted the report which set out the actions taken to date. A further update would be presented at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented at the next meeting. SSMFP 25 September 2019

30 GDPR Compliance Project Report (18-20Co(19)98)

Members noted the update on GDPR compliance over the previous six months. Full Compliance Report to be presented at the next meeting. Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented at next meeting. ICO 25 September 2019

31 Committee Minutes

(a) Professional Regulatory Assurance – 7 May 2019 (18-20PRA(19)Min5) Tom Britton, Vice Convener presented Items 3 - 5 formally as all substantive items were covered elsewhere on the agenda.

(b) Finance and Corporate Services – 9 May 2019 (18-20FCS(19)Min5)

Ian Jackson Convener presented Items 5 and 6 formally, noting that all substantive items had been covered elsewhere on the agenda.

(c) Education – 14 May 2019 (18-20Educ(19)Min5)

Craig Carson, Convener presented Items 3 and 11 formally noting that all substantive items were covered elsewhere in the agenda.

(d) Executive – 22 May 2019 (18-20Exec(19)Min5)

David Innes, Convener presented Items 3, 4, 6 and 8 formally, noting that all substantive items had been covered elsewhere in the agenda.

32 Any Other Competent Business

There was no other competent business.

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Acronyms • CEO – Chief Executive and Registrar – Ken Muir • Convener – Convener of Council – David Innes • Vice Convener – Vice Convener of Council – Edith Swinley • DCS – Director of Corporate Services - Martin Osler • DO – Development Officers – Jim Moore and Sarah Stevenson • DERPL – Director of Education, Registration and Professional Learning – Ellen Doherty • ICO – Information Compliance Officer – Suzanne Valente • LA – Legal Adviser – Katie Kearney • SMCEG – Senior Manager Corporate Executive and Governance – Lisa Dobie • SMR – Senior Manager Regulation – Gillian Sim • SSMFP – Senior Strategic Manager Finance and Procurement – Lindsey Furness • SSMPDS – Senior Strategic Manager Projects and Digital Services – Thomas Madden • Educ Convener – Education Committee Convener – Craig Carson • FGP Convener- Finance and General Purposes Committee Convener – Ian Jackson • PRA Convener – Professional and Regulatory Assurance Committee Convener – Lorraine McBride

18-20Co(19)100

18-20Co(19)100 - Annual Report and Accounts 2018-19 Page 1 of 2

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018-19 Council Meeting - 23 September 2019

Classification:

Public Session

Status:

For Discussion and Approval

Considered by Committee(s):

Audit-Sub Committee, Finance and Corporate Services Committee and Executive Committee

Purpose:

To provide members with the opportunity to discuss and approve the draft Annual Report and Financial Statements as recommended by the Audit Sub-Committee and the Finance and Corporate Services Committee prior to seeking the formal approval of Council.

Recommendation(s):

Members are invited to discuss and approve the Annual Report and Financial Statements and make any relevant comments.

1 Annual Report and Financial Statements 1.1 The draft Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year to 31 March 2019 are attached as an

Appendix 1. A copy of the glossy Annual Report 2018-19 is attached as Appendix 2.

1.2 The finance paper for the year to 31 March 2019 presented to the Finance and Corporate Services Committee in May 2019 reported a net income of £520k prior to pension movements and any other year-end adjustments. The final audited financial statements for 2018-19 report a net expenditure position of £87k. A reconciliation between the period 12 management accounts and the financial statements is shown below.

18-20Co(19)100 - Annual Report and Accounts 2018-19 Page 2 of 2

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2 Audit Opinion 2.1 The external auditors, RSM, have given an unqualified opinion that the financial statements give a true

and fair view of GTCS’s affairs as at 31 March 2019. 3 Action Required 3.1 The Annual Report and Financial Statements have been discussed at length and recommended for

approval by the Audit Sub-Committee and the Finance and Corporate Services Committee. 3.2 Members are invited to discuss and approve the Annual Report and Accounts and the glossy Annual

Report (attached as Appendices 1 and 2) and recommend these to Council for approval.

Implications:

• Resource

The Annual Report and Financial Statements demonstrates the effective use of financial resources.

• Risk

None

• Legal/Governance

Scrutinising the financial statements will assist Council in fulfilling its financial and legal obligations under Charities legislation.

• Equality and diversity

None

• Communications

Once approved by Council, the Annual Report and Financial Statements will be submitted to OSCR, published online and circulated to key stakeholders.

• Other (policy, public

protection etc)

None

Links to the Strategic Plan

This links to Strategic Objective 3.

Lindsey Furness Senior Strategic Manager Finance and Procurement September 2019

1

Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2019

Registered Charity: SC006187

General Teaching Council for Scotland

18-20Co(19)100 Appendix 1

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Contents

WELCOME

- Convener’s Report 3

- Chief Executive’s Statement 4

TRUSTEES’ REPORT

- Objectives and Activities 6

- Achievements and Performance 7

1. Promoting high-quality professional learning, teaching and leadership 7

Review of the Professional Standards 7

Supporting professional learning 7

Supporting high-quality Professional Review and Development 8

2. Act in the public interest and enhance the reputation of the Scottish teaching profession 8

Enhancing professionalism in the college sector 8

Accreditation of Teacher Education Institutions 9

Registration of teachers in Independent schools 10

Recognising excellence in the teaching profession 10

Regulation 12

Registration 13

3. Improve GTC Scotland’s organisational effectiveness and capability 14

Stakeholder engagement 14

Enhancing digital services 15

Improving internal processes and the working environment 16

- Financial Review 17

- Structure, Governance and Management 23

- Reference and Administrative Details 27

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT 29

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31

3

Welcome Convener’s Report

Thank you for taking some time out to read GTC Scotland’s Annual Report 2018-19. This report offers an insight into the work of the world’s first self-regulating professional body for teaching, established in 1965.

I became Council Convener in April 2018. I chair Council meetings, provide leadership of Council and its 37 members, and carry out a range of ceremonial, ambassadorial and other delegated duties. When I became Convener I fully expected the post to be challenging but I did not quite reckon with just how extensive and intensive is the work of GTC Scotland.

As a teacher going through my career I perhaps did not have as much awareness of the scope of the work of GTC Scotland as I should have. With the arrival of the new Professional Standards I took an increasing interest in the organisation and decided to stand for election to the 2016–2018 Council. This year has seen GTC Scotland emerge from the complex and resource-heavy work involved in addressing the Scottish Government’s Review of Governance which asked a number of questions of the organisation. The fact that GTC Scotland has gone on to develop further over the past 12 months speaks volumes about the quality of its staff and the services they deliver for registrants; and of the respect that exists for its work as the teaching regulator. In the last 12 months I have had the privilege to see the breadth and quality of the work undertaken by GTC Scotland on behalf of its 76,000 registrants, for the benefit of children and communities across Scotland, and it only strengthens my belief that its role in Scottish education is paramount and essential.

GTC Scotland has rightly received national and international acclaim for its work in the areas of registration, regulation and professional learning with innovative projects such as the learning portal, MyPL and the Excellence in Professional Learning Awards leading from the front. We cannot, however, rest on our laurels and the 2018–2020 Council is providing governance and oversight to a very ambitious programme of activities GTC Scotland is undertaking, some of which are mentioned in this report.

Myself and my colleague trustees on Council are all fully committed to ensuring that GTC Scotland continues to build on its reputation and retains high levels of confidence from the profession and wider general public we serve.

In this report you will enjoy details about the strides being taken by the organisation to continue to improve and enhance its services for registrants and to support and enhance Scottish education. On behalf of GTC Scotland Council members, I thank you again for your interest in and support for our work.

David Innes

Convener of Council

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Chief Executive’s Statement

I am pleased to present GTC Scotland’s Annual Report 2018–19, which reports against the Strategic Objectives set out in our 2017–20 Strategic Plan.

A key focus of our work over the past year has been improving the reach, quality and efficiency of our services for registrants and the wider public.

We appointed two new Development Officers who have been engaging with local authorities, registrants and parent bodies across Scotland in order to increase understanding and awareness about the role of GTC Scotland. They have been information gathering and identifying where there are gaps in knowledge so that we can address the needs of our registrants. I mention this first as I believe the appointment of Development Officers indicates our desire to continue listening to the views of registrants and modernising GTC Scotland to ensure we are fit for purpose for the years to come.

With this in mind we are currently developing our Strategic Plan 2020–23. Our focus will very much be on continuing to respond to registrant needs and ensuring the services we offer are in the interests not only of registrants but, importantly, the wider public, children and young people. It is not often understood that GTC Scotland is a charitable body, independent of Scottish Government. We exist to act in the public interest by ensuring the teaching profession is as effective as it possibly can be.

This past year we have invested in GTC Scotland’s headquarters at Clerwood House by carrying out essential maintenance to the main building, upgrading the working environment, and making significant improvements to our IT infrastructure. Many registrants visit Clerwood House each year for a range of events, including to participate in the business of Council and Committee meetings; professional learning sessions; Awards ceremonies; Fitness-to-Teach (FtT) hearings; College registration and other working groups; and the hundreds of day-to-day meetings that take place to discuss and further the role of GTC Scotland. Clerwood House is owned by the registrants who pay their £65 registration fee each year. It is important our infrastructure is of good quality and offers a welcoming environment that is conducive to free and creative thought. I would like to extend an invitation to any registrant or group of registrants to visit GTC Scotland and find out more about the work we do or, perhaps, to use our facilities for an event.

We are conscious that IT problems can be the bane of registrants in schools and colleges across the land. GTC Scotland has not always offered seamless access to its services which has sometimes exacerbated this problem. We have invested considerable resources addressing this in order to provide stable; intuitive and useful online services for registrants. This work will continue over the years ahead.

We continue to work with partners across Scottish education to promote teaching as a career choice and to explore new and innovative routes into the teaching profession. Over 2018–19 we carried out a review of the Memorandum on Entry Requirements for Initial Teacher Education programmes in Scotland. Our information gathering exercise which informed this review involved a working group, a literature review, a comparative study of the entry requirements of other teaching councils and a national consultation. It was found that Scotland has high and rigorous entry requirements and that there is a desire to maintain this. While there was no appetite for lowering entry requirements or for entry requirements to be significantly raised, it was important that GTC Scotland carried out this review to ensure that the Memorandum remains relevant and fit for purpose.

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Over the reporting period, work has been ongoing on refreshing the Professional Standards and the Code of Professionalism and Conduct. Following the outcomes of the Education Governance Review in June 2018, a new timeline for this review was put in place and approved by Council. We are now looking towards running a consultation on the new Standards in autumn 2019 with a publication date of summer 2020. I would urge all registrants to participate in this consultation. The refreshed Standards will be supported by a suite of short advice and guidance booklets for registrants on topics that will maintain and enhance registrant professionalism.

GTC Scotland has also been closely monitoring the potential impact of Brexit on our registration processes and putting measures in place to ensure we are fully prepared for whatever happens next. The exit of the UK from the European Union would see the loss of access to a shared database (the Internal Market Information [IMI] system Database) where we can access information about those applying for registration to teach in Scotland. However, we have strong processes in place to register those individuals who apply for registration from outside the EU, and these rest-of-world processes can be put in place for EU applicants should we lose access to the IMI Database. I make this point as GTC Scotland is not only impacted by the day-to-day operations of education in Scotland. There are many wider European and international issues that can affect our work. This is evidenced by the considerable number of international visitors we receive at Clerwood House. This past year we have had visits from educationalists from Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Wales, and Australia to name only a few countries. Without exception, the primary focus of these visitors is to take regulation best practice from GTC Scotland and to apply it to their education systems. It is not an exaggeration to say that Scottish education, and GTC Scotland as a key part of that, is still hugely well respected and followed across the world.

As we open the page on our 2019–20 reporting year, we look back on our successes of 2018–19. For example, Professional Update reached its fifth year of operation, meaning every registrant has now experienced a professional learning reporting period. Our four-year evaluation of Professional Update showed clearly the significant impact it has made to the working lives of teachers and lecturers. We are proud of these successes and they will drive us to work even harder in the years ahead.

In this report you will find many more examples of positive outcomes across 2018–19. I would like to thank the staff of GTC Scotland for their commitment and hard work and I would also like to thank our Council members for their unwavering support and guidance. On behalf of everyone at GTC Scotland we would like to thank our registrants who have provided their support and useful feedback to the services we provide.

Kenneth Muir

Chief Executive and Registrar

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Objectives and Activities About GTC Scotland

GTC Scotland is the world’s oldest, self-regulating professional body for teaching and was set up in 1965. The organisation in its current form was established by the Public Services Reform (General Teaching Council for Scotland) Order 2011 and is a charity registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) (SC006187). We have statutory responsibilities for contributing towards improving the quality of teaching and learning and maintaining and improving teachers’ professional standards.

As an organisation, our vision is assuring and enhancing educational professionalism and inspiring world-class learning and teaching.

Our key objectives, held within our Strategic Plan for 2017–20, are as follows.

Set high standards and promote high-quality professional learning, teaching and leadership to improve learner outcomes.

Be an effective regulator acting in the public interest, enhancing the reputation of the Scottish teaching profession.

Continue to improve our governance, organisational effectiveness and capability.

We embed our values – fairness, integrity, trust and respect, professionalism and sustainability – in all our work.

GTC Scotland is based at Clerwood House, 96 Clermiston Road, Edinburgh, EH12 6UT.

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Achievements and Performance As we enter the final reporting cycle of our Strategic Plan 2017–20, we can reflect on achieving a number of our objectives. These are set out below under the headings of each of three strategic objectives.

1. Setting high standards and promoting high-quality professional learning, teaching and leadership to improve learner outcomes

Review of the Professional Standards

We have been working with colleagues and partners across the education profession to refresh the suite of Professional Standards for teachers. A significant amount of feedback has been gathered, and the profession has sent a clear message that the Professional Standards are an integral part of every teacher’s identity.

The work of the Head Teacher Empowerment and Career Pathways groups established by Scottish Government have added to the thinking of the various groups supporting the refresh of the Standards. A first draft of the Standard for Full Registration has been prepared and will be released for consultation in September 2019. The refreshed suite of Standards will be launched in summer 2020.

When reviewing the Professional Standards and the Code of Professionalism and Conduct (COPAC), GTC Scotland recognised that it was important for the voices of all those involved in education to be heard, including children and young people. As a result, we commissioned Children in Scotland to carry out research with children and young people focusing specifically on their experiences of education. The aim was to have a better understanding of the views of children and young people so that these could be used to inform the refreshed Standards and COPAC. The result of this work was the joint Children in Scotland and GTC Scotland report entitled ‘Review of the Professional Standards: The Experiences of Children and Young People’ which was published in September 2018. The research provides the most up-to-date and detailed data on the qualities and values that children and young people believe makes a good teacher. The report includes a series of recommendations for GTC Scotland and teachers to implement the research findings.

Supporting professional learning

GTC Scotland is now in the final year of the five-year implementation of Professional Update for all teachers in Scotland. Over 55,000 teachers have now successfully engaged with the process.

In 2014, each local authority, school or organisation had its Professional Update process validated by GTC Scotland. As part of a revalidation process, GTC Scotland has undertaken a four-year evaluation of the teaching profession’s engagement with Professional Update and what the experience has been like so far for all those who have been involved in supporting or engaging with the process.

As with the original validation process, GTC Scotland is taking a phased approach to its revalidation exercise. Working with local authorities, schools and organisations that

Over 55,000 teachers have had their Professional Update signed off in the last four years.

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were early adopters in the first year, GTC Scotland is progressing from there, with a proposed date for completion of the revalidation process of 2020.

The intention of Professional Update is to support professional learning for all those registered with GTC Scotland through effective and meaningful ongoing professional dialogue, and professional review and development. This in turn will impact the learning and lives of the children and young people in our schools.

As of November 2018, we began the national roll out of our new professional learning portal, My Professional Learning (MyPL). This online system offers improved functionality to teachers accessing, reflecting upon and logging their professional learning. The portal was commissioned by Scottish Government in response to the Teaching Scotland’s Future report which recommended a National E-Portfolio be created for all teachers across the country. Currently, nearly 3,000 teachers are piloting the system and the national roll out will take place throughout 2019–20, transferring every teacher in Scotland from the current system to using MyPL to log their Professional Update and associated learning.

Supporting high-quality Professional Review and Development

GTC Scotland was tasked by the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, John Swinney, and the Strategic Board of Teacher Education to refresh and communicate the need for strong links between professional learning approaches; Professional Review and Development (PRD) processes; and Professional Update. The need for this refresh was highlighted in Professional Update Annual Evaluations which suggested that PRD was an area in which further support and guidance for teachers is required. Two seconded Education Officers, both former teachers, were appointed in October/November 2018 to engage directly with teachers, headteachers and senior leaders involved in the PRD process to identify ways in which this could be achieved.

To assist in the development of guidance to support high-quality PRD, a steering group was set up and is helping to shape national PRD guidance published in September 2019.

2. Be an effective regulator acting in the public interest, enhancing the reputation of the Scottish teaching profession

Enhancing professionalism in the college sector

GTC Scotland has continued to work with the college sector to validate individual colleges for Professional Update. All Scottish colleges have now either been validated or are in the process of validation (with the three final colleges currently working with GTC Scotland towards validation).

In 2017, a requirement for all lecturers to be registered with GTC Scotland was part of the terms and conditions of the sector’s National Joint Negotiating Committee settlement. A cross-sector working group, chaired by GTC Scotland, has been set up to establish requirements and pathways for college lecturers to register with and be regulated by GTC Scotland. Registration and regulation are seen as an important step in acknowledging the professionalism of lecturers and their ongoing commitment to professional learning. GTC Scotland has

GTC Scotland has now validated 14 colleges for Professional Update

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been making internal preparations for college registration, such as enhancing our online registration capabilities and working closely with the college sector to provide support materials, including offering more college-related content in Teaching Scotland magazine.

Accreditation of Teacher Education Institutions

Throughout the reporting period, we have been exploring new and innovative ways to attract people into the teaching profession in Scotland. Part of this work came out of the Scottish Government’s Review of Governance and a desire to offer more flexible routes into teaching in a bid to attract people and encourage greater diversity in the profession. A programme of accreditation and re-accreditation throughout the year has seen new and existing programmes of teacher education evaluated to ensure that high standards are maintained. These programmes are listed in Table 1, below.

Table 1: Teacher accredited programmes

Teacher education institution Name of programme Date of accreditation University of Dundee Teaching Qualification in Further

Education 22 May 2018

University of Dundee/UHI

Postgraduate Diploma STEM Education Partnership Induction Model

27 June 2018

University of Strathclyde

BA (Hons) Primary Education 24 August 2018

University of Edinburgh

Return to Teaching

27 September 2018

University of Aberdeen

TQFE 11 December 2018

University of the West of Scotland

BA Education 12 February 2019

University of Stirling

TQFE 19 February 2019

University of Glasgow

MDTechEd MA Religious Education

27 February 2019

Edinburgh Napier University Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (specialising in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics)

26 April 2019*

Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

BA (Hons) Education Studies (Primary) PGDE Secondary (Home Economics)

20 May 2019*

*Accreditation of both universities falls outwith the 2018–19 reporting cycle.

GTC Scotland has also accredited five professional learning programmes shown in Table 2. Professional Recognition recognises the enhanced, significant and sustained enquiry a teacher has undertaken and the development of their professional learning in a particular area. The award recognises the expertise and accomplishment of the teacher. Programmes leading to Professional Recognition are awarded with a Quality Mark, signifying their high-quality content which ensures that teacher professionalism is maintained and enhanced, and that learning experiences are professionally recognised and valued.

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Table 2: Professional learning programmes

1. West of Scotland Development Education Centre (WOSDEC) Global Citizenship programme with the award of Professional Recognition

2. Osiris Teaching Intervention Programme with the award of Professional Recognition in Teaching Intervention

3. North Ayrshire Council with the award of Professional Recognition in Reading Recovery

4. University of Strathclyde’s Supporting Teacher Learning Programme

5. Making Connections Through Learning for Sustainability

Registration of teachers in Independent schools

GTC Scotland has continued to work closely with the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS) and the independent sector to enable the registration of teachers in independent and grant-aided schools. This work is progressing well and will ensure that all teachers in independent schools in Scotland are registered and regulated by GTC Scotland by October 2020.

Recognising excellence in the teaching profession

GTC Scotland holds regular national events that recognise the expertise and accomplishments of teachers across the country.

The Leadership Awards ceremony, held annually in May, is a joint event with Education Scotland at which Scotland’s newest education leaders are recognised for gaining headship qualifications.

The National Probationer event held annually in June celebrates those joining the profession via the Teacher Induction Scheme and Flexible Route, both of which are managed by GTC Scotland.

Our prestigious national Excellence in Professional Learning Awards event, held every September at the conclusion of the Scottish Learning Festival, recognises Excellence in Professional Learning across the teaching profession.

The recipients of the Excellence in Professional Learning Award for Schools and Communities 2018 were:

GTC Scotland:

Awarded Professional Recognition to 863 teachers.

Awarded the GTC Scotland Excellence in Professional Learning Award to eight schools and organisations.

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Dunbar Primary School, East Lothian Kelso High School, Scottish Borders Council Glasgow’s Improvement Challenge, Glasgow City Council Leadership of Learning Community (Family Groups), North Lanarkshire Council Nurturing North Ayrshire Team, North Ayrshire Council St Andrew's Secondary School, Glasgow City Council St Mungo's Academy, Glasgow City Council Riverside Primary School, Stirling Council.

The Professional Recognition Award for Professional Learning Programmes was awarded to:

Columba 1400 – Values Based Teacher Leadership East Lothian Council – Developing Leadership through a School Improvement

Project Positive People Development – First Steps into Leadership and Management SCILT Tapestry Partnership – Leading Learning – the Lens of Middle Leadership West of Scotland Development Education Centre (WOSDEC) – Global Citizenship.

The Professional Learning Award for Organisations was made to:

Dyslexia Scotland Royal Conservatoire Scotland Scotland's Enterprising Schools Scottish Film Education Scottish Schools Education Research Centre - SSERC Tapestry Partnership.

The GTC Scotland Convener's Professional Values Award was presented to Mig Coupe, Head of Direct Help and Support, the Salvesen Mindroom Centre. Mig was praised for her focus on CPD, self-reflective practice and personal development. Her approach was commended as always grounded in good practice, while her continual drive to develop and build on her own knowledge and understanding, and instil this within her team, was also lauded.

Student Placement System

GTC Scotland is responsible on behalf of Scottish Government, the Teacher Education Institutions, and local authorities, for operating the Student Placement System (SPS). This system ensures that all students studying to be teachers are placed in schools appropriate to their subject and learning requirements. This is a complex and significant project for GTC Scotland involving considerable amounts of technical work, including tens of thousands of calculations by an algorithm to ensure students are matched with placements and that those placements meet their needs and within acceptable travelling distance. In 2018–19 GTC Scotland placed 6,299 students across Scotland. We will continue to work with our partners on SPS to ensure the system develops and continues to provide the best possible service to aspiring new teachers.

GTC Scotland matched 16,840 placements for session 2018/19

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Regulation

The protection of the public remains central to GTC Scotland’s FtT process and work has continued during the year to embed the new FtT Rules that came into force on 21 August 2017.

GTC Scotland received 181 new cases during 2018–19, which means that we received FtT referrals in respect of 0.24% of our total number of registrants. This is a 12% increase from the 162 new cases received in 2017–18. Twenty teachers were removed from the register in 2018-19 following FtT processes (27 teachers were removed in 2017-18).

2018-19 2017-18 Open cases at 1 April 141 162 Cases received in year 181 162 Cases closed in year (196) (183) Open cases at 31 March 126 141

The profile of who made FtT referrals changed in 2018–19; 55 cases were referred by the public (71 in 2017–18) and 56 cases were referred by employers (38 in 2017–18). The overwhelming majority of cases, however, continue to relate to conduct (125) with competence referrals remaining low (5).

Figure 1: Cases received

The higher level of referrals from employers during 2018–19 may be as a result of the work of our Development Officers to promote better engagement. Referrals from Disclosure Scotland increased to 45 in 2018–19 (38 in 2017–18), while self-referrals increased to 19 in 2018–19 (5 in 2017–18). Increased awareness amongst the profession of our FtT process could perhaps explain the increase in the number of self-referrals. However, it will be important to monitor what happens over 2019–20 and then consider whether targeted research by GTC Scotland in this area would help inform our public and employer engagement, as well as future resource planning. Six referrals were made by a variety of other sources including the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in 2018–19 (there were 9 referrals from other sources in 2017–18).

01020304050607080

18/19 17/18 18/19 17/18 18/19 17/18 18/19 17/18 18/19 17/18

Public Employer DisclosureScotland

Self Other

Cases Received

Conditional Registration OrderReview

Subsequent Registration Application

Competence

Conduct

Conviction

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Information Governance

GTC Scotland appointed an Information Compliance Officer in December 2017 to support the organisation in ensuring its compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which came into force on 25 May 2018. An initial exercise assessed GTC Scotland’s compliance with GDPR against the seven Data Protection principles, the outcomes of which formed the basis of an action plan. While significant progress has been made against the action plan, there remain a small number of areas where GTC Scotland is continuing to work towards compliance. It is estimated that full compliance will be achieved by December 2019.

During 2018–19, one requester made an application for a Decision by the Scottish Information Commissioner. The Commissioner found that GTC Scotland had complied with FOISA.

Equality and Diversity

GTC Scotland seeks to promote equality of opportunity by recognising and developing the diversity of talent within our Staff and Council, Committee and Panel members under an ethos of mutual respect and trust. To this end, an Equality and Diversity action plan was launched in December 2018. Various initiatives from the plan have been completed including the formation of an Equality and Diversity staff group; the roll-out of equality and diversity training to senior managers; and the creation of an equality and diversity policy, Equality Impact Assessments and associated guidance. Future work includes online training for staff; publication of staff equality monitoring forms and the launch of equalities week.

We understand that varied perspectives will make valuable contributions to the teaching profession and that this will benefit learners. An example of GTC Scotland’s commitment to varied perspectives is demonstrated by inclusion of a Gaelic-language article in each edition of Teaching Scotland magazine; a Gaelic version of this Annual Report is also available at gtcs.org.uk.

Registration

Registration of teachers and college lecturers is at the heart of our work. Registration against the Professional Standards ensures teaching quality. Every teacher wishing to register with GTC Scotland must have a degree or equivalent in a relevant subject and a teaching qualification. College lecturers volunteering to register must have the Teaching Qualification in Further Education (TQFE).

The potential implications of Brexit have focused our minds during this reporting period on how we will continue to register potential teachers from the European Union (EU) post-Brexit. Currently, we are obliged by law to register teachers from other EU countries whereas teachers from countries in the rest of the world have to participate in a different registration process. Brexit will end this arrangement. We will then revert to our rest-of-world

Data requests in 2018–19

64 FOI requests (51 in 2017–18)

18 subject access requests (12 in 2017–18)

All requests for personal information, and 96% of FOI requests, were responded to within the required timescales (4% of FOI requests were incomplete)

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processes for all teachers. This will increase our administrative workload although it will also allow us to operate one process for all teachers. One other outcome of Brexit will be that we will lose access to the Internal Market Information (IMI) database which allows countries across the EU to share information about individuals who are prohibited from working in certain professions. This will require us to work closely with individual countries to gather this information about registrants (for example via police checks), as we currently do with rest-of-world countries.

Each year hundreds of teachers and lecturers request registration with GTC Scotland. Below are some facts and figures that illustrate the work we do in this area.

GTC Scotland registered 868 applicants via Qualified outside of Scotland processes (503 in 2017-18).

GTC Scotland awarded Professional Registration to 309 registrants which is up by 11% on the previous period (280 in 2017-18). This allows teachers who hold full registration to add additional subjects and/or sectors to their current registration.

GTC Scotland awarded Additional Support Needs registration to 41 teachers (42 in 2017-18).

The number of probationer teachers awarded Full Registration via the Teacher Induction Scheme in 2018-19 was 2,746. In the previous year it was 2,665.

Of the 619 flexible route probationers who registered with GTC Scotland in 2018-19, 143 were awarded Full Registration via the Flexible route (in 2017-18, 185 out of 919 flexible-route probationers were awarded full registration).

3. Continue to improve our governance, organisational effectiveness and capability

Stakeholder engagement

GTC Scotland’s large-scale stakeholder research carried out in 2014 indicated that while many stakeholders recognised the important role and functions of GTC Scotland, more needed to be done to raise awareness and better engage with registrants.

With the increase in the annual registration fee in January 2017, the appointment of new staff members to take forward direct engagement work with stakeholders was made possible.

Two Development Officers joined GTC Scotland in the autumn of 2018 to engage with stakeholders across the country, to help increase understanding and awareness of GTC Scotland’s role and responsibilities.

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Since their appointment, the Development Officers have visited local authorities and partner organisations across Scotland to try and find out what our stakeholders know and understand about areas of GTC Scotland’s work, close any knowledge gaps identified, and offer training and support where needed.

We have increased our presence at key events such as the Scottish Learning Festival and College Expo in order to disseminate information about GTC Scotland and engage directly with the teaching profession. Our programme of school visits and professional learning sessions delivered by members of staff has continued to expand and proved useful in explaining our work. The Excellence in Professional Learning Awards was held for the second year running in 2018–19 and again celebrated the impressive educational practice being undertaken in schools and organisations across the country.

Enhancing digital services

We have been carrying out a range of work to enhance our digital services, in particular in the areas of service delivery; reduced system downtime; improved functionality for users; and the increasingly critical area of information security. In January 2019, GTC Scotland was certified for Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation. The Cyber Essentials scheme is a world-leading, assurance mechanism for organisations to help demonstrate that cyber security measures are in place to help organisations protect against common, serious online threats. This certification verifies that GTC Scotland’s IT systems are secure and that satisfactory defences are in place against cyber-attack. We have been rolling out a programme of training workshops for staff on issues such as setting secure passwords; understanding malware and spyware risks; and managing what would happen if our business continuity was ever threatened by a cyber-attack. We have also featured articles in Teaching Scotland magazine and gtcs.org.uk to disseminate this information and useful hints and tips for registrants to use to keep safe online.

A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system (based on Microsoft Dynamics technology and named Atlas following a staff poll) is being introduced and new processes put in place as the system is rolled out across the organisation. This is a significant project which will enable substantial improvements to organisational processes and efficiencies. The first department to begin using Atlas is Regulation and Legal Services. It will allow enhanced tracking and monitoring of FtT processes and offer an improved service to registrants.

Data management and visualisation work has progressed alongside the Atlas roll-out, with new software being introduced that allows for more efficient and accurate data reporting. GTC Scotland holds large amounts of useful data about teacher numbers; the range of subjects in which teachers are qualified; the geographical spread of registrants from across the world, among many other areas. We can use this anonymous data to better inform our work and to present information in more interesting and informative ways. We are also continuing to improve the systems and services that we manage on behalf of registrants. MyGTCS has experienced significant growth in use over the last year with analysis showing a 53% increase in users. As a result of this demand, a new server infrastructure was introduced to support the increase in users and to provide a scalable solution that can grow as

GTC Scotland’s

Chief Executive has engaged with over 280 stakeholders

Development Officers have visited all 32 of Scotland’s local authorities

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required. These changes should ensure minimal downtime of MyGTCS and a faster response time for registrants logging on.

The My Professional Learning (MyPL) portal has continued to be developed and improved using feedback received from pilot users. The pilot was extended to include West Lothian users from March 2019 with nearly 3,000 teachers actively using the portal to log their professional learning activities. The portal continues to be enhanced as feedback is gathered. The national roll-out, moving all teachers and lecturers from using the Professional Update (PU) tab in MyGTCS, to using a MyPL tab for logging professional learning, began in August 2019. This change should be a seamless transition because the MyPL portal mirrors the PU portal but with improved functionality.

Improving internal processes and the working environment

We understand the benefits to registrants of continuous improvement across all aspects of our operations, systems and processes. The more efficient and effective our services, the better outcomes for registrants using them.

The refurbishment of Clerwood House was completed during the reporting period with significant improvements seen to the working environment, offices and meetings rooms. The roof of the building and external paintwork received essential maintenance to ensure the sustainability of the building. The next phase of development will see the car park at Clerwood House resurfaced over 2019–2020.

The appointment of senior staff members in both the Finance and Digital Services teams has seen the introduction of new internal procedures that have streamlined work processes and aligned them with our strategic and annual business planning. This has included a focus on our project management.

GTC Scotland was awarded its Healthy Working Lives Silver Award in July 2019, following achievement of its Healthy Working Lives Bronze award in January 2018.

In order to attain the silver award, the HR team and a cross-organisational working group organised a range of initiatives for staff aimed at creating a healthier working environment throughout 2018-19. This included encouraging employees to eat healthily, providing opportunities for them to increase the amount of physical activity that they do, and running events to promote positive mental health.

A number of policies that impact on employee wellbeing were audited such as those which support attendance at work; avoid accidents in the workplace; and assist employees struggling with an alcohol or drug addiction.

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Financial Review Overview

The organisation recorded net expenditure, before other recognised gains/losses, of £87,000 for the year ended 31 March 2019 (2017-18 as restated: net income of £16,000) as reported under the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) (FRS102). Key movements in income and expenditure are outlined below.

Income

Total income from charitable activities during the financial year was £5.79m (2017–18 as restated: £5.67m).

Registration activities

GTC Scotland is funded predominantly from fees paid by teachers who are required under the Public Services Reform (General Teaching Council for Scotland) Order 2011 to be registered with Council in order to teach in Scotland.

The number of registered teachers continued to increase during 2018–19 with over 75,000 on the register at the end of the year (2017–2018: over 74,000 registered teachers) generating income of £5.00 million (2017–2018: £4.88 million). These numbers can be broken down as follows:

As at 31 March 2019 As at 31 March 2018 Primary Head Teachers 1,085 1,194 Primary Education 38,011 36,859 Secondary Head Teachers 165 179 Secondary Education 35,943 35,446 Further Education (College Sector) 448 485 Teacher Education Institutions 132 134 Total 75,784 74,297

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Expenditure recharged to third parties

To promote, support and develop the professional learning of teachers, GTC Scotland carries out a wide range of initiatives.

The Student Teacher Placement process is a national placement programme which includes a system that enables automatic matching of student teachers to school placement offers throughout Scotland. GTC Scotland develops, maintains and hosts the system on behalf of the universities, local authorities and schools. The total number of student placements made in the year was 16,840 (2017–18: 16,404). The total cost recharged to the universities and local authorities by GTC Scotland for providing this service during 2018–19 was £270k (2017–18: £260k).

In partnership with the Scottish Government, GTC Scotland is responsible for the administration of the Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS). This scheme provides a guaranteed one-year training post in a local authority to every eligible student graduating with a teaching qualification from one of Scotland’s universities. The total cost recharged to the Scottish Government by GTC Scotland for administering this scheme during 2018–19 was £49k (2017–18: £48k).

A further £113k was recharged during the year by GTC Scotland for employees seconded to other organisations (2017–18: £77k).

External funding

GTC Scotland also receives funding from external third parties to support specific projects. During the year, £80k (2017–18: £126k) was received from Scottish Government to fund the second year of a three-year project to develop a national e-portfolio for teachers (MyPL). A further £55k (2017–18: £36k) was received from Scottish Government to fund year two of the MQUiTE (Measuring Quality in Initial Teacher Education) project, which involves research to follow 2017–18 teacher education graduates as they progress through the first five years of their careers.

Advertising and sponsorship

GTC Scotland offers a range of support services to teachers, including the Teaching Scotland magazine, which issues five times a year to everyone on the Register. The production of the magazine generated gross advertising revenue of £55k during the year (2017–18: £75k). A further £15k of advertising income was generated as a result of the MyBenefits App which was launched during the year. Advertising and sponsorship opportunities are considered on a case-by-case basis; principal considerations are relevance to registrants and adherence to GTCS’ values.

GTC Scotland hosted its second Excellence in Professional Learning Awards in September 2018. Sponsorship of the awards generated £15k (2017–18 £nil).

Expenditure

Total expenditure incurred on charitable activities during the financial year was £5.98m (2017–18 as restated: £5.68m).

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Staff costs

Staff costs during 2018–19 were £3.5m (2017–18: £3.06m) and accounted for approximately 59% (2017–18: 54%) of the organisation’s expenditure on charitable activities. A restructure during the year saw the creation of the development and engagement department and the appointment of four senior strategic managers. All new posts are considered by the Corporate Management Team (CMT) and only once they are approved does recruitment take place.

GTC Scotland’s share of the Strathclyde Pension Fund (SPF) defined benefit pension liability increased from £2.6m at 31 March 2018 to £4.3m at 31 March 2019. This movement resulted in additional pension costs of £603k (2017–18: £330k) being charged to the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA).

The pension liability at 31 March 2019 has been calculated on the basis recommended by FRS102. The formal valuation of the SPF is carried out triennially on a different accounting basis to this year’s rolling valuation basis which results in considerable variation in the reported liability. This does not necessarily reflect the SPF’s performance and makes year-on-year comparisons difficult.

Further information regarding staff costs can be found in note 7 to the financial statements.

Operational costs

Operational costs totalled £1.97m during the year (2017–18: £1.99m) and reflect the non-staff costs that GTC Scotland incurs in providing services to registrants. The main areas of spend relate to IT and the provision and maintenance of the GTC Scotland websites; legal costs in relation to the FtT process; and publication costs in relation to the production of Teaching Scotland, GTC Scotland’s magazine. Significant effort and investment have been made over the last 12–18 months to enhance GTC Scotland’s digital capability and make the organisation more efficient by automating and streamlining processes. As a result, IT costs were approximately £90k lower in 2018–19. This saving has been offset by the inclusion of an £85k provision for VAT. Further information can be found in note 14 of the financial statements.

£3,504,425£1,974,408

£348,103 £148,213

Expenditure on Charitable Activities

Staff costs

Operational costs

Property related costs

Governance costs

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Property costs

Property costs totalled £348k during the year (2017–18: £479k) and reflect the costs associated with the running and maintenance of GTC Scotland’s offices, Clerwood House. Property costs are significantly lower in 2018–19 following the extensive refurbishment of Clerwood House, most of which was carried out in the prior year. Practical completion of the refurbishment project was achieved in June 2018.

Governance costs

Governance costs totalled £149k during the year (2017–18: £150k) and reflect the costs associated with the governance arrangements of the charity which relate to the general running of the charity. An increase in auditor’s remuneration, following the appointment of new external auditors in the year, has been offset by a reduction in election costs as elections are held every two years. As a result, governance costs have remained broadly consistent year on year.

Capital expenditure

Capital expenditure during the year was £232k (2017–18: 164k). Of this, £92k related to the completion of the refurbishment and fit out of Clerwood House; with the balance of £140k relating to investment in IT development.

Supplier payment performance

GTC Scotland supports the CBI Prompt Payment Code and pays its suppliers in accordance with the principles of the Code. Properly authorised invoices are paid within 10 days in line with best practice. GTC Scotland has an approach to procurement which is designed to achieve good value and is subject to regular review.

Cash balances

As at 31 March 2019, GTC Scotland had cash balances totalling £4.3m (2018: £3.8m). Those balances not needed for short-term operational reasons are placed on deposit with highly-rated banks to generate interest. Deposits are spread across a number of banks and GTC Scotland is satisfied that it is not exposed to any significant liquidity risk.

Reserves policy

GTC Scotland holds both restricted and unrestricted funds and details of these are provided in note 15 to the financial statements.

The available reserves of the charity at 31 March are:

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Total funds 2,813 3,895 Less: restricted funds (89) (15) Less: fixed assets (3,218) (3,210) Available reserves (494) 670

The shortfall in available reserves is attributable to the movement in the defined benefit pension liability (see staff costs above). The pension scheme’s actuary estimates that GTC Scotland’s employer pension contributions for 2019–20 will be approximately £362k.

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GTC Scotland’s reserves policy is to ensure that net current assets are sufficient to meet all contractual obligations as they fall due. Council considers that the minimum level of reserves should be sufficient to meet three months’ running costs held in liquid funds which equates to £1.4m. Council considers that this policy has been met.

Funds held as custodian trustee on behalf of others

During the year, the activities of the Scottish College for Educational Leadership (SCEL) transferred to Education Scotland. At that time, it was agreed that the funds of SCEL should be used to create a new bursary scheme to support teaching practitioners to engage in research. The funds, which amounted to £75,326, were transferred to GTC Scotland. GTC Scotland acts as the agent of the SCEL Legacy Fund and has no discretion over how bursaries are awarded, acting only in accordance with instructions of the SCEL Legacy Fund Selection Committee. As such, these funds are recognised in a restricted fund, as shown in note 15 to the financial statements.

Principal risks

GTC Scotland is committed to ensuring that risk management underpins and supports the delivery of its strategic plan and the discharge of GTC Scotland’s statutory duties, and that an efficient and effective risk management system is in place. Council has overall responsibility for ensuring that effective arrangements are in place to provide assurance on risk management, governance and internal control. GTC Scotland maintains a risk register that details the most significant risks to the delivery of the Charity’s strategic priorities. The risk register is reviewed weekly by CMT; at all team meetings across the organisation; at every committee meeting; and by full Council at each of its quarterly meetings.

Principal risks to the organisation include the following.

• Brexit and ongoing uncertainty about the legal and process implications for registering teachers from the EU. Potential outcomes are likely to include an increased administrative burden on GTC Scotland. Plans are already in place to mitigate these risks, including reverting to our rest-of-the-world registration process for all EU teachers.

• Technology and in particular the pace at which it is changing is a challenge that is being actively addressed by GTC Scotland. This can be complex in that we have to ensure we are developing systems that meet the needs and skills of all registrants and not just those who are digital natives. We are investing heavily in improving our infrastructure and offering more services, such as online registration. GDPR compliance is another challenge, which we are managing with the help of our Information Compliance Officer.

• GTCS continues its commitment to accreditation of initial teacher education programmes and supporting the recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers. We do this by playing a key role in leading, supporting and promoting high-quality professional learning and leadership of learning, and through ensuring standards are maintained. We are working to ensure a wider and more flexible range of routes into teaching to ensure that people from all backgrounds can access teacher education opportunities. While we do this, we need to balance the continued requirement for high standards and high quality that is the hallmark of registration with GTC Scotland.

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• Ensuring that our FtT processes are understood by registrants and local authority staff. We have appointed two Development Officers to raise awareness of our processes and to ensure our FtT core principles of fairness and proportionality are adhered to.

We do not anticipate that any of these risks will negatively affect the financial performance or position of GTC Scotland going forward.

Plans for future periods

In 2019–20, the total approved expenditure budget is £6.7m. This includes provision, over and above recurring education and regulation related activities, for the delivery of the three key projects that have been identified as a priority for GTC Scotland, namely:

Refresh of the Professional Standards and revision of COPAC Registration of College Lecturers and Instrumental Music Instructors Phases 2 and 3 of Atlas (continuation of CRM project).

Council will also be developing a new strategic plan, covering the three years 2020–23. The strategic plan will support GTC Scotland’s vision of assuring and enhancing educational professionalism and inspiring world-class learning and teaching; and identify areas that require future investment.

GTC Scotland is a modernising organisation at the forefront of Scottish education. We will continue to embrace our mission to be a world-class organisation acting in the public interest to regulate the teaching profession while supporting its ongoing professional learning and development.

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Structure, Governance and Management The organisation GTC Scotland was registered as a Scottish Charity (SC006187) on 17 October 1966 with the charitable purpose of advancing education. GTC Scotland is governed by a Council of 37 members who act as Charitable Trustees and is referred to as Council. Council members Council is comprised of 19 elected registered teachers, 11 educational stakeholder nominees and seven lay members appointed by an independent Appointments Committee. Council membership is based on a four-year term of office and follows a rolling programme, with election, nomination and appointments processes taking place every two years and half of the members stepping down at the end of each two-year period. A full two-day induction and professional learning event is delivered to all new and returning Council members at the start of each new Council. Members joining mid-term are provided with a summarised programme in advance of attending their first committee meeting. All committees undertake a half-day professional learning event on an annual basis in order to ensure that they are well informed on areas pertinent to the work of the committee on which they serve. Further additional sessions are arranged as required. Details of Council membership for 2018–19 are set out on page 27 of the report. Scope of responsibility Council is responsible for setting the organisation’s vision and strategic direction and for monitoring progress to achieve these, while complying with their duties as charitable Trustees. Council is also responsible for holding the Chief Executive and Registrar to account and ensuring that the organisation is managed effectively and efficiently. Council member’s responsibilities regarding the accounts Council members are responsible for preparing the annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice), including Financial Reporting Standard 102, “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland”. The law applicable to charities in Scotland requires Council members to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the income and expenditure of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, Council members are required to: Select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently; Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP (FRS 102); Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; State whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any

material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

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Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.

Council members are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended), and the Public Services Reform (General Teaching Council for Scotland) Order 2011. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. Council members are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the Charity and financial information included in the Charity’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions. Governance framework Much of the work of Council is conducted through its committees which have delegated responsibilities in certain areas. The committees formulate and recommend policies for approval by Council and implement and monitor policies approved by Council. They also advise, inform, and put forward recommendations or proposals on other matters for Council or its other committees or sub-committees as appropriate.

GTCS Council members serve on one or more of the following committees and sub-committees.

Education Committee Executive Committee Finance and Corporate Services Committee (formerly Finance and General

Purposes Committee) Professional Regulatory Assurance Committee Audit Sub-Committee Staffing Sub-Committee.

GTC Scotland’s Corporate Management Team (CMT) is responsible for the day-to-day management of the organisation. The appointment of the Chief Executive is effected by the Council. The Chief Executive’s remuneration is determined by the Convenor of Council and the Convenor of the Finance and Corporate Services Committee. The remuneration of other members of CMT is determined by the Convenor of Council and the Chief Executive. The purpose of a governance framework The system of governance is designed to manage risk rather than eliminate all risk of failure to achieve the GTC Scotland strategic priorities. The system of governance is based on an ongoing process designed to identify the principal risks to the achievement of the GTC Scotland’s strategic priorities; to evaluate the nature and extent of those risks; and to manage them efficiently, effectively and economically.

It is recognised that systems can only provide reasonable but not absolute assurance that major risks have been adequately managed.

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Review of effectiveness As Convener of Council, I have responsibility for reviewing the effectiveness of the system of governance. My review is informed by: The work of Council and the strategic direction it gives the organisation; The work of the Committees and Sub-Committees; The managers within the organisation who have responsibility for the development and

maintenance of the internal control framework; and Comments made by the external auditor in its management letter and other reports.

Matters arising There were no matters arising other than those already laid out in this report. Conclusion Based on the assurance provided to me, I have concluded that the internal control system is operating effectively and that appropriate action plans are in place to address any weaknesses identified and to ensure continuous improvement of the system. By order of Council:

Kenneth Muir David Innes Chief Executive and Registrar Convener of Council

25 September 2019

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Membership of Council – 2 April 2018 to 1 April 2019

I ELECTED MEMBERS [19]

II NOMINATED MEMBERS [11]

(a) Primary/Nursery Teachers (including Headteachers) [9]

(a) Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (following consultation with the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland) [3]

*Lilian Field Headteacher + (2022)

John Bell (2022) *Alison Palmer Headteacher + (2020) *Helen Budge (2020) *Thomas Britton Teacher (2022) *David Dodds. (2022) *Craig Carson Teacher (2020) *Adela Mansur Teacher (2020) *Lorraine McBride Headteacher (2022) (b) Universities Scotland *John Rodgers Teacher (2022) (following consultation with universities providing *Edith Swinley Teacher (2020) courses of Initial Teacher Education) [3] *Martin Whitfield Teacher (2020) *Sue Ellis (To December 2018) (2020) *Donald Gillies (2022) (b) Secondary Teachers *Neil Simco (2022) (including Headteachers) [8] Vacancy (From December 2018) (2020) *David Innes Headteacher + (2020) *John Devine Headteacher + (2022) (c) Further Education Colleges [1] *Richard Bell Teacher (2020) *Aileen Lynch Teacher (2022) David Alexander (2022) *Kevin Campbell Teacher (2020) *Karen J Farrell Teacher (2020) *Iain Macmillan Teacher (From August 2018) (2020) (d) Scottish Council of Independent Schools [1] *James Moore Teacher (To June 2018) (2020) *Adam C Sutcliffe Teacher (2022) *Margaret Lannon (2020) (c) Further Education [1] (e) Church of Scotland [1] *Pamela Currie (2020) Alexander Fraser (To November 2018) (2020) Vacancy (From November 2018) (2020) (d) Universities providing courses of Initial Teacher Education [1] (f) Roman Catholic Church [1] *Paula Cowan (2020) Patricia Scott (2022) (g) Parent Councils and Combined Parent Councils [1] Barrie Sheppard (2022) III APPOINTED LAY MEMBERS [7] Lynsey Cleland (From June 2018) (2020) Audrey Cowie (To June 2018) (2020) Lawrie Davidson (From June 2018) (2020) Ian Jackson (2020) Nazim Hamid (2022) Jane Malcolm (2022) Coral Riddell (2022) Carole Wilkinson (From June 2018) (2020) Vacancy (To June 2018) (2020) +Reserved Headteacher Places *Registered Teacher ++ Move from Teacher Place to Reserved Headteacher Place (2020) or (2022) indicates the year in which the term of office for

a particular Council seat ends on 1 April [ ] Numbers in square brackets refer to the number of members

available to each category

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Reference and Administrative Details Principal Office General Teaching Council for Scotland Clerwood House 96 Clermiston Road Edinburgh EH12 6UT Telephone: 0131 314 6000 Charity Number SC006187 Bankers Bank of Scotland PO Box 1000 BX2 1LB Royal Bank of Scotland 36 St Andrews Square Edinburgh EH2 2AD Clydesdale Bank 83 George Street Edinburgh EH2 3ES Santander Bootle Merseyside, L30 4GB Solicitors Anderson Strathern LLP 1 Rutland Court Edinburgh EH3 8EY External Auditor RSM UK Audit LLP Third Floor, Centenary House 69 Wellington Street Glasgow G2 6HG Council, Committees and Sub-Committees Convener Vice-Convener Council David Innes Edith Swinley Executive Committee David Innes Edith Swinley Professional Regulatory Assurance Committee

Lorraine McBride Thomas Britton

Education Committee Craig Carson Richard Bell Finance and Corporate Services Committee Ian Jackson Neil Simco Audit Sub-Committee Karen J Farrell Edith Swinley Staffing Sub-Committee John Devine Lillian Field

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Key Management Personnel Kenneth Muir Chief Executive and Registrar Ellen Doherty Director of Education, Registration and Professional Learning (retiring

September 2019) Jennifer Macdonald Director of Regulation and Legal Services Martin Osler Director of Corporate Services

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Independent Auditor’s Report to Council Members of the General Teaching Council for Scotland Opinion We have audited the financial statements of The General Teaching Council for Scotland (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2019 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Statement of Cash Flows and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). In our opinion the financial statements: - give a true and fair view of the state of the charity’s affairs as at 31 March 2019 and of its incoming

resources and application of resources, for the year then ended; - have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting

Practice; and - have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charities and Trustee Investment

(Scotland) Act 2005 and regulation 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and the Public Services Reform (General Teaching Council for Scotland) Order 2011.

Basis for opinion We have been appointed as auditor under section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and report in accordance with regulations made under that Act. We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard and we have fulfilled our ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. Conclusions relating to going concern We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the ISAs (UK) require us to report to you where: - Council members’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial

statements is not appropriate; or - Council members have not disclosed in the financial statements any identified material

uncertainties that may cast significant doubt about the charity’s ability to continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting for a period of at least twelve months from the date when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Other information The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Council members are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.

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Matters on which we are required to report by exception We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) require us to report to you if, in our opinion: - the information given in the financial statements is inconsistent in any material respect with Council

Members’ Report; or - proper accounting records have not been kept; or - the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records; or - we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

Responsibilities of Council members As explained more fully in the statement of Council members’ responsibilities set out on pages 24-25, Council members are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as Council members determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, Council members are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless Council members either intend to liquidate the charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so. Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements. A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at http://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report. Use of our report This report is made solely to the charity’s Council members, as a body, in accordance with section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, and regulation 10 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended). Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity’s Council members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and its Council members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed. RSM UK Audit LLP Statutory Auditor Chartered Accountants Third Floor, Centenary House 69 Wellington Street Glasgow G2 6HG September 2019 RSM UK Audit LLP is eligible to act as an auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006

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Financial Statements Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 March 2019

Restated

2019 2018

Note Unrestricted £’000

Restricted £’000

Total £’000

Unrestricted £’000

Restricted £’000

Total £’000

Income from: Charitable activities 4 5,789 - 5,789 5,674 - 5,674 Investments 5 25 - 25 25 - 25 Donations 6 - 75 75 - - - Total 5,814 75 5,889 5,699 - 5,699 Expenditure on: Charitable activities 7 5,975 1 5,976 5,682 1 5,683 Total 5,975 1 5,976 5,682 1 5,683 Net Income/(Expenditure)

(161) 74 (87) 17 (1) 16

Other recognised gains/(losses): Actuarial gains/(losses) 15 (995) - (995) 1,559 - 1,559 Net movement in funds (1,156) 74 (1,082) 1,576 (1) 1,575 Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward

16 3,880 15 3,895 2,304 16 2,320

Total funds carried forward

16 2,724 89 2,813 3,880 15 3,895

There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those listed above and the net expenditure for the year.

All income and expenditure are derived from continuing activities. See note 3 to the financial statements for further details of the restatement of prior year’s figures.

The notes on pages 34 to 48 form part of these financial statements.

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Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2019

Restated Note 2019

£’000 2018

£’000 Fixed assets: Intangible assets 9 194 - Tangible assets 10 3,024 3,210 Total fixed assets 3,218 3,210 Current assets: Debtors 11 185 160 Cash at bank and in hand 12 4,317 3,770 Total current assets 4,502 3,930 Current liabilities: Creditors: Amounts due within one year 13 (327) (379) Net current assets 4,175 3,551 Total assets less current liabilities 7,393 6,761 Provisions 14 (261) (225) Defined Benefit Pension Liability 15 (4,319) (2,641) Net assets 2,813 3,895 Funds of the Charity: Restricted income funds 16 89 15 Unrestricted funds 16 5,702 5,158 Revaluation reserve 16 1,341 1,363 Unrestricted funds excluding pension reserve 7,043 6,521 Defined benefit pension scheme reserve 16 (4,319) (2,641) Total unrestricted funds 2,724 3,880 Total funds 2,813 3,895

The financial statements of the General Teaching Council for Scotland, registered charity number SC006187, were approved by the Trustees of Council and authorised for issue on 25 September 2019.

They were signed on its behalf by

David Innes Ian Jackson

Convener of Council Convener of the Finance and Corporate Services Committee

The notes on pages 34 to 48 form part of these financial statements.

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Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended 31 March 2019

Restated Note 2019

£’000 2018

£’000 Cashflows from operating activities: Net cash inflow from operating activities 24 669 692 Cashflows from investing activities: Interest received 18 16 Purchase of fixed assets (214) (146) Net cash used in investing activities (196) (130) Cashflows from financing activities: SCEL legacy fund 75 - George D Gray CBE MA Award (1) (1) Net cash inflow from financing activities 74 (1) Change in cash and cash equivalents in the reporting period

547 561

Cash and cash equivalents at 1 April 3,770 3,209 Cash and cash equivalents at 31 March 4,317 3,770

The notes on pages 34 to 48 form part of these financial statements.

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Notes to the Financial Statements

For the year ended 31 March 2019

1. Accounting Policies

Basis of Preparation

The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTC Scotland) is an unincorporated charity registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) under charity number SC006187. Details of the principal address can be found on page 28 of these financial statements.

The objective of GTC Scotland is to promote and regulate the teaching profession in Scotland. As such, the charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.

Without limiting the information given, the financial statements meet the requirements of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and are prepared under Financial Reporting Standard (FRS) 102, the financial reporting standard applicable in the UK and Ireland, and the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) FRS 102.

The financial statements are prepared under the historical cost convention modified to account for the revaluation of tangible fixed assets.

The principal accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are noted below. These policies have been consistently applied from year to year unless otherwise stated.

The presentation currency of these financial statements is Sterling. All amounts have been rounded to the nearest £1,000 unless otherwise stated.

Going Concern

GTC Scotland has assessed a period of 12 months from the date of approval of the financial statements and considered that no material uncertainties exist that cast doubt on the ability of the charity to continue as a going concern. The charity has substantial cash reserves and a forward planning cycle of three years which is sufficiently robust to provide early indication of any potential unmanageable losses. Through the teacher registration fee GTC Scotland has a stable source of future income. In addition, the Corporate Management Team reviews the GTC Scotland risk register on a regular basis.

The Trustees therefore consider it appropriate to prepare these financial statements on a going concern basis.

Income Recognition

All income is included in the Statement of Financial Activities when GTC Scotland is legally entitled to the income, receipt is probable, and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy.

The principal source of income is fee income from teacher registration which is accounted for over the period of registration, 1 April to 31 March. Fees received in advance are deferred until the accounting period in which they are earned.

GTC Scotland receives funding from the Scottish Government and other external third parties to finance specific pieces of work such as the Student Placement System (SPS) and MyPL. External funding is treated as income and credited to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period in which GTC Scotland is entitled to recognise the income.

Other income includes outward secondments, interest on investments and advertising income generated from the Teaching Scotland magazine. All other income is accounted for on an accruals basis.

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Expenditure Recognition

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to a particular heading they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with use of the resources.

Support costs are those costs incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the charity and include project management carried out at Headquarters.

Management and administration costs are those incurred in connection with administration of the charity and compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.

Governance costs are those incurred in holding Council election, by Council members in attending committee and other meetings and the costs of professional services such as external audit.

Irrecoverable VAT

Irrecoverable VAT is included with the item of expense to which it relates and is either charged to the Statement of Financial Activities or capitalised as part of the cost of the related asset.

Taxation

GTC Scotland is a registered charity and has no liability to corporation tax on its charitable activities under the Corporation Tax Act 2010 (chapters 2 and 3 of part ii, section 466 onwards) or section 256 of the Taxation for Chargeable Gains Act 1992, to the extent any surpluses are applied to its charitable purposes.

Intangible Fixed Assets

Expenditure on intangible fixed assets, which includes the purchase of computer software licences, software and website costs, has a threshold for capitalisation of £1,000.

GTC Scotland recognises an intangible fixed asset when it is probable the asset will bring future economic benefits and where costs can be measured reliably. Intangible fixed assets are valued initially at cost and amortised over their life on an individual basis not exceeding 3 years. Amortisation of intangible assets is charged to Expenditure on Charitable Activities in the Statement of Financial Activities.

Tangible Fixed Assets

Expenditure is only capitalised where the cost of the asset acquired exceeds £1,000. On initial recognition, tangible fixed assets are measured at cost including any costs directly attributable to bringing them into working condition.

All fixed assets are reviewed annually for impairment and are carried at cost less any impairment. Heritable Property is stated at its current revaluation less depreciation based on the valuation policy noted below. All other assets are stated at cost, net of depreciation and any provision for impairment.

Heritable Property

Full valuations of heritable property are undertaken every five years. The last full valuation of Clerwood House was undertaken at 31 March 2016 when it was valued at open market value for existing use. It is included in the accounts at the valuation amount less accumulated depreciation since the revaluation.

Depreciation

Depreciation is provided on tangible fixed assets on a straight-line basis at rates sufficient to write down their cost, less estimated residual value, over their estimated useful lives. The depreciation periods for each category of assets are:

Buildings 50 years

Office furniture 5 years

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Computer equipment 3 years

Assets in the course of construction are not depreciated until the asset is brought into use.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents in the Balance Sheet comprise balances on short term deposits and cash at bank and in hand.

Leases

All GTC Scotland leases where substantially all the risks and benefits of ownership of the asset have not transferred to GTC Scotland are classified as operating leases. Rentals payable are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease.

There are no assets held under finance lease.

Provisions

Provisions are recognised when GTC Scotland has a present obligation (legal or constructive) as a result of a past event, it is probable that an outflow of resources will be required to be settle the obligation and a reliable estimate can be made of the amount of the obligation.

Pension Provision

GTC Scotland is required to meet the additional costs of benefits beyond the normal pension scheme benefits in respect of employees who retire early. GTC Scotland provides in full for these costs when the early retirement has been agreed. Pension related provisions are discounted where appropriate, using the discount rate as advised by Hymans Robertson. Where discounting is used, the carrying amount of a provision increases in each year to reflect the passage of time. This change is recognised as an expense and included in the Statement of Financial Activities.

Financial Instruments

The financial assets and liabilities held by GTC Scotland qualify as basic financial instruments as described in Section 11 of FRS 102. Basic financial instruments, comprising trade debtors, cash and cash equivalents and trade creditors, are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value. Trade debtors and trade creditors consist of balances outstanding at the financial year end. Cash held on short term deposits are with highly rated banks and do not create any significant interest-rate risk. As GTC Scotland’s principal source of income is from teacher registration fees the charity is not exposed to any significant liquidity or credit risk.

Financial assets are derecognised when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire, or when the charity has transferred substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership. Financial liabilities are derecognised only once the liability has been extinguished through discharge, cancellation or expiry.

Debtors

Trade debtors are recognised at the undiscounted amount of cash receivable, which is normally the invoiced amount, less any allowance for doubtful debts.

Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discount due.

Creditors

Creditors are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to the expenditure.

Creditors are recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discount due.

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Fund Accounting

Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities which further any of the purposes of the charity.

Restricted funds must be used in accordance with the wishes of the donor or grantor. During the year GTC Scotland became the agent for the administration of the SCEL legacy fund. As agent, the Trustees of GTC Scotland have no discretion about the use to which the SCEL legacy fund is put. GTC Scotland can only act in accordance with the instructions of the principal of fund.

Revaluation Reserve

The revaluation reserve records changes in the value of the heritable property. Depreciation is charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on the revalued amount of heritable property. An element of the depreciation arises from the increase in valuation and is in excess of the depreciation that would be charged on the historic cost of the asset. The amount relating to this excess is the realised gain on revaluation and is transferred from the revaluation reserve to unrestricted funds.

The revaluation reserve is a fund not supported by cash and is not available for use.

Termination Payments

The termination of an employee’s employment contract with GTCS Scotland, and any associated payment, are considered on a case by case basis. Payment in lieu of notice is capped in line with contractual obligations.

Pension Costs

All eligible employees are entitled to membership of the Strathclyde Pension Fund (SPF), a defined benefit scheme administered by Glasgow City Council. Employees who are already members of the Scottish Teachers’ Superannuation Scheme (STSS) are instead entitled to maintain their membership of that scheme. Employer’s contributions to the STSS are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities as they fall due.

Employer’s contributions to the SPF are based on the recommendation of the scheme actuary. The current and past service costs are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities so as to spread the expected cost of providing pensions over the employees’ period of service with GTC Scotland.

2. Critical Accounting Estimates and Judgements

In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, which are described in note 1, the Trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future period if the revision affects both current and future periods.

The pension liability included in these financial statements includes the effect of the McCloud judgement.

The Trustees do not consider there are any critical judgements or sources of estimation uncertainty requiring disclosure beyond the accounting policies listed above.

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3. Restatement of Comparative Figures

FRS 102 does not permit the netting off of income and expenditure. Comparative figures in the Statement of Financial Activities have therefore been restated to gross up income and expenditure which had previously been recorded net of advertising revenue. There is no impact on the Net Expenditure reported within the Statement of Financial Activities.

Comparative figures on the Balance Sheet have been restated to transfer the balance relating to the George D Gray CBE MA Award from Creditors to Restricted Reserves within the funds of the charity as the fund can only be used for a specific purpose. This has increased the total funds by £15,000. There is no impact on the Statement of Financial Activities.

Reported 2018

Movement

Restated 2018

£’000 £’000 £’000 Statement of Financial Activities: Income from charitable activities 5,599 75 5,674 Income from investments 25 - 25 Total 5,624 75 5,699 Expenditure on charitable activities 5,607 75 5,682 Net Income 17 - 17 Balance Sheet: Creditors: Amounts due within one year (394) 15 (379) Net assets 3,880 15 3,895 Restricted income funds - 15 15 Total funds 3,880 15 3,895

4. Income from Charitable Activities

Restated 2019

£’000 2018

£’000 Registration fees 4,998 4,877 Expenditure recharged to third parties 436 398 External funding 136 201 Protecting vulnerable groups (PVG) fees 133 113 Advertising and sponsorship 85 75 Sundry income 1 10 5,789 5,674

5. Income from Investments

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Short term deposit interest 25 25

39

6. Income from Donations

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

SCEL Legacy Fund 75 -

7. Expenditure on Charitable Activities

Restated 2019

£’000 2019

£’000 2018

£’000 2018

£’000 Staff costs 3,504 3,064 Defined benefit liability interest cost

80 102

Administration 807 695 Bureaux and professional services

725 823

Property and security 348 479 Depreciation and amortisation 224 253 Disclosure and other fees 139 117 5,827 5,533 Governance – General Expenses Council, Committee and Panel Member Compensation

66 62

Travel and subsistence 45 49 Accommodation and catering 21 19 Auditor’s remuneration 17 12 Election costs - 8 149 150 5,976 5,683

Administration costs include £1,000 (2017-18: £1,000) of restricted funds expenditure.

A GTCS Members Expenses and Compensation Scheme Policy is in operation for Council, Committee and Panel members. As part of the Compensation Scheme, an agreement is in place between GTC Scotland and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) to ensure the availability of registered teacher Council and Panel Members employed in a local authority to participate in Council, Committee or Panel meetings or professional learning events.

Travel and subsistence wholly represent the cost of reimbursing Council, Committee and Panel Members for expenses incurred by them in attending meetings. During the year 30 members (2017–18: 26 members) made travel and subsistence claims.

40

8. Staff Costs

Restated 2019

£’000 2018

£’000 Wages and salaries 2,170 2,010 Social security costs 213 204 Employers pension contributions 376 366 Staff salary costs 2,759 2,580 Realised pension movement 603 330 Temporary staff 142 154 Total staff costs 3,504 3,064

The average number of persons employed by GTC Scotland during the year was 66 (2017-18: 62), of which 16 were part-time (2017-18: 16). During the year there were on average 60 full time equivalent employees (2017-18: 56).

The Key Management Personnel include the Members of the GTC Scotland Council and its Corporate Management Team (see reference and admin details on pages 27-28.

No Council members received any remuneration from GTC Scotland in the year ended 31 March 2019 (2017-18: nil). The total amount of employee pay and benefits paid to the Corporate Management Team in the year was £361,803 (2017-18: £503,861). The Corporate Management Team’s salary progression is subject to annual performance review.

Chief Executive’s Remuneration 2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Salary 105 99 Employer’s pension contributions 20 19 Total remuneration 125 118

Employees receiving benefits, excluding pension costs, of more than £60,000:

2019 Number

2018 Number

Banding: £60k – 69k - - £70k – 79k 2 3 £80k – 89k - 1 £90k – 99k - - £100k - £109k 1 - Total 3 4

Three higher paid staff accrued retirement benefits under a defined benefit scheme (2017-18: 5).

A Director resigned with effect from 16 February 2018 and received payment in lieu of notice equivalent to 6 months’ salary in line with contractual obligations. A termination payment of £5,000 was made to the same Director. This resulted in a total payment of annual salary plus payment in lieu of notice between £110,000 - £119,999 for this employee.

41

9. Intangible Assets

Software £’000

Website £’000

Total £’000

Cost At 1 April 2018 - - - Reclassification from tangible assets (note 10) 17 703 720 Additions 42 98 140 Disposals (4) (6) (10) At 31 March 2019 55 795 850 Depreciation At 1 April 2018 - - - Reclassification from tangible assets (note 10) 17 552 569 Charge for the year - 97 97 Disposals (4) (6) (10) At 31 March 2019 13 643 656 Net Book Value At 31 March 2019 42 152 194 At 31 March 2018 - - -

Software and website assets have been reclassified from tangible to intangible fixed assets during the year. Balances relating to software were previously disclosed within the Office Furniture and Computer Equipment category of fixed assets. Balances relating to the website were in a category of their own.

10. Tangible Assets

Heritable Property

Office Furniture

Computer Equipment

Website

Office Furniture

& Equipment

Computer Equipment

Total £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 Cost At 1 April 2018 3,318 395 676 - - 4,389 Reclassification - (351) - 67 284 - Reclassification to intangible assets (note 9)

- (44) (676) - - (720)

Additions 39 - - 53 - 92 Disposals - - - (7) (86) (93) At 31 March 2019 3,357 - - 113 198 3,668 Depreciation At 1 April 2018 347 280 552 - - 1,179 Reclassification - (263) - 39 224 - Reclassification to intangible assets (note 9)

- (17) (552) - - (569)

Charge for the year

67 - - 17 43 127

Disposals - - - (7) (86) (93) At 31 March 2019 414 - - 49 181 644 Net Book Value At 31 March 2019 2,943 - - 64 17 3,024 At 31 March 2018 2,971 115 124 - - 3,210

42

11. Debtors

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Trade debtors - 97 Other debtors 1 - Prepayments and accrued income 184 63 185 160

12. Cash at Bank and In Hand

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Short term deposits 4,288 3,712 Cash at bank and in hand 29 58 4,317 3,770

13. Creditors

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Trade creditors - 88 Other creditors 6 2 Accruals 321 289 327 379

14. Provisions

Pension

£’000

Legal Costs £’000

VAT

£’000

Total £’000

Provision at 1 April 2018 207 18 - 225 Amounts used during year (16) (9) - (25) Amounts released during year (21) (9) - (30) Amounts provided for during year - - 85 85 Unwinding of discount 6 - - 6 Provision at 31 March 2019 176 - 85 261

The pension provision relates to the future obligations to former members of staff. The provision is based on a calculation as at 31 March 2019 using information relating to each recipient. Date of birth, gender and any entitlements of a spouse are taken into account. A discount rate of 2.4% was used as advised by Hymans Robertson. The provision is released as payments are made to each recipient.

The provision for legal costs relates to an FtT case which was resolved in July 2018. The balance of the provision was released as it was no longer required.

During 2018-19, GTC Scotland’s taxable income breached HMRC’s VAT registration threshold which places a requirement on GTC Scotland to register for VAT. On further investigation, it appears that the threshold has also been breached in prior years. A provision has therefore been

43

made for the estimated VAT liability due to HMRC whilst work continues to determine the effective date of registration.

15. Pensions

Council participates in two pension schemes. Six employees contributed to the Scottish Teachers’ Superannuation Scheme (STSS) during the year (2017-18: Two). The employee contributions ranged from 10.4% to 11.5% (2017-18: 10.4% to 11.5%) for employees and 17.2% (2017-18: 17.2%) for employers. The employers’ contribution rate is set to increase to 23% from 1 September 2019 to 31 March 2023.

The STSS is a defined benefit scheme administered by the Scottish Government with contribution rates based on notional assets set for the area covered as a whole. The scheme is unable to identify each individual body’s share of the underlying assets and liabilities on a consistent and reasonable basis. Council therefore accounts for these pension costs as if it were a defined contribution scheme.

Employees of Council participate principally in the Strathclyde Pension Fund (SPF), a defined benefit scheme administered by Glasgow City Council. The scheme is a multi-employer scheme. Annual contributions to the scheme are based on the recommendation of the scheme actuary. Current and past service costs and are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities so as to spread the expected cost of providing pensions over the employees’ period of service with Council. Employees contribute between 5.5% and 9.8% of their salary. Employers’ contributions were 19.3% for 2018-19 (2017-18: 19.3%).

Unfunded early retirement pension enhancements for which Council is liable are provided for in full when employees retire and are charged against the provision when paid. Employer contributions for the year to 31 March 2020 will be approximately £362,000.

A formal valuation of the SPF was carried out as at 31 March 2017 by a qualified independent actuary, Hymans Robertson LLP. In order to assess the actuarial value of the SPF’s liabilities as at 31 March 2017, the Scheme’s actuaries have rolled forward the actuarial value of the liabilities allowing for changes in financial assumptions as prescribed under FRS 102, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Ireland.

The pension liability included in these financial statements includes the effect of the McCloud judgement.

The principal assumptions used as at 31 March 2019 were as follows:

2019 % per annum

2018 % per annum

Inflation / Pension increase rate 2.5% 2.4% Salary increases 3.7% 3.6% Discount rate 2.4% 2.7%

The demographic assumptions adopted are consistent with those used for the formal funding valuation as at 31 March 2019. Life expectancy for pensioners and non-pensioners is based on the PMA/PFA92 “year of birth” mortality tables. It has been assumed that 5% of retiring members will opt to increase their lump sums to the maximum allowed.

44

The assumed life expectations from age 65 are:

2019 Years

2018 Years

Current pensioners Males 21.4 21.4 Females 23.7 23.7 Future pensioners Males 23.4 23.4 Females 25.8 25.8

The assets in the scheme and expected rates of return of the SPF investments as at 31 March were as follows:

Split of assets 2019 2018 Equities 64% 70% Bonds 24% 18% Property 10% 11% Cash 2% 1%

Balance Sheet analysis

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Fair Value of Employer Assets (A) 12,699 11,747 Present Value of Funded Liabilities (B) (16,976) (14,310) Present Value of Unfunded Obligations (B) (42) (78) Net Liability in the Balance Sheet (4,319) (2,641)

A: Reconciliation of Fair Value of Employer Assets

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Opening Fair Value of Scheme Assets 11,747 10,348 Expected Return on Scheme Assets 320 272 Actuarial Gains 386 874 Contributions by Employer 330 342 Contributions by Participants 132 124 Estimated Benefits Paid (Net of Transfer) (216) (213) Closing Fair Value of Scheme Assets 12,699 11,747

45

B: Reconciliation of Defined Benefit Obligation

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Opening Defined Benefit Liability 14,388 14,116 Service Cost 732 677 Past Service Cost 203 - Interest Cost 400 374 Actuarial Losses / (Gains) 1,381 (685) Estimated Benefits Paid (Net of Transfer) (216) (213) Unfunded Benefits Paid (2) (5) Contributions by Participants 132 124 Closing Defined Benefit Liability 17,018 14,388

Being: Funded liability 16,976 14,310 Unfunded obligation 42 78 17,018 14,388

Statement of Financial Activities analysis

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Opening Deficit (2,641) (3,768) Current Service Cost (732) (677) Past Service Cost (203) - Employer’s Contributions 330 342 Contributors Unfunded Benefits 2 5 Interest Cost (400) (374) Expected Return on Employer Assets 320 272 Actuarial (Losses) / Gains (995) 1,559 Closing Deficit (4,319) (2,641)

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Actual Return on Scheme Assets 706 1,652

46

16. Funds and Net Assets of the Charity Restated As at 31

March 2018

Adjustments

As at 31 March

2018

Income

Expenditure

Recognised Gains /

(Losses)

Transfer between

Reserves

As at 31 March

2019

Analysis of Funds £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 George D Gray CBE MA Award

- 15 15 - (1) - - 14

SCEL Legacy Fund - - - 75 - - - 75 Total restricted reserves - 15 15 75 (1) - - 89 Accumulated unrestricted reserves

5,158 - 5,158 5,814 (5,975) - 705 5,702

Revaluation reserve 1,363 - 1,363 - - - (22) 1,341 Defined benefit pension reserve

(2,641) - (2,641) - - (995) (683) (4,319)

Total unrestricted reserve 3,880 - 3,880 5,814 (5,975) (995) - 2,724 Total funds of the charity 3,880 15 3,895 5,889 (5,976) (995) - 2,813

The George D Gray CBE MA Award is an annual award for the best undergraduate thesis or enquiry in initial teacher education (ITE) in Scotland. George D Gray CBE MA was the first Registrar of GTCS Scotland and when he died, a trust fund was set up by his widow, Dr Ethel Gray CBE, as a memorial to her husband and as a means of encouraging high quality research by undergraduates.

The Scottish College for Educational Leadership (SCEL) Legacy Fund is a new bursary scheme to support teaching practitioners to engage in research. The funding is available as a legacy of SCEL which has become part of Education Scotland. Funding allocations will be assessed by the SCEL selection committee on an individual basis with up to £2,000 available per application.

Net Assets

Fixed Assets

£’000

Cash £’000

Other net current

liabilities £’000

Provisions

£’000

Total £’000

Restricted reserves - 89 - - 89 Unrestricted reserves 1,877 4,228 (142) (261) 5,702 Revaluation reserve 1,341 - - - 1,341 Defined benefit pension reserve - - - (4,319) (4,319) Total funds at 31 March 2019 3,218 4,317 (142) (4,580) 2,813 Restricted reserves - 15 - - 15 Unrestricted reserves 1,847 3,755 (219) (225) 5,158 Revaluation reserve 1,363 - - - 1,363 Defined benefit pension reserve - - - (2,641) (2,641) Total funds at 31 March 2018 3,210 3,770 (219) (2,866) 3,895

47

17. Financial Assets and Liabilities

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Financial assets at amortised cost 4,360 3,877 Financial liabilities at amortised cost (327) (394) 4,033 3,483

Financial assets and liabilities include all current assets and liabilities with the exception of prepayments.

18. Operating Leases

Lease payments recognised as an expense in the year are £6,916 (2017-18: £3,312).

Future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases for each of the following periods are:

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Equipment: Not later than 1 year 7 7 Later than 1 year and not later than 5 years 20 26 Later than 5 years - -

27 33

19. Contingent Liabilities

During the year, GTC Scotland lodged an intervention in an Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) relating to a Registrant. The amount of any potential liability is not disclosed as it would be seriously prejudiced.

20. Capital Commitments

GTC Scotland had future capital commitments amounting to £19,000 (2017-18: £135,000). For the year 2019-20 Council recognises there may be possible asset purchases amounting to £680,000 (2017-18: £230,000 for the year 2018-19) which have been budgeted for but not yet committed.

21. Indemnity Insurance

GTC Scotland paid £14,567 (2017-18: £13,216) for professional indemnity insurance during the year ended 31 March 2019.

22. Related Parties

There have been no related party transactions during the year that require disclosure other than the transactions with Council Members disclosed in note 7.

23. Post Balance Sheet Events

There are no material post balance sheet events that require to be adjusted in the financial statements or to be disclosed.

48

24. Reconciliation of Net (Expenditure) / Income to Net Cash Flow from Operating Activities

Restated 2019

£’000 2018

£’000 Net (Expenditure) / Income for the reporting period (87) 16 Adjusted for: Depreciation and amortisation 224 254 Interest (received) (18) (25) Donations (received) / paid (74) 1 (Increase) / decrease in debtors (25) 15 (Decrease) / increase in creditors (70) 40 Increase / (decrease) in provisions 36 (41) Realised pension movement 603 330 Defined benefit interest cost 80 102 Cash inflow from operating activities 669 692

Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2019 Registered Charity: SC006187

General Teaching Council for Scotland

18-20Co(19)100Appendix 2

2

ANNUAL REPORT 2019

The General Teaching Council for Scotland is the world’s first independent, self-regulating body for teaching. Our role is to maintain and enhance teaching standards and promote the teaching profession in Scotland, in the public interest. In this report we discuss the work we have carried out over the year on behalf of registrants, young people and communities throughout Scotland.

Chief Executive Kenneth Muir

Director of Corporate Services

Martin Osler

Director of Regulation & Legal Services

Jennifer Macdonald

Director of Education, Registration &

Professional Learning Ellen Doherty

(retiring September 2019)

Corporate Executive & Governance

Lisa Dobie

The Corporate Management Team (CMT) is responsible for the operations and management of GTC Scotland. The Chief Executive oversees the CMT and the Executive Office

The Director of Regulation and Legal Services leads on regulatory and legal policy development and has overall responsibility for the Regulation and Legal Services teams

The Director of Corporate Services has overall responsibility for:

n Communications and Digital Services

n Human Resources

n Business Development

n Finance and Procurement

The Director of Education, Registration and Professional Learning has overall responsibility for:

n Education and Professional Learning

n Registration

n Student Support

Corporate Management Team and Departments

3

WELCOME

-Convener’s Report ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5

-Chief Executive’s Statement .................................................................................................................................................. 6

TRUSTEES’ REPORT

- Objectives and Activities ........................................................................................................................................................ 8

-Achievements and Performance ..........................................................................................................................................10

1. Promoting high-quality professional learning, teaching and leadership

•Review of the Professional Standards .................................................................................................................................10

•Support professional learning ................................................................................................................................................10

•Supporting high-quality Professional Review and Development ...............................................................................11

2. Act in the public interest and enhance the reputation of the Scottish teaching profession

•Enhancing professionalism in the college sector .............................................................................................................12

•Accreditation of Teacher Education Institutions ..............................................................................................................12

•Registration of teachers in Independent schools ............................................................................................................12

•Student placement system ....................................................................................................................................................13

•Recognising excellence in the teaching profession..........................................................................................................14

•Regulation .....................................................................................................................................................................................15

•Information governance ...........................................................................................................................................................16

•Equality and diversity ................................................................................................................................................................16

•Registration ..................................................................................................................................................................................16

3. Improve GTC Scotland’s organisational effectiveness and capability

•Stakeholder engagement ........................................................................................................................................................ 17

•Enhancing digital services ......................................................................................................................................................18

•Improving internal processes and the working environment ......................................................................................19

-Financial Review ........................................................................................................................................................................20

-Structure, Governance and Management ........................................................................................................................26

-Reference and Administrative Details................................................................................................................................30

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT .....................................................................................................................................32

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS .........................................................................................................................................................34

4

ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

Convener’s Report

Thank you for taking some time out to read GTC Scotland’s Annual Report 2018-19. This report offers an insight into the work of the world’s first self-regulating professional body for teaching, established in 1965.

I became Council Convener in April 2018. I chair Council meetings, provide leadership of Council and its 37 members, and carry out a range of ceremonial, ambassadorial and other delegated duties. When I became Convener I fully expected the post to be challenging but I did not quite reckon with just how extensive and intensive is the work of GTC Scotland.

As a teacher going through my career I perhaps did not have as much awareness of the scope of the work of GTC Scotland as I should have. With the arrival of the new Professional Standards I took an increasing interest in the organisation and decided to stand for election to the 2016–2018 Council. This year has seen GTC Scotland emerge from the complex and resource-heavy work involved in addressing the Scottish Government’s Review of Governance which asked a number of questions of the organisation. The fact that

GTC Scotland has gone on to develop further over the past 12 months speaks volumes about the quality of its staff and the services they deliver for registrants; and of the respect that exists for its work as the teaching regulator.

In the last 12 months I have had the privilege to see the breadth and quality of the work undertaken by GTC Scotland on behalf of its 75,000 registrants, for the benefit of children and communities across Scotland, and it only strengthens my belief that its role in Scottish education is paramount and essential.

GTC Scotland has rightly received national and international acclaim for its work in the areas of registration, regulation and professional learning with innovative projects such as the learning portal, MyPL and the Excellence in Professional Learning Awards leading from the front. We cannot, however, rest on our laurels and the 2018–2020 Council is providing governance and oversight to a very ambitious programme of activities GTC Scotland is undertaking, some of

which are mentioned in this report.Myself and my colleague trustees on Council are all fully committed to ensuring that GTC Scotland continues to build on its reputation and retains high levels of confidence from the profession and wider general public we serve.

In this report you will enjoy details about the strides being taken by the organisation to continue to improve and enhance its services for registrants and to support and enhance Scottish education. On behalf of GTC Scotland Council members, I thank you again for your interest in and support for our work.

David Innes

5

Chief Executive’s Statement

I am pleased to present GTC Scotland’s Annual Report 2018–19, which reports against the Strategic Objectives set out in our 2017–20 Strategic Plan.

A key focus of our work over the past year has been improving the reach, quality and efficiency of our services for registrants and the wider public.

We appointed two new Development Officers who have been engaging with local authorities, registrants and parent bodies across Scotland in order to increase understanding and awareness about the role of GTC Scotland. They have been information gathering and identifying where there are gaps in knowledge so that we can address the needs of our registrants. I mention this first as I believe the appointment of Development Officers indicates our desire to continue listening to the views of registrants and modernising GTC Scotland to ensure we are fit for purpose for the years to come.

With this in mind we are currently developing our Strategic Plan 2020–23. Our focus will very much be on continuing to respond to registrant needs and ensuring the services we offer are in the interests not only of registrants but, importantly, the wider public, children and young people. It is not often understood that GTC Scotland is a charitable body, independent of Scottish Government. We exist to act in the public interest by ensuring the teaching profession is as effective as it possibly can be.

This past year we have invested in GTC Scotland’s headquarters at Clerwood House by carrying out essential maintenance to the main building, upgrading the working environment, and making significant improvements to our IT infrastructure.

Many registrants visit Clerwood House each year for a range of events, including to participate in the business of Council and Committee meetings; professional learning sessions; Awards ceremonies; Fitness-to-Teach (FtT) hearings; College registration and other working groups; and the hundreds of day-to-day meetings that take place to discuss and further the role of GTC Scotland. Clerwood House is owned by the registrants who pay their £65 registration fee each year. It is important our infrastructure is of good quality and offers a welcoming environment that is conducive to free and creative thought. I would like to extend an invitation to any registrant or group of registrants to visit GTC Scotland and find out more about the work we do or, perhaps, to use our facilities for an event.

We are conscious that IT problems can be the bane of registrants in schools and colleges across the land. GTC Scotland has not always offered seamless access to its services which has sometimes exacerbated this problem. We have invested considerable resources addressing this in order to provide stable; intuitive and useful online services for registrants. This work will continue over the years ahead.

We continue to work with partners across Scottish education to promote teaching as a career choice and to explore new and innovative routes into the teaching profession. Over 2018–19 we carried out a review of the Memorandum on Entry Requirements for Initial Teacher Education programmes in Scotland. Our information gathering exercise which informed this review involved a working group, a literature review, a comparative study of the entry requirements of other teaching councils

and a national consultation. It was found that Scotland has high and rigorous entry requirements and that there is a desire to maintain this. While there was no appetite for lowering entry requirements or for entry requirements to be significantly raised, it was important that GTC Scotland carried out this review to ensure that the Memorandum remains relevant and fit for purpose.

Over the reporting period, work has been ongoing on refreshing the Professional Standards and the Code of Professionalism and Conduct. Following the outcomes of the Education Governance Review in June 2018, a new timeline for this review was put in place and approved by Council. We are now looking towards running a consultation on the new Standards in autumn 2019 with a publication date of summer 2020. I would urge all registrants to participate in this consultation. The

6

ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

refreshed Standards will be supported by a suite of short advice and guidance booklets for registrants on topics that will maintain and enhance registrant professionalism.

GTC Scotland has also been closely monitoring the potential impact of Brexit on our registration processes and putting measures in place to ensure we are fully prepared for whatever happens next. The exit of the UK from the European Union would see the loss of access to a shared database (the Internal Market Information [IMI] system Database) where we can access information about those applying for registration to teach in Scotland. However, we have strong processes in place to register those individuals who apply for registration from outside the EU, and these rest-of-world processes can be put in place for EU applicants should we lose access to the IMI Database.

I make this point as GTC Scotland is not only impacted by the day-to-day operations of education in Scotland. There are many wider European and international issues that can affect our work. This is evidenced by the considerable number of international visitors we receive at Clerwood House. This past year we have had visits from educationalists from Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Wales, and Australia to name only a few countries. Without exception, the primary focus of these visitors is to take regulation best practice from GTC Scotland and to apply it to their education systems. It is not an exaggeration to say that Scottish education, and GTC Scotland as a key part of that, is still hugely well respected and followed across the world.

As we open the page on our 2019–20 reporting year, we look back on our successes of 2018–19. For example,

Professional Update reached its fifth year of operation, meaning every registrant has now experienced a professional learning reporting period. Our four-year evaluation of Professional Update showed clearly the significant impact it has made to the working lives of teachers and lecturers. We are proud of these successes and they will drive us to work even harder in the years ahead.

In this report you will find many more examples of positive outcomes across 2018–19. I would like to thank the staff of GTC Scotland for their commitment and hard work and I would also like to thank our Council members for their unwavering support and guidance. On behalf of everyone at GTC Scotland we would like to thank our registrants who have provided their support and useful feedback to the services we provide.

Kenneth Muir

We exist to act in the public interest by ensuring the teaching profession is as effective as it possibly can be.“

7

Objectives and Activities

About GTC Scotland

Our Vision:Assuring and enhancing educational professionalism; inspiring world-class learning and teaching

GTC Scotland is the world’s oldest, self-regulating professional body for teaching and was set up in 1965. The organisation in its current form was established by the Public Services Reform (General Teaching Council for Scotland) Order 2011 and is a charity registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). (SC006187). We have statutory responsibilities for contributing towards:

improving the quality of teaching and learning

maintaining and improving teachers’

professional standards

Our Key Objectives, held within our Strategic Plan for 2017-2020 are:

Set high standards and promote high quality professional learning, teaching and leadership to improve learner outcomes.

Be an effective regulator acting in the public interest, enhancing the reputation of the Scottish teaching profession.

We embed Our Values in all of our work:

Fairness Integrity

8

ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

Continue to improve our governance, organisational effectiveness and capability.

Professionalism SustainabilityTrust and Respect

9

As we enter the final reporting cycle of our Strategic Plan 2017–20, we can reflect on achieving a number of our objectives. These are set out below under the headings of each of three strategic objectives.

1. Setting high standards and promoting high-quality professional learning, teaching and leadership to improve learner outcomesReview of the Professional StandardsWe have been working with colleagues and partners across the education profession to refresh the suite of Professional Standards for teachers. A significant amount of feedback has been gathered, and the profession has sent a clear message that the

Professional Standards are an integral part of every teacher’s identity. The work of the Head Teacher Empowerment and Career Pathways groups established by Scottish Government have added to the thinking of the various groups supporting the refresh of the Standards. A first draft of the Standard for Full Registration has been prepared and will be released for consultation in September 2019. The refreshed suite of Standards will be launched in summer 2020. When reviewing the Professional Standards and the Code of Professionalism and Conduct (COPAC), GTC Scotland recognised that it was important for the voices of all those involved in education to be heard, including children and young people. As a result, we commissioned Children in Scotland to carry out research with children and young people focusing specifically on their experiences of education. The aim was to have a better understanding of the views of children and young people so that these could be used to inform the refreshed Standards and COPAC. The result of this work was the joint Children in Scotland and GTC Scotland report entitled ‘Review of the Professional Standards: The Experiences of Children and

Young People’ which was published in September 2018. The research provides the most up-to-date and detailed data on the qualities and values that children and young people believe makes a good teacher. The report includes a series of recommendations for GTC Scotland and teachers to implement the research findings.

Supporting professional learningGTC Scotland is now in the final year of the five-year implementation of Professional Update for all teachers in Scotland. Over 55,000 teachers have now successfully engaged with the process.

In 2014, each local authority, school or organisation had its Professional Update process validated by GTC Scotland. As part of a revalidation process, GTC Scotland has undertaken a four-year evaluation of the teaching profession’s engagement with Professional Update and what the experience has been like so far for all those who have been involved in supporting or engaging with the process.

As with the original validation process, GTC Scotland is taking a phased

Achievements and Performance

10

ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

approach to its revalidation exercise. Working with local authorities, schools and organisations that were early adopters in the first year, GTC Scotland is progressing from there, with a proposed date for completion of the revalidation process of 2020.

The intention of Professional Update is to support professional learning for all those registered with GTC Scotland through effective and meaningful ongoing professional dialogue, and professional review and development. This in turn will impact the learning and lives of the children and young people in our schools.

As of November 2018, we began the national roll out of our new professional learning portal, My Professional Learning (MyPL). This online system offers improved functionality to teachers accessing, reflecting upon and logging their professional learning. The portal was commissioned by Scottish Government in response to the Teaching Scotland’s Future report which recommended a National E-Portfolio be created for all teachers across the country. Currently, nearly 3,000 teachers are piloting the system and the national roll out will take place throughout 2019–20, transferring every teacher in Scotland from the current

system to using MyPL to log their Professional Update and associated learning.

Supporting high-quality Professional Review and DevelopmentGTC Scotland was tasked by the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, John Swinney, and the Strategic Board of Teacher Education to refresh and communicate the need for strong links between professional learning approaches; Professional Review and Development (PRD) processes; and Professional Update. The need for this refresh was highlighted in Professional Update Annual Evaluations which suggested that PRD was an area in which further support and guidance for teachers is required. Two seconded Education Officers, both former teachers, were appointed in October/November 2018 to engage directly with teachers, headteachers and senior leaders involved in the PRD process to identify ways in which this could be achieved. To assist in the development of guidance to support high-quality PRD, a steering group was set up and is helping to shape national PRD guidance which was published in September 2019.

>55,000teachers have had their

Professional Update signed off in the last four years

96%had a PRD meeting, according to the PU

evaluation

95%felt they had ownership

over the professional learning they engaged

in and that their professional learning was relevant to their development needs

this year

11

Teacher education institution

Name of programme Date of accreditation

University of Dundee Teaching Qualification in Further Education 22 May 2018

University of Dundee/UHI Postgraduate Diploma STEM Education Partnership Induction Model

27 June 2018

University of Strathclyde BA (Hons) Primary Education 24 August 2018

University of Edinburgh Return to Teaching 27 September 2018

University of Aberdeen TQFE 11 December 2018

University of the West of Scotland BA Education 12 February 2019

University of Stirling TQFE 19 February 2019

University of Glasgow MDTechEd

MA Religious Education

27 February 2019

*Edinburgh Napier University Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (specialising in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics)

26 April 2019

*Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

BA (Hons) Education Studies (Primary)

PGDE Secondary (Home Economics)

20 May 2019

14colleges have

been validated by GTC Scotland for

Professional Update

2. Be an effective regulator acting in the public interest, enhancing the reputation of the Scottish teaching professionEnhancing professionalism in the college sector

GTC Scotland has continued to work with the college sector to validate individual colleges for Professional Update. All Scottish colleges have now either been validated or are in the process of validation (with the three final colleges currently working with GTC Scotland towards validation).

In 2017, a requirement for all lecturers to be registered with GTC Scotland was part of the terms and conditions of the sector’s National Joint Negotiating Committee settlement. A cross-sector working group, chaired by GTC Scotland, has been set up to establish requirements and pathways for college lecturers to register with and be regulated by GTC Scotland. Registration and regulation are seen as an important step in acknowledging the professionalism of lecturers and their ongoing commitment to professional learning. GTC Scotland has been making internal

Table 1: Teacher accredited programmes

preparations for college registration, such as enhancing our online registration capabilities and working closely with the college sector to provide support materials, including offering more college-related content in Teaching Scotland magazine.

Accreditation of Teacher Education InstitutionsThroughout the reporting period, we have been exploring new and innovative ways to attract people into the teaching profession in Scotland. Part of this work came out of the Scottish Government’s Review of Governance and a desire to offer more flexible routes into teaching in a bid to attract people and encourage greater diversity in the profession. A programme of accreditation and re-accreditation throughout the year has seen new and existing programmes of teacher education evaluated to ensure that high standards are maintained. These programmes are listed in Table 1, below.

Registration of teachers in independent schools

GTC Scotland has continued to work closely with the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS) and the independent sector to enable the registration of teachers in independent and grant-aided schools. This work is progressing well and will ensure that all teachers in independent schools in Scotland are registered and regulated by GTC Scotland by October 2020.

*Accreditation of both universities falls outwith the 2018–19 reporting cycle.

12

ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

1. West of Scotland Development Education Centre (WOSDEC) Global Citizenship programme with the award of Professional Recognition

2. Osiris Teaching Intervention Programme with the award of Professional Recognition in Teaching Intervention

3. North Ayrshire Council with the award of Professional Recognition in Reading Recovery

4. University of Strathclyde’s Supporting Teacher Learning Programme

5. Making Connections Through Learning for Sustainability

Student Placement SystemGTC Scotland is responsible on behalf of Scottish Government, the Teacher Education Institutions, and local authorities, for operating the Student Placement System (SPS). This system ensures that all students studying to be teachers are placed in schools appropriate to their subject and learning requirements. This is a complex and significant project for GTC Scotland involving considerable amounts of technical work, including tens of thousands of calculations by an algorithm to ensure students are matched with placements and that those placements meet their needs and within acceptable travelling distance. In 2018–19 GTC Scotland placed 6,299 students across Scotland. (7,363 for 2017–18). We will continue to work with our partners on SPS to ensure the system develops and continues to provide the best possible service to aspiring new teachers.

Table 2: Professional learning programmes

GTC Scotland has also accredited five professional learning programmes shown in Table 2. Professional Recognition recognises the enhanced, significant and sustained enquiry a teacher has undertaken and the development of their professional learning in a particular area. The award recognises the expertise and accomplishment of the teacher. Programmes leading to Professional Recognition are awarded with a Quality Mark, signifying their high-quality content which ensures that teacher professionalism is maintained and enhanced, and that learning experiences are professionally recognised and valued.

GTC Scotland matched

16,840 placements for session

2018-19 (16,404 in 2017-18)

13

Recognising excellence in the teaching professionGTC Scotland holds regular national events that recognise the expertise and accomplishments of teachers across the country.

The Leadership Awards ceremony, held annually in May, is a joint event with Education Scotland at which Scotland’s newest education leaders are recognised for gaining headship qualifications.

The National Probationer event held annually in June celebrates those joining the profession via the Teacher Induction Scheme and Flexible Route, both of which are managed by GTC Scotland.

Our prestigious national Excellence in Professional Learning Awards event, held every September at the conclusion of the Scottish Learning Festival, recognises Excellence in Professional Learning across the teaching profession.

The recipients of the Excellence in Professional Learning Award for Schools and Communities were:

nDunbar Primary School, East Lothian nKelso High School, Scottish Borders Council nGlasgow’s Improvement Challenge, Glasgow City Council nLeadership of Learning Community (Family Groups), North Lanarkshire Council nNurturing North Ayrshire Team, North Ayrshire Council nSt Andrew’s Secondary School, Glasgow City Council nSt Mungo’s Academy, Glasgow City Council nRiverside Primary School, Stirling Council.

The Professional Recognition Award for Professional Learning Programmes was awarded to:

nColumba 1400 - Values Based Teacher Leadership nEast Lothian Council - Developing Leadership through a School Improvement Project nPositive People Development - First Steps into Leadership and Management nSCILT nTapestry Partnership - Leading Learning - the Lens of Middle Leadership nWest of Scotland Development Education Centre (WOSDEC) - Global Citizenship.

The Professional Learning Award for Organisations was made to:

nDyslexia Scotland nRoyal Conservatoire Scotland nScotland’s Enterprising Schools nScottish Film Education nScottish Schools Education Research Centre - SSERC nTapestry Partnership.

The GTCS Convener’s Professional Values Award was presented to Mig Coupe, Head of Direct Help and Support, the Salvesen Mindroom Centre. Mig was praised for her focus on CPD, self-reflective practice and personal development. Her approach was commended as always grounded in good practice, while her continual drive to develop and build on her own knowledge and understanding, and instil this within her team, was also lauded.

863teachers were

awarded Professional Recognition by GTC Scotland

8schools and organisations

were awarded the Excellence in Professional Learning Award by GTC Scotland

14

ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

RegulationThe protection of the public remains central to GTC Scotland’s FtT process and work has continued during the year to embed the new FtT Rules that came into force on 21 August 2017.

GTC Scotland received 181 new cases during 2018–19, which means that we received FtT referrals in respect of 0.24% of our total number of registrants. This is a 12% increase from the 162 new cases received in 2017–18. Twenty teachers were removed from the register in 2018–19 following FtT processes (27 teachers were removed in 2017–18).

The profile of who made FtT referrals changed in 2018–19; 55 cases were referred by the public (71 in 2017–18) and 56 cases were referred by employers (38 in 2017–18). The overwhelming majority of cases, however, continue to relate to conduct (125) with competence referrals remaining low (5).

2018-19 2017-18

Open cases at 1 April 141 162

Cases received in year 181 162

Cases closed in year (196) (183)

Open cases at 31 March 126 141

Figure 1: Cases received

The higher level of referrals from employers during 2018–19 may be as a result of the work of our Development Officers to promote better engagement.

Referrals from Disclosure Scotland increased to 45 in 2018–19 (38 in 2017–18), while self-referrals increased to 19 in 2018–19 (5 in 2017–18). Increased awareness amongst the profession of our FtT process could perhaps explain the increase in the number of self-referrals. However, it will be important to monitor what happens over 2019–20 and then consider whether targeted research by GTC Scotland in this area would help inform our public and employer engagement, as well as future resource planning. Six referrals were made by a variety of other sources including the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in 2018–19 (there were 9 referrals from other sources in 2017–18).

Conditional Registration Order Review

Subsequent Registration Application

Competence

Conduct

Conviction

Public Employer Disclosure Scotland

Self Other

18/19 17/1818/19 17/1818/19 17/1818/19 17/1818/19 17/180

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

15

Information GovernanceGTC Scotland appointed an Information Compliance Officer in December 2017 to support the organisation in ensuring its compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which came into force on 25 May 2018. An initial exercise assessed GTC Scotland’s compliance with GDPR against the seven Data Protection principles, the outcomes of which formed the basis of an action plan. While significant progress has been made against the action plan, there remain a small number of areas where GTC Scotland is continuing to work towards compliance. It is estimated that full compliance will be achieved by December 2019.

During 2018–19, one requester made an application for a Decision by the Scottish Information Commissioner. The Commissioner found that GTC Scotland had complied with FOISA.

Equality and Diversity GTC Scotland seeks to promote equality of opportunity by recognising and developing the diversity of talent within our Staff and Council, Committee and Panel members under an ethos of mutual respect and trust. To this end, an Equality and Diversity action plan was launched in December 2018. Various initiatives from the plan have been completed including the formation of an Equality and Diversity staff group; the roll-out of equality and diversity training to senior managers; and the creation of an equality and diversity policy, Equality Impact Assessments and associated guidance. Future work includes online training for staff; publication of staff equality monitoring forms and the launch of equalities week.

We understand that varied perspectives will make valuable contributions to the teaching profession and that this will benefit learners. An example of GTC Scotland’s commitment to varied perspectives is demonstrated by inclusion of a Gaelic-language article in each edition of Teaching Scotland magazine; a Gaelic version of this Annual Report is also available at gtcs.org.uk.

RegistrationRegistration of teachers and college lecturers is at the heart of our work. Registration against the Professional Standards ensures teaching quality. Every teacher wishing to register with GTC Scotland must have a degree or equivalent in a relevant subject and a teaching qualification. College lecturers volunteering to register must have the Teaching Qualification in Further Education (TQFE).

The potential implications of Brexit have focused our minds during this reporting period on how we will continue to register potential teachers from the European Union (EU) post-Brexit. Currently, we are obliged by law to register teachers from other EU countries whereas teachers from countries in the rest of

the world have to participate in a different registration process. Brexit will end this arrangement. We will then revert to our rest-of-world processes for all teachers. This will increase our administrative workload although it will also allow us to operate one process for all teachers. One other outcome of Brexit will be that we will lose access to the Internal Market Information (IMI) database which allows countries across the EU to share information about individuals who are prohibited from working in certain professions. This will require us to work closely with individual countries to gather this information about registrants (for example via police checks), as we currently do with rest-of-world countries.

Data requests in 2018–19:

n64 FOI requests (51 in 2017–18) n 18 subject access requests (12 in 2017–18) nAll requests for personal information, and 96% of FOI requests, were responded to within the required timescales (4% of FOI requests were incomplete)

868GTC Scotland registered applicants via Qualified

outside Scotland processes (503 in

2017-18)

Each year hundreds of teachers and lecturers request registration with GTC Scotland. Below are some facts and figures that illustrate the work we

do in this area:

41teachers awarded GTC Scotland ASN registration (42 in

2017-2018)

143 flexible route probationer

teachers of the 619 registered were awarded Full Registration via

the Flexible Route. (In 2017–18, 185 out of 919 flexible-route probationers were awarded

Full Registration)

2,746 probationer teachers were awarded Full Registration via the Teacher Induction

Scheme (Previous year: 2,665)

309registrants were awarded

GTC Scotland Professional Registration, which is up 11%

on the previous period (280 in 2017-2018)

16

ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

3. Continue to improve our governance, organisational effectiveness and capability

Stakeholder engagementGTC Scotland’s large-scale stakeholder research carried out in 2014 indicated that while many stakeholders recognised the important role and functions of GTC Scotland, more needed to be done to raise awareness and better engage with registrants.

With the increase in the annual registration fee in January 2017, the appointment of new staff members to take forward direct engagement work with stakeholders was made possible.Two Development Officers joined GTC Scotland in the autumn of 2018 to engage with stakeholders across the country, to help increase understanding and awareness of GTC Scotland’s role and responsibilities.

Since their appointment, the Development Officers have visited local authorities and partner organisations across Scotland to try and find out what our stakeholders know and understand

about areas of GTC Scotland’s work, close any knowledge gaps identified, and offer training and support where needed.

We have increased our presence at key events such as the Scottish Learning Festival and College Expo in order to disseminate information about GTC Scotland and engage directly with the teaching profession.

Our programme of school visits and professional learning sessions delivered by members of staff has continued to expand and proved useful in explaining our work. The Excellence in Professional Learning Awards was held for the second year running in 2018–19 and again celebrated the impressive educational practice being undertaken in schools and organisations across the country.

GTC Scotland’sChief Executive has engaged with over

280 stakeholders

Development Officers have

visited all

32 of Scotland’s local

authorities

17

Enhancing digital services We have been carrying out a range of work to enhance our digital services, in particular in the areas of service delivery; reduced system downtime; improved functionality for users; and the increasingly critical area of information security. In January 2019, GTC Scotland was certified for Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation. The Cyber Essentials scheme is a world-leading, assurance mechanism for organisations to help demonstrate that cyber security measures are in place to help organisations protect against common, serious online threats. This certification verifies that GTC Scotland’s IT systems are secure and that satisfactory defences are in place against cyber attack. We have been rolling out a programme of training workshops for staff on issues such as setting secure passwords; understanding malware and spyware risks; and managing what would happen if our business continuity was ever threatened by a cyber attack. We have also featured articles in Teaching Scotland magazine and gtcs.org.uk to disseminate this information and useful hints and tips for registrants to use to keep safe online.

A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system (based on Microsoft Dynamics technology and named Atlas following a staff poll) is being introduced and new processes put in place as the system is rolled out across the organisation. This is a significant project which will enable substantial improvements to organisational processes and efficiencies. The first department to begin using Atlas is Regulation and Legal Services. It will allow enhanced tracking and monitoring of FtT processes and offer an improved service to registrants.

Data management and visualisation work has progressed alongside the Atlas roll-out, with new software being introduced that allows for more efficient and accurate data reporting. GTC Scotland holds large amounts of useful data about teacher numbers; the range of subjects in which teachers are qualified; the geographical spread of registrants from across the world, among many other areas. We can use this anonymous data to better inform our work and to present information in more interesting and informative ways. We are also continuing to improve the systems and services that we manage on behalf of registrants. MyGTCS has experienced significant growth in use over the last year with analysis showing a 53% increase in users. As a result of this demand, a new server infrastructure was introduced to support the increase in users and to provide a scalable solution that can grow as required. These changes should ensure minimal downtime of MyGTCS and a faster response time for registrants logging on.

The My Professional Learning (MyPL) portal has continued to be developed and improved using feedback received from pilot users. The pilot was

extended to include West Lothian users from March 2019 with nearly 3,000 teachers actively

using the portal to log their professional learning activities. The portal continues to be enhanced as

feedback is gathered. The national roll-out, moving all teachers and lecturers from using the Professional

Update (PU) tab in MyGTCS, to using a MyPL tab for logging professional learning, began in August 2019. This change should be a seamless transition because the MyPL portal mirrors the PU portal but with improved functionality.

The pilot was extended to include

West Lothian users from March 2019 with nearly

3,000 teachers actively using

the portal

MyGTCS has experienced significant

growth in use over the last year with a

53% increase in users

18

ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

Improving internal processes and the working environment

We understand the benefits to registrants of continuous improvement across all aspects of our operations, systems and processes. The more efficient and effective our services, the better outcomes for registrants using them.

The refurbishment of Clerwood House was completed during the reporting period with significant improvements seen to the working environment, offices and meetings rooms. The roof of the building and external paintwork received essential maintenance to ensure the sustainability of the building. The next phase of development will see the car park at Clerwood House resurfaced over 2019–2020.

The appointment of senior staff members in both the Finance and Digital Services teams has seen the introduction of new internal procedures that have streamlined work processes and aligned them with our strategic and annual business planning. This has included a focus on our project management.

GTC Scotland was awarded its Healthy Working Lives Silver Award in July 2019, following achievement of its Healthy Working Lives Bronze award in January 2018.

In order to attain the silver award, the HR team and a cross-organisational working group organised a range of initiatives for staff aimed at creating a healthier working environment throughout 2018-19. This included encouraging employees to eat healthily, providing opportunities for them to increase the amount of physical activity that they do, and running events to promote positive mental health.

A number of policies that impact on employee wellbeing were audited such as those which support attendance at work; avoid accidents in the workplace; and assist employees struggling with an alcohol or drug addiction.

We are continuing to improve the systems and services that we manage on behalf of registrants.”

19

OverviewThe organisation recorded net expenditure, before other recognised gains/losses, of £87,000 for the year ended 31 March 2019 (2017-2018 as restated: net income of £16,000) as reported under the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) (FRS102). Key movements in income and expenditure are outlined below:

Income Total income from charitable activities during the financial year was £5.79m (2017-18 as restated: £5.67m).

Registration activitiesGTC Scotland is funded predominantly from fees paid by teachers who are required under the Public Services Reform (General Teaching Council for Scotland) Order 2011 to be registered with Council in order to teach in Scotland.

The number of registered teachers continued to increase during 2018–19 with over 75,000 on the register at the end of the year (2017–2018: over 74,000 registered teachers) generating income of £5.00 million (2017–2018: £4.88 million).

These numbers can be broken down as follows:

Expenditure recharged to third partiesTo promote, support and develop the professional learning of teachers, GTC Scotland carries out a wide range of initiatives. The Student Teacher Placement process is a national placement programme which includes a system that enables automatic matching of student teachers to school placement offers throughout Scotland. GTC Scotland develops, maintains and hosts the system on behalf of the universities, local authorities and schools. The total number of student placements made in the year was 16,840 (2017–18: 16,404). The total cost recharged to the universities and local authorities by GTC Scotland for providing this service during 2018–19 was £270k (2017–18: £260k).

In partnership with the Scottish Government, GTC Scotland is responsible for the administration of the Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS). This scheme provides a guaranteed one-year training post in a local authority to every eligible student graduating with a teaching qualification from one of Scotland’s universities. The total cost recharged to the Scottish Government by GTC Scotland for administering this scheme during 2018–19 was £49k (2017–18: £48k).

A further £113k was recharged during the year by GTC Scotland for employees seconded to other organisations (2017–18: £77k).

Financial Review

As at 31 March 2019

As at 31 March 2018

Primary Head Teachers 1,085 1,194

Primary Education 38,011 36,859

Secondary Head Teachers 165 179

Secondary Education 35,943 35,446

Further Education (College Sector) 448 485

Teacher Education Institutions 132 134

Total 75,784 74,297

■ Registration activities £4,997,864

■ PoVG fees £132,626

■ Expenditure recharged to third parties £436,348

■ External funding £135,766

■ Advertising & Sponsorship £85,201

■ Sundry income £1,438

20

ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

The total number of student placements made

in the year was

16,840The number of

registered teachers continued to increase during

2018–19 to over

75,000

Total income from charitable activities during

the financial year was

£5.79mExternal fundingGTC Scotland also receives funding from external third parties to support specific projects. During the year, £80k (2017–18: £126k) was received from Scottish Government to fund the second year of a three-year project to develop a national e-portfolio for teachers (MyPL). A further £55k (2017–18: £36k) was received from Scottish Government to fund year two of the MQUiTE (Measuring Quality in Initial Teacher Education) project, which involves research to follow 2017–18 teacher education graduates as they progress through the first five years of their careers.

Advertising and sponsorshipGTC Scotland offers a range of support services to teachers, including Teaching Scotland magazine which issues five times a year to everyone on the Register. The production of the magazine generated gross advertising revenue of £55k during the year (2017–18: £75k). A further £15k of advertising income was generated as a result of the MyBenefits App which was launched during the year. Advertising and sponsorship opportunities are considered on a case-by-case basis; principal considerations are relevance to registrants and adherence to GTCS’ values. GTC Scotland hosted its second Excellence in Professional Learning Awards in September 2018. Sponsorship of the awards generated £15k (2017–18 £nil).

21

ExpenditureTotal expenditure incurred on charitable activities during the financial year was £5.98m (2017–18 as restated: £5.68m).

Staff costsStaff costs during 2018–19 were £3.5m (2017–18: £3.06m) and accounted for approximately 59% (2017–18: 54%) of the organisation’s expenditure on charitable activities. A restructure during the year saw the creation of the development and engagement department and the appointment of four senior strategic managers. All new posts are considered by the Corporate Management Team (CMT) and only once they are approved does recruitment take place.

GTC Scotland’s share of the Strathclyde Pension Fund (SPF) defined benefit pension liability increased from £2.6m at 31 March 2018 to £4.3m at 31 March 2019. This movement resulted in additional pension costs of £603k (2017–18: £330k) being charged to the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA).

The pension liability at 31 March 2019 has been calculated on the basis recommended by FRS102. The formal valuation of the SPF is carried out triennially on a different accounting basis to this year’s rolling valuation basis which results in considerable variation in the reported liability. This does not necessarily reflect the SPF’s performance and makes year-on-year comparisons difficult.Further information regarding staff costs can be found in note 8 to the financial statements.

Operational costsOperational costs totalled £1.97m during the year (2017–18: £1.99m) and reflect the non-staff costs that GTC Scotland incurs

in providing services to registrants. The main areas of spend relate to IT and the provision and maintenance of the GTC Scotland websites; legal costs in relation to the FtT process; and publication costs in relation to the production of Teaching Scotland, GTC Scotland’s magazine. Significant effort and investment have been made over the last 12–18 months to enhance GTC Scotland’s digital capability and make the organisation more efficient by automating and streamlining processes. As a result, IT costs were approximately £90k lower in 2018–19. This saving has been offset by the inclusion of an £85k provision for VAT. Further information can be found in note 14 of the financial statements.

Property costsProperty costs totalled £348k during the year (2017–18: £479k) and reflect the costs associated with the running and maintenance of GTC Scotland’s offices, Clerwood House. Property costs are significantly lower in 2018–19 following the extensive refurbishment of Clerwood House, most of which was carried out in the prior year. Practical completion of the refurbishment project was achieved in June 2018.

Governance costsGovernance costs totalled £148k during the year (2017–18: £150k) and reflect the costs associated with the governance arrangements of the charity which relate to the general running of the charity. An increase in auditor’s remuneration, following the appointment of new external auditors in the year, has been offset by a reduction in election costs as elections are held every two years. As a result, governance costs have remained broadly consistent year on year.

Capital expenditureCapital expenditure during the year was £232k (2017–18: 164k). Of this, £92k related to the completion of the refurbishment and fit out of Clerwood House; with the balance of £140k relating to investment in IT development.

Supplier payment performance GTC Scotland supports the CBI Prompt Payment Code and pays its suppliers in accordance with the principles of the Code. Properly authorised invoices are paid within 10 days in line with best practice. GTC Scotland has an approach to procurement which is designed to achieve good value and is subject to regular review.

Cash balancesAs at 31 March 2019, GTC Scotland had cash balances totalling £4.3m (2018: £3.8m). Those balances not needed for short-term operational reasons are placed on deposit with highly-rated banks to generate interest. Deposits are spread across a number of banks and GTC Scotland is satisfied that it is not exposed to any significant liquidity risk.

■ Staff costs £3,504,425

■ Operational costs £1,974,408

■ Property related costs £348,103

■ Governnance costs £148,213

22

ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

Reserves policy GTC Scotland holds both restricted and unrestricted funds and details of these are provided in note 16 to the financial statements.

The available reserves of the charity at 31 March are:

2019 (£’000) 2018 (£’000)

Total funds 2,813 3,895

Less: restricted funds (89) (15)

Less: fixed assets (3,218) (3,210)

Available reserves (494) 670

The shortfall in available reserves is attributable to the movement in the defined benefit pension liability (see staff costs above). The pension scheme’s actuary estimates that GTC Scotland’s employer pension contributions for 2019–20 will be approximately £362k.

GTC Scotland’s reserves policy is to ensure that net current assets are sufficient to meet all contractual obligations as they fall due. Council considers that the minimum level of reserves should be sufficient to meet three months’ running costs held in liquid funds, which equates to £1.4m. Council considers that this policy has been met.

Funds held as custodian trustee on behalf of othersDuring the year, the activities of the Scottish College for Educational Leadership (SCEL) transferred to Education Scotland. At that time, it was agreed that the funds of SCEL should be used to create a new bursary scheme to support teaching practitioners to engage in research. The funds, which amounted to £75,326, were transferred to GTC Scotland. GTC Scotland acts as the agent of the SCEL Legacy Fund and has no discretion over how bursaries are awarded, acting only in accordance with instructions of the SCEL Legacy Fund Selection Committee. As such, these funds are recognised in a restricted fund, as shown in note 16 to the financial statements.

23

Principal risksGTC Scotland is committed to ensuring that risk management underpins and supports the delivery of its strategic plan and the discharge of GTC Scotland’s statutory duties, and that an efficient and effective risk management system is in place. Council has overall responsibility for ensuring that effective arrangements are in place to provide assurance on risk management, governance and internal control.

GTC Scotland maintains a risk register that details the most significant risks to the delivery of the Charity’s strategic priorities. The risk register is reviewed weekly by CMT; at all team meetings across the organisation; at every committee meeting; and by full Council at each of its quarterly meetings.

Principal risks to the organisation include the following:

nBrexit and ongoing uncertainty about the legal and process implications for registering teachers from the EU. Potential outcomes are likely to include an increased administrative burden on GTC Scotland. Plans are already in place to mitigate these risks, including reverting to our rest-of-world registration process for all EU teachers. nTechnology and in particular the pace at which it is changing is a challenge that is being actively addressed by GTC Scotland. This can be complex in that we have to ensure we are developing systems that meet the needs and skills of all registrants and not just those who are digital natives. We are investing heavily in improving our infrastructure and offering more services, such as online registration. GDPR compliance is another challenge, which we are managing with the help of our Information Compliance Officer. nGTCS continues its commitment to accreditation of initial teacher education programmes and supporting the recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers. We do this by playing a key role in leading, supporting and promoting high-quality professional learning and leadership of learning, and through ensuring standards are maintained. We are working to ensure a wider and more flexible range of routes into teaching to ensure that people from all backgrounds can access teacher education opportunities. While we do this, we need to balance the continued requirement for high standards and high quality that is the hallmark of registration with GTC Scotland. nEnsuring that our FtT processes are understood by registrants and local authority staff. We have appointed two Development Officers to raise awareness of our processes and to ensure our FtT core principles of fairness and proportionality are adhered to.

We do not anticipate that any of these risks will negatively affect the financial performance or position of GTC Scotland going forward.

24

ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

Plans for future periodsIn 2019–20, the total approved expenditure budget is £6.7m. This includes provision, over and above recurring education and regulation related activities, for the delivery of the three key projects that have been identified as a priority for GTC Scotland, namely:

nRefresh of the Professional Standards and revision of COPAC nRegistration of College Lecturers and Instrumental Music Instructors nPhases 2 and 3 of Atlas (continuation of CRM project).

Council will also be developing a new strategic plan, covering the three years 2020–23. The strategic plan will support GTC

Scotland’s vision of assuring and enhancing educational professionalism and inspiring world-class learning

and teaching; and identify areas that require future investment.

GTC Scotland is a modernising organisation at the forefront of Scottish education. We will continue to embrace our mission to be a world-class organisation acting in the public

interest to regulate the teaching profession while supporting its ongoing professional

learning and development.

GTC Scotland is a modernising organisation at the forefront of Scottish education. We will continue to embrace our mission to be a world-class organisation acting in the public interest to regulate the teaching profession while supporting its ongoing professional learning and development.”

In 2019–20, the total approved expenditure

budget is

£6.7m

25

The organisationGTC Scotland was registered as a Scottish Charity (SC006187) on 17 October 1966 with the charitable purpose of advancing education.

GTC Scotland is governed by a Council of 37 members who act as Charitable Trustees and is referred to as Council.

Council membersCouncil is comprised of 19 elected registered teachers, 11 educational stakeholder nominees and seven lay members appointed by an independent Appointments Committee.

Council membership is based on a four-year term of office and follows a rolling programme, with election, nomination and appointments processes taking place every two years and half of the members stepping down at the end of each two-year period.

A full two-day induction and professional learning event is delivered to all new and returning Council members at the start of each new Council. Members joining mid-term are provided with a summarised programme in advance of attending their first committee meeting. All committees undertake a half-day professional learning event on an annual basis in order to ensure that they are well informed on areas pertinent to the work of the committee on which they serve. Further additional sessions are arranged as required.

Details of Council membership for 2018–19 are set out on page 29 of this report.

Scope of responsibilityCouncil is responsible for setting the organisation’s vision and strategic direction and for monitoring progress to achieve these, while complying with their duties as charitable Trustees. Council is also responsible for holding the Chief Executive and Registrar to account and ensuring that the organisation is managed effectively and efficiently.

Council member’s responsibilities regarding the financial statements

Council members are responsible for preparing the annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice), including Financial Reporting Standard 102, “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland”.

The law applicable to charities in Scotland requires Council members to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the income and expenditure of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, Council members are required to:

nSelect suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently; nObserve the methods and principles in the Charities SORP (FRS 102); nMake judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; nState whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and nPrepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.

Council members are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended), and the Public Services Reform (General Teaching Council for Scotland) Order 2011. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Council members are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the Charity and financial information included in the Charity’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Structure, Governance and Management

Council is responsible for setting the organisation’s vision and strategic direction and for monitoring progress to achieve these, while complying with their duties as charitable Trustees.”

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ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

Governance frameworkMuch of the work of Council is conducted through its committees which have delegated responsibilities in certain areas. The committees formulate and recommend policies for approval by Council and implement and monitor policies approved by Council. They also advise, inform, and put forward recommendations or proposals on other matters for Council or its other committees or sub-committees as appropriate.

GTCS Council members serve on one or more of the following committees and sub-committees:

nEducation Committee nExecutive Committee nFinance and Corporate Services Committee (formerly Finance and General Purposes Committee) nProfessional Regulatory Assurance Committee nAudit Sub-Committee nStaffing Sub-Committee.

GTC Scotland’s Corporate Management Team (CMT) is responsible for the day-to-day management of the organisation. The appointment of the Chief Executive is effected by the Council. The Chief Executive’s remuneration is determined by the Convener of Council and the Convener of the Finance and Corporate Services Committee. The remuneration of other members of CMT is determined by the Convener of Council and the Chief Executive.

The purpose of a governance frameworkThe system of governance is designed to manage risk rather than eliminate all risk of failure to achieve the GTC Scotland strategic priorities. The system of governance is based on an ongoing process designed to identify the principal risks to the achievement of GTC Scotland’s strategic priorities; to evaluate the nature and extent of those risks; and to manage them efficiently, effectively and economically. It is recognised that systems can only provide reasonable but not absolute assurance that major risks have been adequately managed.

27

Review of effectivenessAs Convener of Council, I have responsibility for reviewing the effectiveness of the system of governance. My review is informed by:

nThe work of Council and the strategic direction it gives the organisation; nThe work of the Committees and Sub-Committees; nThe managers within the organisation who have responsibility for the development and maintenance of the internal control framework; and nComments made by the external auditor in its management letter and other reports.

Matters arisingThere were no matters arising other than those already laid out in this report.

ConclusionBased on the assurance provided to me, I have concluded that the internal control system is operating effectively and that appropriate action plans are in place to address any weaknesses identified and to ensure continuous improvement of the system.

By order of Council:

Kenneth Muir David InnesChief Executive and Registrar Convener of Council

25 September 2019

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ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

Membership of Council – 2 April 2018 to 1 April 2019

I ELECTED MEMBERS [19]

(a) Primary/Nursery Teachers (including Headteachers) [9]

*Lilian Field Headteacher+ (2022)

*Alison Palmer Headteacher+ (2020)

*Thomas Britton Teacher (2022)

*Craig Carson Teacher (2020)

*Adela Mansur Teacher (2020)

*Lorraine McBride Headteacher (2022)

*John Rodgers Teacher (2022)

*Edith Swinley Teacher (2020)

*Martin Whitfield Teacher (2020)

(b) Secondary Teachers (including Headteachers) [8]

*David Innes Headteacher+ (2020)

*John Devine Headteacher+ (2022)

*Richard Bell Teacher (2020)

*Aileen Lynch Teacher (2022)

*Kevin Campbell Teacher (2020)

*Karen J Farrell Teacher (2020)

*Iain Macmillan Teacher (From August 2018) (2020)

*James Moore Teacher (To June 2018) (2020)

*Adam C Sutcliffe Teacher (2022)

(c) Further Education [1]

*Pamela Currie (2020)

(d) Universities providing courses of Initial Teacher Education [1]

*Paula Cowan (2020)

II NOMINATED MEMBERS [11]

(a) Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (following consultation with the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland) [3]

John Bell (2022)

*Helen Budge (2020)

*David Dodds (2022)

(b) Universities Scotland (following consultation with universities providing courses of Initial Teacher Education) [3]

*Sue Ellis (To December 2018) (2020)

*Donald Gillies (2022)

*Neil Simco (2022)

Vacancy (From December 2018) (2020)

(c) Further Education Colleges [1]

David Alexander (2022)

(d) Scottish Council of Independent Schools [1]

*Margaret Lannon (2020)

(e) Church of Scotland [1]

Alexander Fraser (To November 2018) (2020)

Vacancy (From November 2018) (2020)

(f) Roman Catholic Church [1]

Patricia Scott (2022)

(g) Parent Councils and Combined Parent Councils [1]

Barrie Sheppard (2022)

III APPOINTED LAY MEMBERS [7]

Lynsey Cleland (From June 2018) (2020)

Audrey Cowie (To June 2018) (2020)

Lawrie Davidson (From June 2018) (2020)

Ian Jackson (2020)

Nazim Hamid (2022)

Jane Malcolm (2022)

Coral Riddell (2022)

Carole Wilkinson (From June 2018) (2020)

Vacancy (To June 2018) (2020)

+Reserved Headteacher Places

*Registered Teacher

++ Move from Teacher Place to Reserved Headteacher Place

(2020) or (2022) indicates the year in which the term of office for a particular Council seat ends on 1 April

[ ] Numbers in square brackets refer to the number of members available to each category

29

Principal OfficeGeneral Teaching Council for ScotlandClerwood House96 Clermiston RoadEdinburghEH12 6UT

Telephone: 0131 314 6000

Charity NumberSC006187

BankersBank of ScotlandPO Box 1000BX2 1LB

Royal Bank of Scotland36 St Andrews SquareEdinburgh EH2 2AD

Clydesdale Bank83 George StreetEdinburgh EH2 3ES

SantanderBootleMerseyside, L30 4GB

SolicitorsAnderson Strathern LLP1 Rutland CourtEdinburgh EH3 8EY

External AuditorRSM UK Audit LLPThird Floor, Centenary House69 Wellington StreetGlasgowG2 6HG

Reference and Administrative Details

Council, Committees and Sub-Committees Convener Vice-ConvenerCouncil David Innes Edith SwinleyExecutive Committee David Innes Edith SwinleyProfessional Regulatory Assurance Committee Lorraine McBride Thomas BrittonEducation Committee Craig Carson Richard BellFinance and Corporate Services Committee Ian Jackson Neil SimcoAudit Sub-Committee Karen J Farrell Edith SwinleyStaffing Sub-Committee John Devine Lillian Field

Key Management PersonnelKenneth Muir Chief Executive and RegistrarEllen Doherty Director of Education, Registration and Professional Learning (retiring September 2019)Jennifer Macdonald Director of Regulation and Legal ServicesMartin Osler Director of Corporate Services

30

ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

31

Opinion We have audited the financial statements of the General Teaching Council for Scotland (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2019 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Statement of Cash Flows and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

ngive a true and fair view of the state of the charity’s affairs as at 31 March 2019 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, for the year then ended; nhave been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and nhave been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and regulation 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and the Public Services Reform (General Teaching Council for Scotland) Order 2011.

Basis for opinionWe have been appointed as auditor under section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and report in accordance with regulations made under that Act.

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard and we have fulfilled our ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concernWe have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the ISAs (UK) require us to report to you where:

nCouncil members’ use of the going concern basis of

accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is not appropriate; or nCouncil members have not disclosed in the financial statements any identified material uncertainties that may cast significant doubt about the charity’s ability to continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting for a period of at least twelve months from the date when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Other informationThe other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Council members are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard. Matters on which we are required to report by exceptionWe have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) require us to report to you if, in our opinion:

n the information given in the financial statements is inconsistent in any material respect with Council Members’ Report; or nproper accounting records have not been kept; or n the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records; or nwe have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

Responsibilities of Council membersAs explained more fully in the statement of Council members’ responsibilities set out on page 26, Council members are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as Council members determine is

Independent Auditor’s Report to Council Members of the General Teaching Council for Scotland

32

ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, Council members are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless Council members either intend to liquidate the charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statementsOur objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Use of our report This report is made solely to the charity’s Council members, as a body, in accordance with section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, and regulation 10 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended). Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity’s Council members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and its Council members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

RSM UK Audit LLPStatutory AuditorChartered AccountantsThird Floor, Centenary House69 Wellington StreetGlasgowG2 6HG

XX September 2019

RSM UK Audit LLP is eligible to act as an auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006

33

Note Unrestricted £’000

Restricted £’000

2019 Total £’000

Unrestricted£’000

Restricted£’000

Restated 2018 Total £’000

Income from

Charitable activities 4 5,789 - 5,789 5,674 - 5,674

Investments 5 25 - 25 25 - 25

Donations 6 - 75 75 - - -

Total 5,814 75 5,889 5,699 - 5,699

Expenditure on

Charitable activities 7 5,975 1 5,976 5,682 1 5,683

Total 5,975 1 5,976 5,682 1 5,683

Net Income/(Expenditure) (161) 74 (87) 17 (1) 16

Other recognised gains/(losses)

Actuarial gains/(losses) 15 (995) - (995) 1,559 - 1,559

Net movement in funds (1,156) 74 (1,082) 1,576 (1) 1,575

Reconciliation of funds

Total funds brought forward 16 3,880 15 3,895 2,304 16 2,320

Total funds carried forward 16 2,724 89 2,813 3,880 15 3,895

Financial Statements

Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 March 2019

There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those listed above and the net expenditure for the year.

All income and expenditure are derived from continuing activities. See note 3 to the financial statements for further details of the restatement of prior years figures.

The notes on pages 37 to 47 form part of these financial statements.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

Note2019

£’000Restated 2018

£’000

Fixed assets

Intangible assets 9 194 -

Tangible assets 10 3,024 3,210

Total fixed assets 3,218 3,210

Current assets:

Debtors 11 185 160

Cash at bank and in hand 12 4,317 3,770

Total current assets 4,502 3,930

Current liabilities

Creditors: Amounts due within one year 13 (327) (379)

Net current assets 4,175 3,551

Total assets less current liabilities 7,393 6,761

Provisions 14 (261) (225)

Defined Benefit Pension Liability 15 (4,319) (2,641)

Net assets 2,813 3,895

Funds of the Charity:

Restricted income funds 16 89 15

Unrestricted funds 16 5,702 5,158

Revaluation reserve 16 1,341 1,363

Unrestricted funds excluding pension reserve 7,043 6,521

Defined Benefit pension scheme reserve 16 (4,319) (2,641)

Total unrestricted funds 2,724 3,880

Total funds 2,813 3,895

Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2019

The financial statements of the General Teaching Council for Scotland, registered charity number SC006187, were approved by the Trustees of Council and authorised for issue on 25 September 2019.

They were signed on its behalf by

David Innes Ian JacksonConvener of Council Convener of the Finance and Corporate Services Committee

The notes on pages 37 to 47 form part of these financial statements.

35

Note2019

£’000Restated 2018

£’000

Cashflows from operating activities

Net cash inflow from operating activities 24 669 692

Cashflows from investing activities

Interest received 18 16

Purchase of fixed assets (214) (146)

Net cash used in investing activities (196) (130)

Cashflows from financing activities

SCEL legacy fund 75 -

George D Gray CBE MA Award (1) (1)

Net cash inflow/(outflow) from financing activities 74 (1)

Change in cash and cash equivalents in the reporting period 547 561

Cash and cash equivalents at 1 April 3,770 3,209

Cash and cash equivalents at 31 March 4,317 3,770

Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended 31 March 2019

The notes on pages 37 to 47 form part of these financial statements.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

Basis of PreparationThe General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTC Scotland) is an unincorporated charity registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) under charity number SC006187. Details of the principal address can be found on page 30 of these financial statements.

The objective of GTC Scotland is to promote and regulate the teaching profession in Scotland. As such, the charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.

Without limiting the information given, the financial statements meet the requirements of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and are prepared under Financial Reporting Standard (FRS) 102, the financial reporting standard applicable in the UK and Ireland, and the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) FRS 102.

The financial statements are prepared under the historical cost convention modified to account for the revaluation of tangible fixed assets. The principal accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are noted below. These policies have been consistently applied from year to year unless otherwise stated.

The presentation currency of these financial statements is Sterling. All amounts have been rounded to the nearest £1,000 unless otherwise stated.

Going Concern GTC Scotland has assessed a period of 12 months from the date of approval of

the financial statements and considered that no material uncertainties exist that cast doubt on the ability of the charity to continue as a going concern. The charity has substantial cash reserves and a forward planning cycle of three years which is sufficiently robust to provide early indication of any potential unmanageable losses. Through the teacher registration fee GTC Scotland has a stable source of future income. In addition, the Corporate Management Team reviews the GTC Scotland risk register on a regular basis.

The Trustees therefore consider it appropriate to prepare these financial statements on a going concern basis.

Income RecognitionAll income is included in the Statement of Financial Activities when GTC Scotland is legally entitled to the income, receipt is probable, and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy.

The principal source of income is fee income from teacher registration which is accounted for over the period of registration, 1 April to 31 March. Fees received in advance are deferred until the accounting period in which they are earned.

GTC Scotland receives funding from the Scottish Government and other external third parties to finance specific pieces of work such as the Student Placement System (SPS) and MyPL. External funding is treated as income and credited to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period in which GTC Scotland is entitled to recognise the income. Other income includes outward secondments, interest on investments and advertising income generated from the Teaching Scotland magazine. All other income

is accounted for on an accruals basis.

Expenditure RecognitionAll expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to a particular heading they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with use of the resources.

Support costs are those costs incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the charity and include project management carried out at Headquarters.

Management and administration costs are those incurred in connection with administration of the charity and compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.

Governance costs are those incurred in holding Council election, by Council members in attending committee and other meetings and the costs of professional services such as external audit.

Irrecoverable VATIrrecoverable VAT is included with the item of expense to which it relates and is either charged to the Statement of Financial Activities or capitalised as part of the cost of the related asset.

TaxationGTC Scotland is a registered charity and has no liability to corporation tax on its charitable activities under the Corporation Tax Act 2010 (chapters 2 and 3 of part ii, section 466 onwards) or section 256 of the Taxation for Chargeable Gains Act 1992, to the extent any surpluses are applied to its charitable purposes.

Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 March 2019 1. Accounting Policies

37

Intangible Fixed AssetsExpenditure on intangible fixed assets, which includes the purchase of computer software licences, software and website costs, has a threshold for capitalisation of £1,000.

GTC Scotland recognises an intangible fixed asset when it is probable the asset will bring future economic benefits and where costs can be measured reliably. Intangible fixed assets are valued initially at cost and amortised over their life on an individual basis not exceeding 3 years.Amortisation of intangible assets is charged to Expenditure on Charitable Activities in the Statement of Financial Activities.

Tangible Fixed AssetsExpenditure is only capitalised where the cost of the asset acquired exceeds £1,000. On initial recognition, tangible fixed assets are measured at cost including any costs directly attributable to bringing them into working condition.

All fixed assets are reviewed annually for impairment and are carried at cost less any impairment. Heritable Property is stated at its current revaluation less depreciation based on the valuation policy noted below. All other assets are stated at cost, net of depreciation and any provision for impairment.

Heritable PropertyFull valuations of heritable property are undertaken every five years. The last full valuation of Clerwood House was undertaken at 31 March 2016 when it was valued at open market value for existing use. It is included in the accounts at the valuation amount less accumulated depreciation since the revaluation.

DepreciationDepreciation is provided on tangible fixed assets on a straight-line basis at rates sufficient to write down their cost, less estimated residual value, over their estimated useful lives.

The depreciation periods for each category of assets are:

Buildings 50 yearsOffice furniture 5 yearsComputer equipment 3 years

Assets in the course of construction are not depreciated until the asset is brought into use.

Cash and Cash EquivalentsCash and cash equivalents in the Balance Sheet comprise balances on short term deposits and cash at bank and in hand.

LeasesAll GTC Scotland leases where substantially all the risks and benefits of ownership of the asset have not transferred to GTC Scotland are classified as operating leases. Rentals payable are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease.

There are no assets held under finance lease.

ProvisionsProvisions are recognised when GTC Scotland has a present obligation (legal or constructive) as a result of a past event, it is probable that an outflow of resources will be required to be settle the obligation and a reliable estimate can be made of the amount of the obligation.

Pension ProvisionGTC Scotland is required to meet the additional costs of benefits beyond the normal pension scheme benefits in respect of employees who retire early. GTC Scotland provides in full for these costs when the early retirement has been agreed. Pension related provisions are discounted where appropriate, using the discount rate as advised by Hymans Robertson. Where discounting is used, the carrying amount of a provision increases in each year to reflect the passage of time. This change is recognised as an expense and included in the Statement of Financial Activities.

Financial Instruments The financial assets and liabilities held by GTC Scotland qualify as basic financial instruments as described in Section 11 of FRS 102. Basic financial instruments, comprising trade debtors, cash and cash equivalents and trade creditors, are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value. Trade debtors and trade creditors consist of balances outstanding at the financial year end. Cash held on short term deposits are with highly rated banks and do not create any significant interest-rate risk. As GTC Scotland’s principal source of income is from teacher registration fees the charity is not exposed to any significant liquidity or credit risk.

Financial assets are derecognised when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire, or when the charity has transferred substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership. Financial liabilities are derecognised only once the liability has been extinguished through discharge, cancellation or expiry.

DebtorsTrade debtors are recognised at the undiscounted amount of cash receivable, which is normally the invoiced amount, less any allowance for doubtful debts.

Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discount due.

CreditorsCreditors are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to the expenditure.Creditors are recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discount due.

Fund AccountingUnrestricted funds are available to spend on activities which further any of the purposes of the charity. Restricted funds must be used in accordance with the wishes of the donor or grantor. During the year GTC Scotland became

38

ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

the agent for the administration of the SCEL legacy fund. As agent, the Trustees of GTC Scotland have no discretion about the use to which the SCEL legacy fund is put. GTC Scotland can only act in accordance with the instructions of the principal of fund.

Revaluation ReserveThe revaluation reserve records changes in the value of the heritable property. Depreciation is charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on the revalued amount of heritable property. An element of the depreciation arises from the increase in valuation and is in excess of the depreciation that would be charged on the historic cost of the asset. The amount relating to this excess is the realised gain on revaluation and is transferred from the revaluation reserve to unrestricted funds. The revaluation reserve is a fund not supported by cash and is not available for use.

Termination PaymentsThe termination of an employee’s employment contract with GTCS Scotland, and any associated payments, are considered on a case-by-case basis. Payment in lieu of notice is capped in line with contractual obligations.

Pension CostsAll eligible employees are entitled to membership of the Strathclyde Pension Fund (SPF), a defined benefit scheme administered by Glasgow City Council. Employees who are already members of the Scottish Teachers’ Superannuation Scheme (STSS) are instead entitled to maintain their membership of that scheme. Employer’s contributions to the STSS are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities as they fall due.

Employer’s contributions to the SPF are based on the recommendation of the scheme actuary. The current and past service costs are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities so as to spread the expected cost of providing pensions over the employees’ period of service with GTC Scotland.

2. Critical Accounting Estimates and Judgements

In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, which are described in note 1, the Trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future period if the revision affects both current and future periods. The pension liability included in these financial statements includes the effect of the McCloud judgement.

The Trustees do not consider there are any critical judgements or sources of estimation uncertainty requiring disclosure beyond the accounting policies listed above.

3. Restatement of Comparative FiguresFRS 102 does not permit the netting off of income and expenditure. Comparative figures in the Statement of Financial Activities have therefore been restated to gross up income and expenditure which had previously been recorded net of advertising revenue. There is no impact on the Net Expenditure reported within the Statement of Financial Activities.

Comparative figures on the Balance Sheet have been restated to transfer the balance relating to the George D Gray CBE MA Award from Creditors to Restricted Reserves within the funds of the charity as the fund can only be used for a specific purpose. This has increased the total funds by £15,000. There is no impact on the Statement of Financial Activities.

Reported2018

£’000Movement

£’000

Restated2018

£’000

Statement of Financial Activities

Income from charitable activities 5,599 75 5,674

Income from investments 25 - 25

Total 5,624 75 5,699

Expenditure on charitable activities 5,607 75 5,682

Net Income 17 - 17

Balance sheet

Creditors: Amounts due within one year (394) 15 (379)

Net assets 3,880 15 3,895

Restricted income funds - 15 15

Total funds 3,880 15 3,895

39

4. Income from Charitable Activities

5. Income from Investments

2019 £’000

Restated 2018 £’000

Registration fees 4,998 4,877

Expenditure recharged to third parties 436 398

External funding 136 201

Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) fees 133 113

Advertising and sponsorship 85 75

Sundry income 1 10

Total 5,789 5,674

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Short term deposit interest 25 25

Administration costs include £1,000 (2017-18: £1,000) of restricted funds expenditure.

A GTCS Members Expenses and Compensation Scheme Policy is in operation for Council, Committee and Panel members. As part of the Compensation Scheme, an agreement is in place between GTC Scotland and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) to ensure the availability of registered teacher Council and Panel Members employed in a local authority to participate in Council, Committee or Panel meetings or professional learning events.

Travel and subsistence wholly represent the cost of reimbursing Council, Committee and Panel Members for expenses incurred by them in attending meetings. During the year 30 members (2017–18: 26 members) made travel and subsistence claims.

7. Expenditure on Charitable Activities

2019 £’000

Restated 2018 £’000

Staff costs 3,504 3,064

Defined benefit liability interest cost 80 102

Administration 807 695

Bureaux and professional services 725 823

Property and security 348 479

Depreciation and amortisation 224 253

Disclosure and other fees 139 117

Sub total 5,827 5,533

Governance – General Expenses

Council, Committee and Panel Member Compensation 66 62

Travel and subsistence 45 49

Accommodation and catering 21 19

Auditor’s remuneration 17 12

Election costs - 8

Governance costs 149 150

Total 5,976 5,683

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

SCEL Legacy Fund 75 -

6. Income from Donations

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ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

8. Staff Costs

2019 £’000

Restated 2018 £’000

Wages and salaries 2,170 2,010

Social security costs 213 204

Employers pension contribution 376 366

Staff salary costs 2,759 2,580

Realised pension movement 603 330

Temporary staff 142 154

Total staff costs 3,504 3,064

2019 Number 2018 Number

Banding

£60k-£69k - -

£70k-£79k 2 3

£80-£89k - 1

£90k-£99k - -

£100k-£109k 1 -

Total 3 4

2019£’000

2018£’000

Salary 105 99

Employer’s Pension Contributions 20 19

Total remuneration 125 118

The average number of persons employed by GTC Scotland during the year was 66 (2017-18: 62), of which 16 were part-time (2017-18: 16). During the year there were on average 60 full time equivalent employees (2017-18: 56).

The Key Management Personnel include the Members of the GTC Scotland Council and its Corporate Management Team. (See reference and admin details on page 30).

No Council members received any remuneration from GTC Scotland in the year ended 31 March 2019 (2017-18: nil). The total amount of employee pay and benefits paid to the Corporate Management Team in the year was £361,803 (2017-18: £503,861). The Corporate Management Team’s salary progression is subject to annual performance review.

Chief Executive’s Remuneration

Employees receiving benefits, excluding pension costs, of more than £60,000

Three higher paid staff accrued retirement benefits under a defined benefit scheme (2017-18: 5).

41

A Director resigned with effect from 16 February 2018 and received payment in lieu of notice equivalent to 6 months’ salary in line with contractual obligations. A termination payment of £5,000 was made to the same Director. This resulted in a total payment of annual salary plus payment in lieu of notice between £110,000 - £119,999 for this employee.

Software £’000

Website £’000

Total £’000

Cost

At 1 April 2018

Reclassification from tangible assets (note 10) 17 703 720

Additions 42 98 140

Disposals (4) (6) (10)

At 31 March 2019 55 795 850

Depreciation

At 1 April 2018

Reclassification from tangible assets (note 10) 17 552 569

Charge for the year - 97 97

Disposals (4) (6) (10)

At 31 March 2019 13 643 656

Net book value

At 31 March 2019 42 152 194

At 31 March 2018 - - -

9. Intangible Assets

Software and website assets have been reclassified from tangible to intangible fixed assets during the year. Balances relating to software were previously disclosed within the Office Furniture and Computer Equipment category of fixed assets. Balances relating to the website were in a category of their own.

10. Tangible Assets

Heritable Property

£’000

Office Furniture

Computer Equipment

£’000Website

£’000

Office Furniture & Equipment

£’000

Computer Equipment

£’000Total

£’000

Cost

At 1 April 2018 3,318 395 676 - - 4,389

Reclassification - (351) - 67 284 -

Reclassification to intangible assets (note 9) - (44) (676) - - (720)

Additions 39 - - 53 - 92

Disposals - - - (7) (86) (93)

At 31 March 2019 3,357 - - 113 198 3,668

Depreciation

At 1 April 2018 347 280 552 - - 1,179

Reclassification - (263) - 39 224 -

Reclassification to intangible assets (note 9) - (17) (552) - - (569)

Charge for the year 67 - - 17 43 127

Disposals - - - (7) (86) (93)

At 31 March 2019 414 - - 49 181 644

Net book value

At 31 March 2019 2,943 - - 64 17 3,024

At 31 March 2018 2,971 115 124 - - 3,210

42

ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

11. Debtors

12. Cash at bank and in hand

13. Creditors

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Trade debtors - 97

Other debtors 1 -

Prepayments and accrued income 184 63

Total 185 160

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Short term deposits 4,288 3,712

Cash at bank and in hand 29 58

Total 4,317 3,770

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Trade creditors – 88

Other creditors 6 2

Accruals 321 289

Total 327 379

14. Provisions

Pension £’000

Legal Costs £’000

VAT £’000

Total £’000

Provision at 1 April 2018 207 18 - 225

Amounts used during year (16) (9) - (25)

Amounts released during year (21) (9) - (30)

Amounts provided for during year - - 85 85

Unwinding of discount 6 - - 6

Provision at 31 March 2019 176 - 85 261

43

15. Pensions

Council participates in two pension schemes. Six employees contributed to the Scottish Teachers’ Superannuation Scheme (STSS) during the year (2017-18: 2). The employee contributions ranged from 10.4% to 11.5% (2017-18: 10.4% to 11.5%) for employees and 17.2% (2017-18: 17.2%) for employers. The employers’ contribution rate is set to increase to 23% from 1 September 2019 to 31 March 2023.

The STSS is a defined benefit scheme administered by the Scottish Government with contribution rates based on notional assets set for the area covered as a whole. The scheme is unable to identify each individual body’s share of the underlying assets and liabilities on a consistent and reasonable basis. Council therefore accounts for these pension costs as if it were a defined contribution scheme.

Employees of Council participate principally in the Strathclyde Pension Fund (SPF), a defined benefit scheme administered by Glasgow City Council. The scheme is a multi-employer scheme. Annual contributions to the scheme are based on the recommendation of the scheme actuary. Current and past service costs are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities so as to spread the expected cost of providing pensions over the employees’ period of service with Council. Employees contribute between 5.5% and 9.8% of their salary. Employers’ contributions were 19.3% for 2018-19 (2017-18: 19.3%).

Unfunded early retirement pension enhancements for which Council is liable are provided for in full when employees retire and are charged against the provision when paid. Employer contributions for the year to 31 March 2020 will be approximately £362,000.

A formal valuation of the SPF was carried out as at 31 March 2017 by a qualified independent actuary, Hymans Robertson LLP. In order to assess the actuarial value of the SPF’s liabilities as at 31 March 2017, the Scheme’s actuaries have rolled forward the actuarial value of the liabilities allowing for changes in financial assumptions as prescribed under FRS 102, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Ireland.

The pension liability included in these financial statements includes the effect of the McCloud judgement.

The principal assumptions used as at 31 March 2019 were as follows:

2019% per annum

2018% per annum

Inflation / Pension increase rate 2.5% 2.4%

Salary increases 3.7% 3.6%

Discount rate 2.4% 2.7%

The pension provision relates to the future obligations to former members of staff. The provision is based on a calculation as at 31 March 2019 using information relating to each recipient. Date of birth, gender and any entitlements of a spouse are taken into account. A discount rate of 2.4% was used as advised by Hymans Robertson. The provision is released as payments are made to each recipient.

The provision for legal costs relates to an FtT case which was resolved in July 2018. The balance of the provision was released as it was no longer required.

During 2018-19, GTC Scotland’s taxable income breached HMRC’s VAT registration threshold which places a requirement on GTC Scotland to register for VAT. On further investigation, it appears that the threshold has also been breached in prior years. A provision has therefore been made for the estimated VAT liability due to HMRC whilst work continues to determine the effective date of registration.

44

ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

The demographic assumptions adopted are consistent with those used for the formal funding valuation as at 31 March 2019. Life expectancy for pensioners and non-pensioners is based on the PMA/PFA92 “year of birth” mortality tables. It has been assumed that 5% of retiring members will opt to increase their lump sums to the maximum allowed. The assumed life expectations from age 65 are:

The assets in the scheme and expected rates of return of the SPF investments as at 31 March were as follows:

2019 Years

2018 Years

Current pensioners Males 21.4 21.4

Females 23.7 23.7

Future pensioners Males 23.4 23.4

Females 25.8 25.8

Split of assets 2019 Split of assets 2018

Equities 64% 70%

Bonds 24% 18%

Property 10% 11%

Cash 2% 1%

Balance Sheet Analysis

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Fair Value of Employer Assets (A) 12,699 11,747

Present Value of Funded Liabilities (B) (16,976) (14,310)

Present Value of Unfunded Obligations (B) (42) (78)

Net Liability in the Balance Sheet (4,319) (2,641)

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Actual Return on Scheme Assets 706 1,652

A: Reconciliation of Fair Value of Employer Assets

B: Reconciliation of Defined Benefit Obligation

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Opening Fair Value of Scheme Assets 11,747 10,348

Expected Return on Scheme Assets 320 272

Actuarial Gains 386 874

Contributions by Employer 330 342

Contributions by Participants 132 124

Estimated Benefits Paid (Net of Transfer) (216) (213)

Closing Fair Value of Scheme Assets 12,699 11,747

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Opening Defined Benefit Liability 14,388 14,116

Service Cost 732 677

Past Service Cost 203 -

Interest Cost 400 374

Actuarial Losses / (Gains) 1,381 (685)

Estimated Benefits Paid (Net of Transfer) (216) (213)

Unfunded Benefits Paid (2) (5)

Contributions by Participants 132 124

Closing Defined Benefit Liability 17,018 14,388

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Opening Deficit (2,641) (3,768)

Current Service Cost (732) (677)

Past Service Cost (203) -

Employer’s Contributions 330 342

Contributors Unfunded Benefits 2 5

Interest Cost (400) (374)

Expected Return on Employer Assets 320 272

Actuarial (Losses) / Gains (995) 1,559

Closing Deficit (4,319) (2,641)

Being:

Funded liability 16,976 14,310

Unfunded obligation 42 78

17,018 14,388

Statement of Financial Activities analysis

45

16. Funds and Net Assets of the Charity

Analysis of Funds As at 31 March 2018

£’000Adjustments

£’000

RestatedAs at 31

March 2018£’000

Income £’000

Expenditure £’000

Recognised Gains /

(Losses)£’000

Transfer between

Reserves£’000

As at 31 March 2019

£’000

George D Gray CBE MA Award - 15 15 - (1) - - 14

SCEL Legacy Fund - - - 75 - - - 75

Total restricted reserves - 15 15 75 (1) - - 89

Accumulated unrestricted reserves 5,158 - 5,158 5,814 (5,975) - 705 5,702

Revaluation reserve 1,363 - 1,363 - - - (22) 1,341

Defined benefit pension reserve (2,641) - (2,641) - - (995) (683) (4,319)

Total unrestricted reserves 3,880 - 3,880 5,814 (5,975) (995) - 2,724

Total funds of the charity 3,880 15 3,895 5,889 (5,976) (995) - 2,813

The George D Gray CBE MA Award is an annual award for the best undergraduate thesis or enquiry in initial teacher education (ITE) in Scotland. George D Gray CBE MA was the first Registrar of GTC Scotland and when he died, a trust fund was set up by his widow, Dr Ethel Gray CBE, as a memorial to her husband and as a means of encouraging high quality research by undergraduates.

The Scottish College for Educational Leadership (SCEL) Legacy Fund is a new bursary scheme to support teaching practitioners to engage in research. The funding is available as a legacy of SCEL which has become part of Education Scotland. Funding allocations will be assessed by the SCEL selection committee on an individual basis with up to £2,000 available per application.

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Financial assets at amortised cost 4,360 3,877

Financial liabilities at amortised cost (327) (394)

Total 4,033 3,483

17. Financial Assets and Liabilities

Financial assets and liabilities include all current assets and liabilities with the exception of prepayments.

Net Assets Fixed Assets £’000

Cash £’000

Other net current

liabilities £’000

Provisions £’000

Total £’000

Restricted reserves - 89 - - 89

Unrestricted reserves 1,877 4,228 (142) (261) 5,702

Revaluation reserve 1,341 - - - 1,341

Defined benefit pension reserve - - - (4,319) (4,319)

Total funds at 31 March 2019 3,218 4,317 (142) (4,580) 2,813

Restricted reserves - 15 - - 15

Unrestricted reserves 1,847 3,755 (219) (225) 5,158

Revaluation reserve 1,363 - - - 1,363

Defined benefit pension reserve - - - (2,641) (2,641)

Total funds at 31 March 2018 3,210 3,770 (219) (2,866) 3,895

46

ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

18. Operating Leases

22. Related Parties

23. Post Balance Sheet Events

19. Contingent Liabilities

20. Capital Commitments

21. Indemnity Insurance

2019 £’000

Restated 2018 £’000

Net (Expenditure) / Income for the reporting period (87) 16

Adjusted for:

Depreciation and amortisation 224 254

Interest (received) (18) (25)

Donations (received) / paid (74) 1

(Increase) /decrease in debtors (25) 15

(Decrease) / increase in creditors (70) 40

Increase / (decrease) in provisions 36 (41)

Realised pension movement 603 330

Defined benefit interest cost 80 102

Cash inflow from operating activities 669 692

2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Equipment

Not later than 1 year 7 7

Later than 1 year and not later than 5 years 20 26

Later than 5 years - -

Total 27 33

Lease payments recognised as an expense in the year are £6,916 (2017-18: £3,312). Future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases for each of the following periods are:

There have been no related party transactions during the year that require disclosure other than the transactions with Council Members disclosed in note 7.

During the year, GTC Scotland lodged an intervention in an Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) relating to a Registrant. The amount of any potential liability is not disclosed as it would be seriously prejudiced.

GTC Scotland had future capital commitments amounting to £19,000 (2017-18: £135,000). For the year 2019-20 Council recognises there may be possible asset purchases amounting to £680,000 (2017-18: £230,000 for the year 2018-19) which have been budgeted for but not yet committed.

GTC Scotland paid £14,567 (2017-18: £13,216) for professional indemnity insurance during the year ended 31 March 2019.

There are no material post balance sheet events that require to be adjusted in the financial statements or to be disclosed.

24. Reconciliation of Net (Expenditure) / Income to Net Cash Flow from Operating Activities

47

GTC ScotlandComhairle Choitcheann Teagaisg nah-AlbaClerwood House, 96 Clermiston Road,Edinburgh EH12 6UTTel: 0131 314 6000Fax: 0131 314 6001E-mail: gtcs@gtcs.org.uk

www.gtcs.org.ukwww.in2teaching.org.uk

18-20Co(19)101 - Letter of Representation Page 1 of 1

Letter of Representation for the Year Ended 31 March 2019 Council Meeting – 25 September 2019

Classification:

Public Session

Status:

For Discussion and Approval

Considered by Committee(s):

Finance and Corporate Services

Purpose:

To provide details of the content of the Letter of Representation and ensure that members are satisfied with this.

Recommendation(s):

Members are to review the draft Letter of Representation (attached as an Appendix) and, if considered appropriate, to recommend this for signing by the Convener of FCS at the September Council meeting

1 Background

1.1 The Letter of Representation (attached as an Appendix to the Audit Management Report) is written

confirmation by an organisation to the auditor of the fairness and accuracy of the financial statements. The purpose of the letter is to emphasise that the financial statements are the GTC Scotland's representations, and it is the organisation who has the primary responsibility for their accuracy. This representation also provides confirmation to the auditor that management has made full disclosure of all material activities and transactions in its financial records and statements. The letter is required at the completion of the audit fieldwork and prior to issuance of the financial statements with the auditor's opinion.

Implications:

• Resource

None

• Risk

None

• Legal/Governance

As part of the audit process, Council is required to provide assurance to our auditors as outlined in the Letter of Representation.

• Equality and diversity

None

• Communications

None

• Other (policy, public

protection etc)

None

Links to the Strategic Plan:

This links to Strategic Objective 3.

Lindsey Furness Senior Strategic Manager Finance and Procurement August 2019

18-20Co(19)101

18-20Co(19)101Appendix

18-20Co(19)102 - Audit Management Report Page 1 of 2

Audit Management Report for the Year Ended 31 March 2019 Council Meeting – 25 September 2019

Classification:

Public Session

Status:

For Discussion and Approval

Considered by Committee(s):

Finance and Corporate Services

Purpose:

The International Standard on Auditing (UK & Ireland) 260 - Communication with those charged with governance - requires the external auditors, RSM, to report to those charged with governance on findings from the annual audit.

Recommendation(s):

Members are asked to discuss and approve the draft report (attached as an Appendix) and make any relevant comments. A representative of RSM will attend the meeting to present the report.

1 Background 1.1 The draft Audit Management Report (attached as an Appendix) provides Members with constructive

observations arising from the audit process. RSM set out the following within the report:

• any expected modifications to their audit report; • any audit and accounting issues identified at planning stage and during the audit; • unadjusted / adjusted misstatements; • any significant deficiencies in internal control; • significant findings from the audit; and • any other relevant matters.

2 Audit Opinion 2.1 The auditors, RSM, have confirmed that they have given an unqualified opinion that the accounts

give a true and fair view of GTCS’s affairs as at 31 March 2019.

18-20Co(19)102

18-20Co(19)102 - Audit Management Report Page 2 of 2

2

Implications:

• Resource

None

• Risk

The report allows Council to receive assurances on financial matters which reduce financial risk.

• Legal/Governance

The Audit Management report sets out the results of the audit process and allows Council to discharge its legal obligations.

• Equality and diversity

None

• Communications

None

• Other (policy, public

protection etc)

None

Links to the Strategic Plan:

This links to Strategic Objective 3.

Lindsey Furness Senior Strategic Manager Finance and Procurement September 2019

Private and Confidential

THE GENERAL TEACHING COUNCIL FOR SCOTLAND Final Audit Findings Report Year ended 31 March 2019

Presented to those charged with governance By RSM UK Audit LLP

on 8 August 2019

18-20Co(19)102Appendix

Private and Confidential 1

CONTENTS 1 Introduction and coverage....................................................................................................................................... 2

2 Audit and accounting issues identified at planning stage ....................................................................................... 3

3 Audit and accounting issues identified during the audit .......................................................................................... 8

4 Unadjusted/adjusted misstatements ....................................................................................................................... 9

5 Significant deficiencies in internal control ............................................................................................................. 10

6 Significant findings from the audit ......................................................................................................................... 11

7 Fees ...................................................................................................................................................................... 13

8 Independence ....................................................................................................................................................... 13

Appendix A - Letter of representation ......................................................................................................................... 14

This report has been prepared for the sole use of The General Teaching Council for Scotland and must not be disclosed to any third party, or quoted or referred to, without our written consent. No responsibility is assumed to any other person in respect of this report.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland

Final Audit Findings Report 31 March 2019

Private and Confidential 2

1 INTRODUCTION AND COVERAGE This report summarises our key findings in connection with the audit of the financial statements of The General Teaching Council for Scotland in respect of the year ended 31 March 2019.

The scope of our work has already been communicated to you via our Audit Plan document dated 9 May 2019.

A summary of adjusted and unadjusted misstatements identified during the audit has been prepared and is included in Section 4.

We consider that the audit approach adopted will provide the Council members with the required confidence that a thorough and robust audit has been carried out.

We can confirm that, at the date of this report, we anticipate no modifications from our pro-forma audit report provided in the Audit Plan previously communicated to you.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland

Final Audit Findings Report 31 March 2019

Private and Confidential 3

2 AUDIT AND ACCOUNTING ISSUES IDENTIFIED AT PLANNING STAGE

Management over ride of internal controls

Area of audit focus There is an inherent risk arising where those charged with governance are not the same as management; the risk being that the Council members’

oversight of local management may be reduced, including their ability to monitor activities and transactions. We understand that you have undertaken an internal restructure in the year and this risk can be further heightened where roles and responsibilities are changing therefore this will be a key area of focus.

Our approach We will review, document and walkthrough key financial controls covering recognition and completeness of income, controls over payroll costs, and controls over expenditure and consider the key areas of risk of management override of the controls in place. We will test a sample of journals and other adjustments, with additional focus being placed on journals deemed to be unusual or irregular, evaluating any significant transactions outwith the course of normal business to confirm the business rationale and review supporting documentation. We will review any accounting estimates included in the financial statements, discussing with you the basis of forming such estimates, and applying our own judgement we will review these estimates for reasonableness. We will maintain awareness of any changes to systems and controls and the impact on authorisation of processes to check that systems are operating effectively. We will include in our audit findings report any instances noted during our review and walkthrough of financial controls that do not agree with the documented systems, or where we identify areas of control deficiencies where improvements could be made.

Response We have reviewed the internal controls covering the areas above and have noted no areas of issue with controls to be communicated to you. We have tested journals in the year noting no issues with posting or approval of journals, and tested a risk-based sample to confirm no noted errors – we have found no issues in this regard. We have reviewed accounting estimates, the main one being the provision for future pension benefits, and have reviewed the assumptions behind these noting that the assumptions are made on a reasonable basis. This key estimate was not initially disclosed in the accounting policies section of the financial statements but has now been updated.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland

Final Audit Findings Report 31 March 2019

Private and Confidential 4

Income recognition

Area of audit focus There is an inherent risk in charities with regards to income recognition, primarily due to the recognition requirements set out in the Charities SORP with regards to entitlement, probability and measurement. We do note that the vast majority of income received is registration fees which cover periods that align with the financial year end, and this reduces the risk somewhat, however as this is a common area where issues can arise, income recognition will remain an area of heightened awareness for our audit.

Our approach We will document the key systems and processes that are in place to ensure that revenue is recognised in the correct period, and if we identify any weaknesses in these controls or processes we will report this to you as part of our audit findings report. We will review registration income using substantive analytical procedures, confirming the period that a registration covers, and then looking at number of registrants and the fee levels set for that year to form an overall assessment of reasonableness. We will test any other sources of income, including any legacies or grants, to ensure that where they are recognised that the criteria of entitlement and probability are met, and review your assessment of the measurement of these sources of income.

Response We have documented the key systems and processes to ensure recognition of income in the correct period as noted in the ‘Management

override of internal controls’ section above – as noted there, there were no noted issues identified in the systems. We have reviewed the registration income in line with the number of members and have conducted testing on the supporting system to confirm reasonableness and also confirmed levels of fees and the period that the registrations cover. All work in this area was found to be satisfactory. We have reviewed other sources of income, confirming that these are recognised correctly. We have raised one adjustment for the SCEL legacy to recognise it in incoming resources as opposed to other gains or losses and this is communicated to you in Section 4 of this report.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland

Final Audit Findings Report 31 March 2019

Private and Confidential 5

Fund accounting

Area of audit focus Charities have additional disclosure requirements with regards to funds provided that are unrestricted or restricted; and it is a legal requirement to apply funds for the purpose that they were restricted for in the first place. As such this creates a key area of risk. We are not anticipating much in the way of restricted funds given that all funds last year were deemed unrestricted and we note that the primary source of income is from registration fees which would inherently not have a restriction attached to them. However, in the current year we are anticipating around £75k of a legacy fund for donated net assets from SCEL which we understand to be a restricted fund.

Our approach We will review individual sources of income, confirming whether they are appropriate to be unrestricted or restricted. If any items are deemed to be restricted we will check that the restriction is correctly split out in the financial statements and that any expenditure on the restricted fund has been correctly identified and that it has been incurred in accordance with the stated purpose. We will review disclosure on the face of the financial statements and within the notes to confirm that sufficient detail has been provided to allow users of the financial statements to understand the impact of any restrictions.

Response We have reviewed income to confirm that this is appropriately split between unrestricted and restricted. We note that expenditure related to the George D Gray Award, which is an annual award, has been restated to restricted reserves from where it was previously held as deferred income and confirm that we agree with this treatment. We have reviewed disclosure on the face of the financial statements and have noted that disclosure was appropriate but required further disclosure of the split of net assets held between the different funds. Further disclosure was also required to the reserves note to detail the restatement noted above. A full list of disclosure points has been noted below in Section 6.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland

Final Audit Findings Report 31 March 2019

Private and Confidential 6

Building refurbishment

Area of audit focus We understand that you have undertaken a significant refurbishment in the year of around £445k as part of upgrading the building, which involves various elements from replacement of the roof to redecoration works. As such a split between capital expenditure and revenue expenditure is expected.

Our approach We will review the expenditure incurred on the building and confirm that the key elements have correctly been treated as capital expenditure or revenue expenditure in line with our own judgement. We will review any potential capital commitments still outstanding for this work and determine whether sufficient and appropriate disclosure has been made in the financial statements. We will consider any risk of impairment to the building considering its likely fair value. We understand that the building is valued every 5 years with the last valuation being 2016, and we will use this assessment as part of our review.

Response We have reviewed the expenditure on the building refurbishment and have considered the allocation to capital or revenue expenditure. We have tested a sample of the refurbishment costs and are satisfied that these have been correctly allocated. We have reviewed the breakdown of the £19k capital commitment and confirmed this to supporting documentation and have linked the approved but not committed spend to the approved budget. No issues were identified with disclosure. We have obtained the most recently valuation and confirmed that there is no evidence of impairment of the building with reference to this.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland

Final Audit Findings Report 31 March 2019

Private and Confidential 7

IT

Area of audit focus Our initial planning has determined that a lot of reliance is placed on IT as a lot of the systems such as MyGTCS and MyPL require the IT control environment to be operating correctly and for IT controls to be working effectively. We also note that there are plans to migrate a lot of data onto a new Dynamics system in the near future; and potential to change the finance system from the current providers Sage. Overall, we understand that there is likely to be a lot of growth in the coming years and thus IT will be an area of focus for us.

Our approach We will hold a discussion with those responsible for IT within the organisation, noting key controls and processes in the IT environment including areas such as change management, anti-virus controls, to disaster recovery and business continuity plans. We will consult with a separate IT specialist within RSM who will assess the noted controls and indicate any areas where potential control weaknesses may exist or where we may require to undertake some additional tests in order to gain comfort.

Response We have discussed with your IT team and consulted with an IT specialist who has noted no issues with regards to the IT environment in place.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland

Final Audit Findings Report 31 March 2019

Private and Confidential 8

3 AUDIT AND ACCOUNTING ISSUES IDENTIFIED DURING THE AUDIT

Pension

Issue The charity is a member of the Strathclyde Pension Fund (the Local Government Pension Scheme). A very recent ruling (McCloud) has resulted in an increase in the liability.

Resolution The actuaries provided an up to date valuation taking account of both McCloud and Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP). The increase in the liability from the valuation originally received was £205k and this has been noted as an adjustment in Section 4. The pension note was also updated to state that: ‘the pension liability

included in the financial statements includes the effects of the McCloud

judgement.’

VAT registration

Issue It was noted as part of our review of VAT that there is a risk that the VAT registration threshold had been breached in relation to some of the sources of income. Indeed, when we confirmed this with our VAT specialists it was noted that this threshold had been breached in 2018/19 and as such the charity requires to register for VAT. There is a risk that the threshold may have been breached in earlier years

Resolution We note the plans to register for VAT, undertake a VAT review and pay any relevant VAT and penalties to HMRC. A provision for the potential liability has been included in the financial statements to recognise the best estimate of the potential obligation to be payable to HMRC of £85k – this is shown in Section 4 below.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland

Final Audit Findings Report 31 March 2019

Private and Confidential 9

4 UNADJUSTED/ADJUSTED MISSTATEMENTS A summary of the unadjusted/adjusted errors identified during the course of our work is set out below, analysed between errors of fact and differences in judgement.

We have not disclosed below those items that we consider to be “clearly trivial” in the context of our audit. For this

purpose we consider “clearly trivial” to be any matter less than £1,000 individually and £1,000 in aggregate.

We advised management of all these misstatements on 23 July 2019 and requested management to correct them.

Profit (£) Net assets (£) Adjusted misstatements Dr/(Cr) Dr/(Cr)

DR SOFA – other gains and losses DR SOFA – charitable expenditure CR SOFA – donations and legacies

74 1

(75)

Being reallocation of the SCEL legacy and the George D Grey award to be above the line

DR SOFA – staff costs CR Pension liability

206 (206)

Being revaluation of pension to take account of GMP equalisation and McCloud

DR SOFA – charitable expenditure CR Provisions for VAT payable

85 (85)

Being provision for VAT due

Total 291 (291)

Unadjusted misstatements - factual Dr/(Cr) Dr/(Cr)

DR Prepayments CR SOFA – registration expenditure

(5)

5 Being recognition of prepaid Google Maps licence

DR Fixed assets – office furniture CR SOFA – registration expenditure

(4)

4 Being tub chairs expensed

DR Accruals and deferred income CR SOFA – registration expenditure

(2)

2 Being adjustment to grant agreement recorded in the wrong year

Underlying total (11) 11

Unadjusted misstatements - judgemental Dr/(Cr) Dr/(Cr)

DR SOFA – registration expenditure CR Holiday pay accrual

7

(7)

Being judgemental error extrapolated from review of holiday pay calculation

Underlying total 7 (7)

The General Teaching Council for Scotland

Final Audit Findings Report 31 March 2019

Private and Confidential 10

5 SIGNIFICANT DEFICIENCIES IN INTERNAL CONTROL

We have not identified any significant deficiencies in internal control which came to our attention during the course of our audit work, however we have set out below some suggestions for improvements.

This does not constitute a comprehensive statement of all deficiencies that may exist in internal controls or of all improvements which may be made and has addressed only those matters which have come to our attention as a result of the procedures performed. An audit is not designed to identify all matters that may be relevant to you and accordingly the audit does not ordinarily identify all such matters.

Finance and Corporate Services Committee and fraud risk

Fact and potential consequence We noted from our initial inquiries around fraud risk that the Finance and Corporate Services Committee (formerly the Finance and General Purposes Committee) does not specifically consider risks arising from fraud as part of their discussions.

Possible action We would recommend that this is included on the risk register for discussion as part of ongoing Finance and Corporate Services Committee meetings.

Management response Agreed. The risk register will be updated accordingly.

Timing of implementation and responsibility

20 August 2019, Director of Corporate Services.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland

Final Audit Findings Report 31 March 2019

Private and Confidential 11

6 SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS FROM THE AUDIT Set out below are some of the key areas that we believe are important to bring to the attention of those charged with governance:

Accounting practices, including accounting policies

The key accounting policies relevant to an understanding of the financial statements are as follows:

• The Scottish Teachers’ Superannuation Scheme is not recognised as a full defined benefit liability as there is

insufficient information to value this. As a result of this, the scheme is accounted for as a defined contribution scheme and this is consistent with the concessions permitted by FRS 102 Section 28.

• There have been a number of prior period errors identified by management in relation to funds received for a restricted purpose not separately being identified as restricted, fixed assets partially relating to software and website items which are intangible assets in nature, and the set off of income and expenditure in advertising income. For all of these we have assessed the restatement and confirmed that the restatements have been correctly made. Some amendments to the disclosure were suggested and this is disclosed below under ‘Financial statement disclosures.’

• Assets under construction are not depreciated as the asset has not been brought into productive use.

Accounting estimates

• The only key accounting estimate noted was in regard to the provision for future pension benefits to be paid to former employees. We have reviewed the assumptions for discount rates and pension increase rates to confirm these are consistent with the pension liability accounting and noted no issues. As a lot of the source information confirming the obligation to pay the pension benefits out is historic, we note that some of the documents have not been retained and as a result of this we have included a point in the letter of representation as highlighted in Appendix A. We have been able to obtain some of the source data but not fully.

Financial statement disclosures

During the course of our audit, we reviewed the adequacy of the disclosures contained within the financial statements and their compliance with both relevant accounting standards, including the applicable Statement of Recommended Practice ‘Accounting and Reporting by Charities’ (‘Charities SORP’), and the requirements of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005. The following disclosure matters were brought to your attention and subsequently reflected in the revised financial statements:

• The full legal name and charity registration number were required to be disclosed on the front of the annual report.

• The Trustees’ Report needed to disclose how the remuneration of key management personnel is set.

• The SOFA for 2017/18 required to be updated to show the split between unrestricted and restricted funds as rquired by the SORP.

• The defined benefit interest cost and finance costs were marked as cash flows in the statement of cash flows but these are not cash flows; there were also some other minor amendments required to the cash flow statement.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland

Final Audit Findings Report 31 March 2019

Private and Confidential 12

• Disclosure was required where amortisation of intangibles was posted to in accounting policies.

• In the provisions accounting policy, disclosure was needed around how the discount rate had been determined, and in the provisions note disclosure was required of what assumptions had been applied.

• An accounting policy on termination payments was required, and detail of the value of termination payments was required in the staff costs note.

• Accounting policies made reference to IFRS 16 which is not a relevant standard.

• There was further information required on the restatements in terms of showing a table of movements and reasons were needed to explain the reasons for the restatements. The reserves note was also updated to show the original opening balances per the 2018 signed accounts and the restatement to reserves.

• Further information was required on the value of travel and subsistence claims.

• The split of assets in note 8 regarding pensions was wrong and did not add up to 100%, the split of funded and unfunded obligations had not been disclosed, and the note appeared in the wrong place as the notes should follow the order of the items as they appear in the balance sheet.

• Any individually material intangible assets were required to be shown separately.

• A note on the value of net assets split between the different funds had not been included.

• There was no disclosure included of lease payments recognised as an expense.

• The indemnity insurance for council members was disclosed in the notes but had not been included in the Trustees’

Report.

Taxation

As part of our audit we have consulted with a charity tax specialist in order to assess any potential areas of tax risk. The review highlighted that there was no expected breach of the small trades exemption which is commonly taken advantage of by many charities, however advised that some consideration of advertising and sponsorship was necessary - the specialist reviewed a copy of your published magazine, noting that some adverts within this related to teaching materials and therefore were at risk of being deemed ancillary to your primary purpose. It would therefore be advised that the level of advertising and sponsorship income be monitored closely.

We consult with a tax specialist as part of every one of our charity audits and as such we will consider any further risks arising in future years.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland

Final Audit Findings Report 31 March 2019

Private and Confidential 13

7 FEES We confirm that the fees charged during the year in respect of services performed for The General Teaching Council for Scotland are consistent with those contained within our Audit Plan submitted to you and dated 9 May 2019.

8 INDEPENDENCE In accordance with International Standard on Auditing (UK) 260 “Communication with those charged with governance”,

the following are changes to the details of relationships between RSM UK Audit LLP and its related entities and The General Teaching Council for Scotland and its related entities and directors that may reasonably be thought to bear on RSM UK Audit LLP’s independence and the objectivity of the audit principal, Kelly Adams and the audit staff and the related safeguards from those disclosed in the Audit Plan dated 9 May 2019:

1. Non-audit services provided by related entities to XYZ Charity and its related entities and directors:

Prior to these services being provided RSM UK Audit LLP procedures require a conflict threat assessment to be undertaken. Only if appropriate safeguards can be and are implemented is the non-audit service provided.

Service provided Threat posed Safeguard applied and why it addresses the threat

Fees

VAT services Self-review, self-interest, management

Separate team from the audit team completing the work, and will be reporting to informed management in an advisory capacity only and it is management who will make decisions. Fees for this non audit service are not material in context of overall fees.

Estimated between £5,050 and £6,500

The General Teaching Council for Scotland

Final Audit Findings Report 31 March 2019

Private and Confidential 14

APPENDIX A - LETTER OF REPRESENTATION [Ref] [Date]

RSM UK Audit LLP Third Floor, Centenary House 69 Wellington Street Glasgow G2 6HG

Dear Sirs

Audit of Financial Statement – Year ended 31 March 2019

This representation letter is provided in connection with your audit of the financial statements of The General Teaching Council for Scotland for the year ended 31 March 2019 for the purpose of expressing an opinion as to whether the financial statements give a true and fair view, in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in the preparation of the financial statements is applicable law and United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.

We confirm that to the best of our knowledge and belief, and having made appropriate enquiries of other Council member and officials of the charity:

Financial Statements

1. We acknowledge and have fulfilled our responsibilities, as set out in the terms of the audit engagement dated 29 March 2019, for ensuring that the charity maintains adequate accounting records and for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework, in particular the financial statements give a true and fair view in accordance therewith.

2. Significant assumptions used by us in making accounting estimates, including those relating to items measured at fair value, are reasonable.

3. Related party relationships and transactions have been appropriately accounted for and disclosed in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework. In particular, full disclosure is made in the financial statements of:

a any advances and credits granted by the charity to Council members and guarantees of any kind entered into on behalf of the Council members;

b the identity of the party which controls and (if different) the party which ultimately controls the charity, if any;

c transactions and balances with related parties including:

• the names of the transacting party or parties;

The General Teaching Council for Scotland

Final Audit Findings Report 31 March 2019

Private and Confidential 15

• a description of the relationship between the parties (including the interest of the related party/parties in the transaction);

• a description of the transactions;

• the amounts involved (even if nil);

• the amounts due to or from related parties at the balance sheet date and provisions for doubtful debts due from such parties at that date;

• amounts written off in the period in respect of debts due to or from related parties;

• the terms and conditions, including any security and the nature of the consideration to be provided in settlement;

• details of any guarantees given or received; and

• any other elements of the transactions necessary for an understanding of the financial statements.

4. Full disclosure is made in the financial statements of:

a outstanding capital commitments contracted for at the balance sheet date;

b all contingent liabilities including details of pending litigation and material claims against the charity;

c all guarantees or warranties or other financial commitments

5. We have no plans or intentions that may materially alter the carrying value or classification of assets and liabilities reflected in the financial statements.

6. There have been no events (e.g. loss or reduction of source of income, loss of key customer, supplier or member of staff, change in credit terms offered by suppliers, breaches of bank or other covenants, changes in banking or insurance arrangements or facilities) other than those already advised to you since the balance sheet date that would impact on the ability of the charity to continue as a going concern. Should such events occur prior to your signature of the audit report we will advise you immediately. Except as already incorporated into our cash flow and profit forecasts we have no plans or intentions that would impact on the ability of the charity to continue as a going concern.

7. All events occurring subsequent to the date of the financial statements and for which the applicable financial reporting framework requires adjustment or disclosure have been adjusted or disclosed. Should such further material events occur prior to your signature of the audit report we will advise you accordingly.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland

Final Audit Findings Report 31 March 2019

Private and Confidential 16

8. The effects of uncorrected misstatements (whether arising from differences in amount, classification, presentation or disclosure of a reported financial statement item and the amount, classification, presentation or disclosure that is required for the item to be in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework) are immaterial, both individually and in the aggregate, to the financial statements as a whole. A list of the uncorrected misstatements including those in relation to disclosures is attached to this representation letter.

9. All designated and restricted fund balances are correctly shown in the accounts.

Information Provided

1. As agreed in the terms of engagement, we have provided you with:

a Access to all information of which we are aware that is relevant to the preparation of the financial statements such as records, documentation and other matters including minutes of the Finance and Corporate Services Committee meetings and Council meetings, and minutes of meetings between management and the aforementioned governing bodies held between the beginning of the accounting period and the date of this letter;

b Additional information that you have requested from us for the purpose of the audit; and

c Unrestricted access to persons within the entity from whom you determined it necessary to obtain audit evidence.

2. We confirm that all transactions have been recorded in the accounting records and are reflected in the financial statements.

3. We have disclosed to you the results of our assessment of the risk that the financial statements may be materially misstated as a result of fraud.

4. We have disclosed to you all information in relation to fraud or suspected fraud that we are aware of and that affects the charity and involves:

• Management;

• Employees who have significant roles in internal control; or

• Others where the fraud could have a material effect on the financial statements.

5. We have disclosed to you all information in relation to allegations of fraud, or suspected fraud, affecting the entity’s

financial statements communicated by employees, former employees, analysts, regulators or others.

6. We have disclosed to you all known instances of non-compliance or suspected non-compliance with laws and regulations whose effects should be considered when preparing financial statements. We have also notified you of the actual or contingent consequences which may arise from such non-compliance, including any potential effects on the charity’s ability to conducts its activities.

7. We have disclosed to you the identity of the charity’s related parties and all the related party relationships and transactions of which we are aware.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland

Final Audit Findings Report 31 March 2019

Private and Confidential 17

8. We have disclosed to you details of all known actual or possible litigation and claims whose effect should be considered when preparing the financial statements.

9. All grants, donations and other incoming resources, the receipt of which is subject to specific terms and conditions, have been notified to you. There have been no breaches of terms and conditions in the application of such incoming resources.

10. We confirm that we have disclosed to you details of all banking and financing arrangements including related contracts and hedging products.

11. We confirm that we have informed you of all tax avoidance schemes used by the charity.

12. We confirm that we hold an obligation to pay out future pension benefits to former employees and this is the reason for us holding a provision. We confirm, to the best of our knowledge, there are no missing elements of this provision and that there are no changes to the assumptions, expected timing or value of payments to former employees required that would cause us to re-assess the provision at the date of signing this letter.

Charitable Status

1. We have not conducted or permitted to be conducted any activities which call into question the charitable nature of the charity.

2. There have been no communications with OSCR or other regulatory bodies during the year or subsequently concerning matters of non-compliance with any administrative duty. We have drawn to your attention all correspondence and notes of meetings with regulators.

We acknowledge our responsibility for the design, implementation and maintenance of internal control to prevent and detect fraud and error.

We confirm that the above representations are made on the basis of enquiries of management and staff with relevant knowledge and experience (and, where appropriate, of inspection of supporting documentation) sufficient to satisfy ourselves that we can properly make each of the above representations to you.

The contents of this letter were considered and approved by the Council at its meeting on [insert date of board approval of financial statements]

Yours faithfully

Signed on behalf of the Council of The General Teaching Council for Scotland

Council member

Date

The General Teaching Council for Scotland

Final Audit Findings Report 31 March 2019

Private and Confidential 18

Attachment: List of uncorrected misstatements including those in relation to disclosures

Unadjusted misstatements - factual Dr/(Cr) Dr/(Cr)

DR Prepayments CR SOFA – registration expenditure

(5)

5 Being recognition of prepaid Google Maps licence

DR Fixed assets – office furniture CR SOFA – registration expenditure

(4)

4 Being tub chairs expensed

DR Accruals and deferred income CR SOFA – registration expenditure

(2)

2 Being adjustment to grant agreement recorded in the wrong year

Underlying total (11) 11

Unadjusted misstatements - judgemental Dr/(Cr) Dr/(Cr)

DR SOFA – registration expenditure CR Holiday pay accrual

7

(7)

Being judgemental error extrapolated from review of holiday pay calculation

Underlying total 7 (7)

Grand total (4) 4

18-20Co(19)103 - Public Reform Scotland Page 1 of 5

Public Information Reporting Requirements

Finance and Corporate Services Committee - 20 August 2019

Classification:

Private Session

Status:

For Discussion and Approval

Considered by Committee(s):

None

Purpose:

To provide members with an opportunity to review and comment on the detail of 2018-2019 expenditure.

Recommendation(s):

Members are asked to discuss and approve the information for publication online following final approval at the September Council meeting.

1 Background 1.1 The Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 places a duty on GTC Scotland to publish

information relating to the following areas: • Public relations; • Overseas travel; • Hospitality and entertainment; • External consultancy; and • Payments with a value in excess of £25,000.

1.2 Appendix 1 provides the information collated for the year to 31 March 2019 in respect of the Public

Services Reform publication requirements. It should be noted that the Public Relations costs relate to all of the activities carried out by our Communications and Digital services department including the cost of in-house staff. Communications delivers all internal and external communications including public relations, marketing, media relations, website design and development, customer services (including managing Freedom of Information requests), market research and evaluation, branding and design, promotional events, conferences and exhibitions, sponsorship, publications and printing, advertising and media monitoring and planning.

1.3 The Financial and General Purposes Committee meeting of 19 February 2013 agreed to the annual publication of information detailing attendance at Council meetings (including committees) together with expenses incurred and compensation payments made in undertaking GTC Scotland activities. This information is shown at Appendix 2.

1.4 GTC Scotland previously agreed to the publication of senior staff salary information, and this is

detailed within Appendix 3.

18-20FCS(19)82

18-20Co(19)103 - Public Reform Scotland Page 2 of 5

2

Implications:

• Resource

N/A

• Risk

N/A

• Legal/Governance

The publication of information required under the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 allows GTC Scotland to fulfil part of its statutory obligations on reporting.

• Equality and diversity

N/A

• Communications

Following the Audit Sub-Committee, Finance and Corporate Services Committee and Council review of the detailed 2018/19 expenditure provided within appendices 1-3, this information will be made publicly available on the GTC Scotland website, with weblinks to the final information provided on the back page of the Annual Report and Accounts.

• Other (policy, public

protection etc)

N/A

Links to the Strategic Plan:

N/A

Lindsey Furness Senior Strategic Manager Finance and Procurement August 2019

18-20Co(19)103 - Public Reform Scotland Page 3 of 5

3

Appendix 1

GTC Scotland - Public Information

Public Relations

Name Payment Date Details Amount (£)Public Relations expenditure 1 April 2018 - 31 March 2019 These costs relate to spend on all external communications,

including the cost of in-house and contracted staff and consultants. Areas of expenditure include salaried staff (£495,815), Teaching Scotland magazine (£280,462), marketing, PR and media relations, marketing research and evaluation, branding and design, promotional events, conferences and exhibitions, corporate communications, sponsorship, publications and printing, website development and updating and customer service activities (£51,109). GTCS contracts one communications consultancy which supports the publication of Teaching Scotland magazine and other professional publications produced by the organisation.

827,386

Overseas Travel

Name Payment Date Details Amount (£)J Morley 29/08/2018 Norway - ICSEI 2019 Conference Fee 625 J Morley 28/08/2018 Norway - Return flight to Stavanger 172 J Morley 17/10/2018 Norway - Accommodation 08/01/19 - 12/01/19 448 B King 29/08/2018 Norway - ICSEI 2019 Conference Fee 625 B King 28/08/2018 Norway - Return flight to Stavanger 172 B King 17/10/2018 Norway - Accommodation 08/01/19 - 12/01/19 448 E Doherty 23/09/2018 Norway - ICSEI 2019 Conference Fee 485 E Doherty 11/01/2019 Norway - Masterclass at ICSEI Conference 44 E Doherty 28/08/2018 Norway - Return flights to Stavanger 172 E Doherty 17/10/2018 Norway - Accommodation 08/01/19 - 12/01/19 448 E Doherty 08/01/2019 Norway - Travel from airport to Conference 129 C Carson 23/09/2018 Norway - ICSEI 2019 Conference Fee 552 C Carson 11/01/2019 Norway - Masterclass at ICSEI Conference 44 C Carson 28/08/2018 Norway - Return flights to Stavanger 172 C Carson 23/09/2018 Norway - ICSEI Dinner 72 C Carson 17/10/2018 Norway - Accommodation 08/01/19 - 12/01/19 448 D Innes 23/09/2018 Norway - ICSEI 2019 Conference Fee 625 D Innes 11/01/2019 Norway - Masterclass at ICSEI Conference 44 D Innes 28/08/2018 Norway - Return flight to Stavanger 172 D Innes 05/09/2018 Norway - Accommodation 448 K Muir 28/08/2018 Norway - Return flight to Stavanger 172 K Muir 17/10/2018 Norway - Accommodation 08/01/19 - 12/01/19 448 E Doherty 11-13/01/2019 Norway - Bus fares for group 67 K Muir 22/01/2019 Norway - ICSEI 2019 Conference Dinner 47 E Doherty 23/09/2018 Norway - ICSEI Dinner 72 Group 11/01/19 - 13/01/19 Norway - Subsistence 600 K Muir 21/10/2018 Dublin - Flights for 4 Nations 30 K Muir 11/12/2018 Dublin meeting 11 K Muir 3/04/18 - 8/04/18 New Zealand - ITFRA Conference April 18 - fares 23 K Muir 5/04/18 - 08/04/18 New Zealand - ITFRA Conference April 18 - meals 197 K Muir 22/04/2018 New Zealand - ITFRA Conference April 18 - accommodation 138 C Simpson 21/05/2019 Portugal - TEPE Conference May 18 76 C Simpson 21/05/2018 Portugal - TEPE Conference - accommodation 141

Total 8,362

GTC Scotland has a duty under the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 to publish detailed information about specific costs incurred during each year. Below you will find details of costs incurred between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019 in relation to public relations, external consultancy, hospitality and entertainment and overseas travel.

18-20Co(19)103 - Public Reform Scotland Page 4 of 5

4

Hospitality and Entertainment (over £25.00)

Name Payment Date Details Amount (£)M Osler 22/04/2018 Lunch with Alistair Bruce (Shaw Marketing) 35.85J Morley 21/05/2018 Thanks you Flowers x3 headship awards 65.00J Adams 21/05/2018 Induction Lunch - Capital Hotel 38.20E Doherty 21/05/2018 RCS Summer Serenade tickets - guests/staff 103.75E Doherty 21/05/2018 RCS Summer Serenade tickets - guests/staff 40.75E Doherty 21/05/2018 Business lunch with Betsy King, LfS, Edinburgh Uni 32.00J Morley 21/06/2018 3 x flowers for Probationer event 48.00E Napier 21/06/2018 12/06/18 Gifts/catering for national NQT event 51.87E Doherty 21/06/2018 Book Token gift for Stobhill Primary School 100.00E Doherty 21/06/2018 Book Token gifts (2 x £50) - Probationer Event 100.00K Muir 23/07/2018 Jurys Inn - Hotel, 4 Nations - Ken Muir and David Innes 176.00M Osler 28/08/2018 Working lunch with Ken Fee re Prof Learning Audit 15/8/18 39.30M Osler 23/09/2018 Scottsh Learning Festival Annual Event 483.94M Osler 23/09/2018 Hospitality for Awards event 46.72E Doherty 21/11/2018 Business lunch with Betsy King and Ivor Sutherland - Holyroo 67.95K Muir 21/11/2018 Flowers - Rowena Arshad 46.00K Muir 22/01/2019 Lunch with Graham Donaldson North Berwick 14/01/19 44.60K Muir 21/02/2019 Chiefs and Chairs Meal -Leonardo Hotel 100.00K Muir 04/03/2019 Soft drinks for GTCS Gp at ICSEI Norway 11/01/19 56.94

Total 1,677

External Consultancy

Name Payment Date Details Amount (£)Strathclyde Pension Fund Pension fund Valuation 1,300 Hay Group Job Evaluation Services - 7 Posts 5,406 Summers Inman LLP Clerwood House Refurbishment contract - Related Fees 23,059 Summers Inman LLP Carpark upgrade - related fees 4,704 Dr Rosie Mulholland Evaluation of SPS system 500 Children in Scotland Review of Professional Standards - Engaging Young People 13,651 The Hive of Wellbeing Limited GTCS Early Phases Registrants' Development Work 3,000 Michael Wood Educational Consultancy Ltd Review of Middle Management and Leadership paper 1,750

Total 53,369

18-20Co(19)103 - Public Reform Scotland Page 5 of 5

5

Payments over £25,000

Name Payment Date Details Amount (£)The University of Edinburgh 04/04/2018 Research - phases 2 & 3 of MQUiTE 44,181.00 Strathclyde Pension Fund 02/05/2018 Pension contributions Apr 18 39,151.54 HMRC 02/05/2018 PAYE/NI Apr 18 54,686.40 Clark Contracts 02/05/2018 Refurbishment of Clerwood House 107,882.29 Strathclyde Pension Fund 30/05/2018 Pension contributions May 18 39,978.06 HMRC 30/05/2018 PAYE/NI May 18 51,041.89 Connect Communications 06/06/2018 Teaching Scotland Magazine Issue 74 45,139.71 C2 Software Limited 06/06/2018 IT services 35,271.48 Disclosure Scotland 13/06/2018 Disclosure Fees 25,770.00 EBSCO International Inc 13/06/2018 Subscriptio 01/07/18 - 30/06/19 25,524.00 Legal & General Assurance Society 27/06/2018 Ill Health Liability Insurance 29,881.87 Strathclyde Pension Fund 04/07/2018 Pension contributions Jun 18 41,094.04 HMRC 04/07/2018 PAYE/NI Jun 18 55,161.13 Anderson Strathern 11/07/2018 Legal Fees 35,973.86 Strathclyde Pension Fund 01/08/2018 Pension contributions Jul 18 40,742.40 HMRC 01/08/2018 PAYE/NI Jul 18 56,930.30 Connect Communications 05/09/2018 Teaching Scotland Magazine Issue 75 54,980.10 Strathclyde Pension Fund 05/09/2018 Pension contributions Aug 18 42,516.05 HMRC 05/09/2018 PAYE/NI Aug 18 52,296.67 Anderson Strathern 26/09/2018 Legal Fees 28,146.00 Strathclyde Pension Fund 03/10/2018 Pension contributions Sep 18 26,779.28 HMRC 03/10/2018 PAYE/NI Sept 18 58,610.32 Strathclyde Pension Fund 31/10/2018 Pension contributions Oct 18 39,088.93 HMRC 31/10/2018 PAYE/NI Oct 18 62,397.32 Highnet 14/11/2018 5 year telephone contract 71,546.44 Connect Communications 21/11/2018 Teaching Scotland Magazine Issue 76 33,223.64 Strathclyde Pension Fund 27/11/2018 Pension contributions Nov 18 39,087.55 HMRC 27/11/2018 PAYE/NI Nov 18 56,028.82 Strathclyde Pension Fund 19/12/2018 Pension contributions Dec 18 38,249.74 HMRC 19/12/2018 PAYE/NI Dec 18 60,585.83 C2 Software Limited 09/01/2019 IT services 36,834.00 Connect Communications 23/01/2019 Teaching Scotland Magazine Issue 77 50,202.16 Strathclyde Pension Fund 30/01/2019 Pension contributions Jan 19 38,678.07 HMRC 30/01/2019 PAYE/NI Jan 19 48,956.79 Clark Contracts 13/02/2019 Refurbishment of Clerwood House 45,730.96 Strathclyde Pension Fund 27/02/2019 Pension contributions Feb 19 38,142.76 HMRC 27/02/2019 PAYE/NI Feb 19 61,386.30 Strathclyde Pension Fund 26/03/2019 Pension contributions Mar 19 39,576.55 HMRC 26/03/2019 PAYE/NI Mar 19 62,985.93 Connect Communications 26/03/2019 Teaching Scotland Magazine Issue 78 42,145.97

Total 1,856,586

18-20Co(19)103Appendix 2

GTC Scotland - Council Member Attendance and Payments Schedule1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019

Council Eligible for Meetings

Member

Registration Attended (Total Possible

in Brackets)To Member To Employer Travel/

Subsistence Subsistence Other

David Alexander Glasgow C, E 6 (9) D 1 £116.00 £116.00 £116.00John Bell Kilbirnie C, F 5 (9) D 1 £375.00 £351.90 £351.90 £726.90Richard Bell Dumfries Yes C, E, X 13 (13) D, Acc 2 £300.00 £1,161.81 £1,161.81 £1,461.81Thomas Britton Edinburgh/ Peeblesshire Yes C, P 10 (12) D 1 £0.00Helen Budge Shetland Yes C, E 7 (9) D, Acc 2 £0.00Kevin Campbell Fife Yes C, P 5 (9) D 1 £54.00 £54.00 £54.00Craig Carson Glasgow Yes C, E, X 11 (13) D 1 £484.32 £484.32 £484.32Lynsey Cleland* Lanarkshire C, F 6 (7) D £0.00Paula Cowan Glasgow Yes C, E 6 (9) D, Acc 3 £190.10 £190.10 £190.10Audrey Cowie Edinburgh Yes C, P, X 2 (3) D 1 £150.00 £9.45 £9.45 £159.45Pamela Currie Ayrshire Yes C, F 7 (9) D, Acc 2 £246.23 £246.23 £246.23Lawrie Davidson* Edinburgh C,F 6 (7) £600.00 £0.00 £0.00 £600.00John Devine Perth & Kinross Yes C, F 8 (9) D 1 £264.60 £264.60 £264.60David Dodds West Lothian Yes C, P 3 (9) D 1 £35.10 £35.10 £35.10Karen Farrell Clackmannanshire Yes C, A, F 4 (10) D, Acc 2 £111.96 £111.96 £111.96Lilian Field Aberdeenshire Yes C, F 9 (9) D, EPLA, 2 £1,096.74 £1,096.74 £1,096.74Sandy Fraser* Glasgow C, P 4 (5) D, Acc, EPLA 4 £141.75 £141.75 £141.75Donald Gillies Ayrshire Yes C, P 6 (9) D, Ac 2 £207.20 £207.20 £207.20Nazim Hamid Glasgow C, P 5(9) D 1 £975.00 £40.19 £40.19 £1,015.19David Innes Aberdeen Yes C, A, E, F, P, X 19 (22) D, Acc, EPLA, PU 12 £2,454.65 £2,454.65 £2,454.65Ian Jackson Perth & Kinross C, F, X 11 (13) D, Acc, EPLA, PR, PU 7 £2,054.59 £2,054.59 £2,054.59Margaret Lannon Edinburgh Yes C, E 6 (9) D, Acc 4 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00Aileen Lynch* Glasgow Yes C, E 5 (9) D 1 £72.00 £72.00 £72.00Jane Malcolm Roxburghshire C, E 6(9) D 1Adela Mansur West Lothian Yes C, P 7 (9) D, Acc 2 £108.00 £108.00 £108.00Lorraine McBride Lanarkshire Yes C, P, X 12 (13) D, Acc, EPLA 3 £361.44 £361.44 £361.44Ian McMillian* Aberdeenshire Yes C, P 2 (6) £0.00 £0.00 £0.00James Moore* Glasgow Yes C, E 3 (3) D 1 £94.10 £94.10 £94.10Alison Palmer Argyll and Bute Yes C, A, F 8 (10) D 1 £472.50 £472.50 £472.50Robbie Pearson* Edinburgh C, P 0 (0) D 1Coral Riddell Edinburgh C, E 1 (9) 1 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00John Rodgers Glasgow Yes C, E 9 (9) D, Acc, EPLA, PU 8 £412.80 £412.80 £412.80Patricia Scott Renfrewshire Yes C, E 8 (9) D 1 £510.30 £510.30 £510.30Barrie Sheppard Glasgow Yes C, P 6 (9) D, Acc 3 £825.00 £477.95 £477.95 £1,302.95Neil Simco Inverness Yes C, F, X 11 (14) D 1 £477.85 £477.85 £477.85Adam Sutcliffe Aberdeenshire Yes C, P 6 (9) D 1 £932.00 £932.00 £932.00Edith Swinley Fife Yes C, A, E, F, P, X 16 (22) D, Acc, EPLA, PR 7 £735.34 £735.34 £735.34Carole Wilkinson* Edinburgh C, P 7 (7) Acc 2 £825.00 £0.00 £0.00 £825.00Martin Whitfield East Lothian Yes C, P 3 (9) D 1 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00TOTALS 259 (369) 69 £4,050.00 £0.00 £13,674.87 £0.00 £0.00 £13,674.87 £17,724.87It should be noted that although members are sometimes not able to attend in person, detailed written submissions/contributions are often made.

Committees Total No of Meetings AbbreviationCouncil 5(5) CEducation 4(4) EExecutive 4(4) X Notes:Finance and Corporate Services 4(4) FProfessional Regulatory Assurance Committee 5(5) P 1 Compensation and expenses payments relate to members' attendance at meetings of Audit Sub-Committee 1(1) A Council and its committees (as detailed above) and also their involvement in other

GTCS work including working groups and panels on which Council members serve.23(23)

Non-Committees 2 The Council Convener (CC) and the Council Vice Convener (VC) are ex officio members Development Includes Induction Event in March 2018 D of all GTCS committees except the Regulatory Governance Sub-Committee. Accreditation AccExcellence in Professional Learning Excellence Awards EPLA 3 Members marked with an asterisk* either left or joined the Council membership mid-term *Other GTCS Events, Working Groups and Duties O and therefore will not have been in a position to attend all meetings. Professional Recognition PRProfessional Update PU

Total Expenses Total PaymentsLocation Committees and Panels

Panels and Other Number Attended

Compensation Payments Expenses

18-20Co(19)103 Appendix 3

18-20Co(19)103 - Appendix 3 - 2018-19 Senior Staff Salaries Page 1 of 1

Senior Staff Salaries As at 31 March 2019

GTC Scotland is almost entirely funded by teacher registration fees. Below you will find details of the salaries of senior staff at GTC Scotland who were in post as at 31 March 2019

Job Title Name Pay Scale Scale Range (£ 000s)

Pay Band at 31 March 2018

(£ 000s) Pension Scheme

Employee Contribution

Employer Contribution

Chief Executive and Registrar Kenneth Muir 5b 93 - 105 90.0 – 99.9 SPF(2) 9.8% 19.3%

Director of Education, Registration and Professional Learning Ellen Doherty 5a 65 - 80 70.0 – 79.9

SPF(2) 9.1% 19.3%

Director of Regulation and Legal Services

Jennifer Macdonald 5a 65 - 80 70.0 – 79.9 SPF(2) 9.1% 19.3%

Director of Communications, Digital Development and Human Resources Martin Osler 5a 65 - 80 70.0 – 79.9 SPF(2) 9.2% 19.3%

(1) Scottish Teacher Superannuation Scheme (2) Strathclyde Pension Fund

18-20Co(19)104 - Draft Revised Standing Order_Committee Scheme Page 1 of 2

Draft Revised Standing Order and Committee Scheme

Council Meeting – 25 September 2019

Classification:

Public Session

Status:

For Discussion and Approval

Considered by Committee(s):

Executive

Purpose:

To update the Standing Order and Committee Scheme to reflect the decision taken by Council in June to appoint an Education Panel pool.

Recommendation(s):

Members are invited to approve the revised Standing Order and Committee Scheme (attached as an Appendix)

1 Introduction 1.1 At the Council meeting in June, members approved the proposal to establish an independently

appointed Education Panel pool. It was agreed then that a revised version of the Standing Order and Committee Scheme would be presented to the September Council meeting for approval.

1.2 GTC Scotland operates in accordance with the Public Services Reform (General Teaching Council

for Scotland) Order 2011 and a suite of constitutional documents which includes the Standing Order and Committee Scheme (SOCS) which sits at the heart of its core corporate governance arrangements. The Executive Committee has responsibility for the SOCS (alongside all of the other constitutional documents) as part of its remit.

1.3 GTC Scotland requires to have a SOCS in place with reference to its governing legislation. The SOCS:

• governs how Council and its various committees, sub-committees and panels are composed and put in place;

• sets out the remits and powers of the various committees, sub-committees and panels; and • determines how the Council as well as its committees, sub-committees and panels run their

meetings and business generally.

1.4 The revised SOCS would only take effect from 2 April 2020 when the new Education Pool comes into operation.

2 Action Required 2.1 Members are invited to approve the draft revised Standing Order and Committee Scheme (attached

as an Appendix) with a view to it coming into effect on 2 April 2020.

18-20Co(19)104

18-20Co(19)104 - Draft Revised Standing Order_Committee Scheme Page 2 of 2

2

Implications:

• Resource

Administration associated with panel operation overseen by the Executive Office.

• Risk

Reputational risk associated with non-adherence to the SOCS.

• Legal/Governance

As noted, the SOCS is a legal document. The SOCS is subject to the terms of the Public Services Reform (GTC Scotland) Order 2011 (GTC Scotland’s governing legislation).

• Equality and diversity

None

• Communications

None

Links to the Strategic Plan:

This links to Strategic Objectives one and three.

Lisa Dobie Senior Manager Corporate Executive and Governance September 2019

.

DRIVING FORWARD PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS

The General Teaching Council for Scotland Standing Order and Committee Scheme September 20182019

18-20Co(19)104 Appendix

Table of Contents 1 Introduction 1 2 Interpretation 1 3 Council Membership 3 4 Council Convener and Vice Convener 3 5 Council meetings 3 5.1 Frequency 3

5.2 Quorum 4

5.3 Servicing Officer 4

5.4 Agenda 4

5.5 Attendance of the public and others 4

5.6 Exclusion from meetings 4

5.7 Absence of Convener and Vice Convener 5

5.8 Conduct of discussion and debate 5

5.9 Decision-making 5

5.10 Declaration of Interests 5

5.11 Adjournment 5

5.12 Convener’s Authority 6

5.13 Minutes 6 6 Committees and Sub-Committees 6 6.1 Structure, functions and responsibilities 6

6.2 Membership and conveners 6

6.3 Servicing officer 7

6.4 Quorum 7

6.5 Meetings 7

6.6 Decision-making 7

6.7 Minutes 7 7 Election of Conveners 8 8 The Chief Executive 8 9 Document Signing and Authorisation of Payments 8 10 Amendment, Revocation and Suspension of this Scheme 9 Schedules 1 Motions and Debate 10 2 Committees and Sub-Committees 12

Standing Order and Committee Scheme – Approved 09 12 15 – Updated 2018 09 26 2019 09 11 1

1 Introduction

1.1 This Scheme is made by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTC Scotland) in accordance with its statutory duty to make a scheme relating to the structure, membership, role and operation of its committees and sub-committees. This Scheme also sets out standing orders relating to the conduct of GTC Scotland business generally.

1.2 This Scheme may be referenced as The General Teaching Council for Scotland Standing Order and

Committee Scheme 2018 and will come into force on 14 June 2018. 1.3 The General Teaching Council for Scotland Standing Order and Committee Scheme 2015 and any

other earlier versions are revoked and replaced by this Scheme. 2 Interpretation

In this Scheme unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) “appointed member” means a member of the Council appointed by the Appointments Committee.

(b) “Appointments Committee” means the appointments committee (comprised of members who are

independent of GTC Scotland) established by GTC Scotland to appoint appointed members. (c) “Appointments Scheme” means GTC Scotland’s appointments scheme relating to the

appointment of appointed members. (d) “Chief Executive” means the Chief Executive of GTC Scotland, or any person fulfilling his/her

role. (e) “Code of Conduct and Membership Scheme” means GTC Scotland’s code of conduct and

membership scheme applying to members. (f) “committee” means any one of the committees of GTC Scotland listed in Schedule 2 of this

Scheme.

(g) “co-opted member” means a person duly co-opted by the Council (following such process as it considers appropriate in the circumstances) to serve as a member of a committee, sub-committee or panel.

(h) “Convener” means the Convener of the Council, or any person fulfilling his/her role and “Vice

Convener” will be construed accordingly.

(i) “Council” means the Council of GTC Scotland.

(j) “elected member” means a duly elected member of the Council.

(k) “Election Scheme” means GTC Scotland’s election scheme relating to the election of the elected members of Council.

(l) “Fitness to Teach Panel” means the committee of GTC Scotland designated as the Fitness to

Teach Panel in Schedule 2 to this Scheme. (m) “lay person” means an individual that (i) is not, nor has been, nor is eligible to be, entered in the

Register; and (ii) has not obtained a “recognised teaching qualification”, as defined by the Order.

(n) “member” means, as the context requires, either (i) a member of the Council; (ii) a member of a GTC Scotland committee, sub-committee or panel; or (iii) both (i) and (ii).

(o) “nominated member” means a nominated member of the Council.

2 Standing Order and Committee Scheme – Approved 09 12 15 – Updated 2018 09 262019 09 11

(p) “Order” means the Public Services Reform (General Teaching Council for Scotland) Order 2011. (q) “panel” means any one of the committees of GTC Scotland designated as a panel in Schedule 2

to this Scheme.

(r) "register" means the register of teachers kept and maintained by GTC Scotland and “registered” and “registrant” will be construed accordingly.

(s) “Registration Panel” means the committee of GTC Scotland designated as the Registration Panel

in Schedule 2 to this Scheme. (t) “Rules” means the GTC Scotland Registration and Standards Rules and GTC Scotland Fitness to

Teach Rules as well as any other rules that may be put in place by GTC Scotland from time to time.

(u) “servicing officer” means any GTC Scotland employee appointed to service the Council, a

committee or sub-committee.

(v) “sub-committee” means a sub-committee of GTC Scotland listed in Schedule 2 to this Scheme. (w) any reference to legislation, rules, standards, processes, publications, schemes, panels,

committees or sub-committees will be construed as a reference to such legislation, rule, standard, process, publication, scheme, panel, or committee as may be supplemented, amended, substituted, re-named or replaced from time to time.

(x) Any reference to (i) a numbered section or paragraph refers to the section or paragraph bearing

that number in this Scheme; and (ii) a numbered schedule refers to a schedule bearing that number in this Scheme.

(y) Headings set out in this Scheme will not affect the interpretation of the Scheme itself.

This Scheme will be construed and applied in accordance with GTC Scotland’s obligations under the Order, the Human Rights Act 1998, the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010, as well as any other relevant and applicable legislation that may be enacted from time to time. Furthermore, as regards the role, operation and membership of the Fitness to Teach Panels and Registration Panels, this Scheme will be interpreted and applied with reference to the Rules and in the event of any conflict between this Scheme and those Rules, the terms of the Rules shall prevail.

Standing Order and Committee Scheme – Approved 09 12 15 – Updated 2018 09 26 2019 09 11 3

3 Council Membership The Council is composed of 37 members comprising 19 elected members, 7 appointed members and

11 nominated members. Appointed members will be appointed by the Appointments Committee in accordance with the Appointments Scheme and elected members will be elected in accordance with the Election Scheme. All members are governed by the Code of Conduct and Membership Scheme.

4 Council Convener and Vice Convener 4.1 The Council will elect (in accordance with this Scheme), a Convener and Vice Convener of Council to

hold office until the date on which the next programme of election, appointment and nomination of Council members takes effect. For the avoidance of doubt, a Convener or Vice Convener may be elected for further terms of office.

4.2 In addition to chairing Council meetings consistent with the terms of this Scheme, the key role of the Convener (or the Vice Convener as his/her deputy) is to provide effective leadership of the Council. The Convener also has the following powers and functions: In conjunction with the Chief Executive:

• To authorise action on urgent matters falling under the authority of the Council. Any such

action will be recorded by the Chief Executive and reported to the next Council meeting.

To oversee the actions of the Chief Executive and review his/her performance and professional

development accordingly. To facilitate, in conjunction with the Chief Executive, good relations between GTC Scotland and its

stakeholders. 4.3 The Council may also delegate from time to time such further powers and functions to the Convener (or

the Vice Convener as his/her deputy) as it sees fit.

4.4 A Convener or Vice Convener may resign from that position at any time by written notice.

4.5 The Council may remove a Convener or Vice Convener from office by resolution passed by a two-thirds majority of members present and voting at a Council meeting, provided that notice of the proposal has been circulated with the relevant agenda in accordance with paragraph 5.4 below.

5 Council Meetings 5.1 Frequency 5.1.1 The Council will ordinarily meet as necessary for the transaction of its business according to a schedule

agreed by the Council but a special meeting may also be called at the request of: (a) the Convener; or

(b) not less than one third of the membership of the Council giving notice of such a request to the

Chief Executive. 5.1.2 A minimum of 7 days notice will be given of a special meeting following receipt of the request. Within

the periods that all local authority schools in Scotland are open, a special meeting will normally be held within 30 working days of receipt of the request.

4 Standing Order and Committee Scheme – Approved 09 12 15 – Updated 2018 09 262019 09 11

5.2 Quorum

The quorum for any Council meeting is one third of the membership of Council. Any business transacted before a Council meeting becomes inquorate will not be invalidated by the later lack of quorum. If a meeting is found to be inquorate, it will be adjourned by the Convener and reconvened at a later date or time.

5.3 Servicing Officer

A servicing officer will be appointed to the Council who will be responsible for calling meetings, and maintaining records and minutes. The servicing officer will take no part in decision-making processes.

5.4 Agenda 5.4.1 Any member wishing to place an item of business on the agenda or propose a motion at an ordinary

Council meeting will notify the Chief Executive in writing no fewer than 14 days before the meeting. The Convener will determine whether the matter is competent to be considered. The Convener may arrange for the matter to be included in the agenda or refer it to an appropriate committee or sub-committee.

5.4.2 Any member wishing to place an item of business on the agenda or propose a motion at a special

Council meeting will notify the Chief Executive in writing no fewer than 4 days before the meeting. The Convener will determine whether the matter is competent to be considered by Council. The Convener may arrange for the matter to be included in the agenda or refer it to an appropriate committee or sub-committee.

5.4.3 The Convener and Chief Executive will prepare the agenda for each meeting. No business other than

that which has been included in the agenda, or which has been intimated to the Chief Executive in the terms set out above, will be discussed at a Council meeting, with the exception of business that the Convener considers urgent. Any such business should be referred by a member to the Chief Executive as soon as possible prior to the meeting for the Convener to determine whether it is urgent and should be added to the agenda accordingly.

5.4.4 Where an item of business or motion proposed by a member has been disposed of in the period of 6

months before the date of a meeting, it will not be competent for the same or substantially the same item or motion to be included on a meeting agenda.

5.4.5 The agenda and supporting papers for an ordinary Council meeting will normally be sent to members

no fewer than 7 days before the meeting. The agenda and supporting papers for a special Council meeting will normally be sent to members no fewer than 2 days before the meeting.

5.5 Attendance of the public and others 5.5.1 Members of the public may attend Council meetings but should any confidential or sensitive matters

form part of the business to be transacted, the Convener may require members of the public to withdraw from the meeting so that those matters may be dealt with in private. The recording or photographing of Council meetings is strictly subject to permission being sought from the Convener.

5.5.2 The Convener may invite any person to attend the whole or part of a Council meeting to provide the Council with advice.

5.6 Exclusion from meetings

Any member of Council may propose a motion that any person (including another member) be excluded from the whole or any part of a meeting. If that motion is seconded, the Council may decide (in accordance with section 5.9 of this Scheme) to so exclude that person where it considers that the person: has disregarded the authority of the Convener;

Standing Order and Committee Scheme – Approved 09 12 15 – Updated 2018 09 26 2019 09 11 5

has acted offensively; or has disrupted (or is likely to disrupt) the meeting.

5.7 Absence of Convener and Vice Convener

Where the Convener and Vice Convener are both unable to chair all or any part of a Council meeting for any reason, the Chief Executive will chair the meeting to the extent necessary to allow Council members to nominate an alternate chair as they see fit.

5.8 Conduct of discussion and debate 5.8.1 Any member wishing to speak at a Council meeting will indicate as such to the Convener and wait to be

called by the Convener. All contributions will be directed to the Convener and will relate to the motion or item of business open to discussion. A member will give way to the Convener on request.

5.8.2 The procedures set out in Schedule 1 will apply as appropriate to a motion raised at a meeting and the

conduct of any debate. 5.8.3 A member may move a vote of no confidence in the Convener at a meeting. If this motion is seconded,

the Convener will withdraw from the chair while it is discussed and the Vice Convener will take the chair for the time being with the voting rights of the Convener. If the motion is rejected, the Convener will resume the chair. If the motion is carried, the Vice Convener will remain in the chair for the remainder of the meeting.

5.9 Decision-making 5.9.1 The intention is to reach agreement by consensus on any motion or matter put forward for decision at a

Council meeting. The Convener will ask the Council to confirm a consensus decision orally. If there is not a general consensus, any member may call for a vote on the matter. Voting will be by a show of hands, by any technological equipment that may be provided for this purpose or by such means as the Convener considers appropriate in the circumstances.

5.9.2 Unless this Scheme provides otherwise, a simple majority of those members voting will be sufficient to

carry a decision. In the event of an equality of votes, the Convener will have a casting vote. A member may dissent from a decision after a vote has taken place and this will be minuted appropriately.

5.10 Declaration of interests

Where a member has registered or declared an interest in a matter under discussion or debate at a Council meeting in accordance with the Code of Conduct and Membership Scheme, due consideration will be given to whether it is appropriate for him/her to withdraw from the discussion, debate or vote concerned.

5.11 Adjournment 5.11.1 Any member of Council may propose a motion to adjourn a meeting and have it reconvened at a later

date or time. If that motion is seconded, the Council may decide (in accordance with section 5.9 of this Scheme) to adjourn and reconvene the meeting in the terms proposed.

5.11.2 The Convener may decide that any item of business or motion should be moved forward or continued to a Council meeting scheduled for a later date or time where he/she sees fit.

5.12 Convener’s authority

The decision of the Convener on any matter of dispute, point of order or question of procedure at a Council meeting will be conclusive for all purposes.

6 Standing Order and Committee Scheme – Approved 09 12 15 – Updated 2018 09 262019 09 11

5.13 Minutes

Minutes of Council meetings will be taken and retained by the servicing officer. Minutes will be approved by the Convener and then laid before the next Council meeting. No discussion will take place upon the minutes except upon their accuracy. If no matter relating to the accuracy of the minutes is raised, the Convener will declare the minutes approved.

6 Committees and Sub-Committees 6.1 Structure, functions and responsibilities 6.1.1 A table setting out the committees (including those designated as panels) and sub-committees

established by the Council, the functions that they are to carry out and the responsibilities delegated to them is set out in Schedule 2.

6.1.2 Committees (including those designated as panels) and sub-committees may be delegated further

responsibilities or be required to carry out further functions in such terms as may be referred to them by the Council or Convener from time to time.

6.1.3 The Council may establish temporary or ad hoc committees, or sub-committees from time to time in such terms as it may determine. Committees (except those designated as panels) and sub-committees may similarly establish temporary or ad hoc sub-groups or working groups from time to time in such terms as they may determine.

6.2 Membership and conveners 6.2.1 The Appointments Committee will appoint independent persons to serve on Fitness to Teach and

Registration Panels or these appointments will be made through such other process approved by the Council from time to time. The Appointments Committee will be appointed in accordance with the Appointments Scheme.

6.2.2 The Council will determine the membership of those committees (excepting the Fitness to Teach and

Registration Panels) and sub-committees entirely as it sees fit. For the avoidance of doubt, the Council may determine that such committees and sub-committees are to include such number of co-opted, elected, nominated and appointed members as it considers appropriate. Subject to the provisions below and Council deciding otherwise, such members will hold office until the date on which the next programme of election, appointment and nomination of Council members takes effect.

6.2.3 With the exception of the Appointments Committee and panels, as a result of their position of office and

where the Council considers it appropriate, the Convener of the Council and Vice Convener of the Council will be members of the committees and sub-committees established by the Council.

6.2.4 With the exception of the Appointments Committee, the Investigating Panel and the Adjudicating Panels, the Council will (where it considers it appropriate so to do), elect (in accordance with this Scheme) members to act as conveners of its committees and sub-committees. Subject to the provisions below and Council deciding otherwise, such conveners will hold office until the date on which the next programme of election, appointment and nomination of Council members takes effect. For the avoidance of doubt, any such convener may be elected for further terms of office.

6.2.5 A member may resign from a committee or sub-committee or any position as convener or vice

convener held at any time by written notice. 6.2.6 With the exception of the Appointments Committee, the Fitness to Teach Panel and the Registration

Panel may remove a committee or sub-committee convener or vice convener from that office by resolution passed by a two-thirds majority of members present and voting at a Council meeting, provided that notice of the proposal has been circulated with the relevant agenda.

Standing Order and Committee Scheme – Approved 09 12 15 – Updated 2018 09 26 2019 09 11 7

6.3 Servicing officer

A servicing officer will be appointed for each committee and sub-committee who will be responsible for calling meetings, maintaining records and minutes as well as ensuring compliance with this Scheme and any other applicable GTC Scotland rules, policy or guidance. A servicing officer will take no part in decision-making processes.

6.4 Quorum

With the exception of the Appointments Committee and panels, the quorum applicable to a committee or sub-committee is one third of its membership. The Appointment Committee’s quorum and any quorum applicable to a panel is set out in Schedule 2 to this Scheme.

6.5 Meetings

Committees and sub-committees will meet as necessary for the transaction of their business. Unless otherwise provided in the Rules, committees and sub-committees will meet in private. Meetings will be chaired by the relevant convener or, in his/her absence, such member of the committee or sub-committee as it may choose.

Committees and sub-committees (but not panels) may elect a vice convener to act in the absence of the convener should they so wish. Any such election will be conducted in accordance with the provisions set out in section 7 of this Scheme. The servicing officer will prepare an agenda for each meeting in consultation with the convener (or his/her alternate). Contributions to meetings will be directed to the convener and members will give way to him/her on request. Subject to the terms of this Scheme and any other applicable GTC Scotland rules, policy or guidance, meetings will otherwise be conducted as the relevant committee or sub-committee sees fit.

6.6 Decision-making

The intention at any committee or sub-committee meeting or hearing is to make decisions by consensus. If there is not a general consensus, any member may call for a vote on the matter.

Each member of a committee or sub-committee will have voting rights.

Voting will be by a show of hands or by such means as the convener considers appropriate in the circumstances. Unless otherwise provided in the Rules, a simple majority of those members present and voting at the meeting or hearing will be sufficient to carry a decision. Where members are asked to make a decision outside of a meeting, and unless otherwise provided in the Rules, a simple majority of those members voting (by such means as may be provided for this purpose) will be sufficient to carry a decision. In the event of an equality of votes, and unless otherwise provided in the Rules, the convener will have a casting vote.

6.7 Minutes

Minutes of committee (excepting Panel), sub-committee and temporary or ad hoc sub-group or working group meetings will be taken and retained by the servicing officer. The decisions made by Adjudicating Panels and the Investigating Panel will be recorded appropriately and in accordance with the Rules. Minutes will be provided to the relevant convener for approval and to confirm accuracy. With the exception of the Appointments Committee, minutes of committees and sub-committees (but not panels) will also be laid before the next Council meeting for information.

8 Standing Order and Committee Scheme – Approved 09 12 15 – Updated 2018 09 262019 09 11

Minutes of temporary or ad hoc sub-groups or working groups will be laid before the next originating committee or sub-committee meeting for information.

7 Election of Conveners 7.1 The election of any convener or vice convener will be conducted by the relevant servicing officer in

accordance with the provisions set out below. 7.2 To become a candidate for election, a member must be supported by two other members (who must

not also support another candidate in that same election). 7.3 If only one member is nominated for any position, Council will be invited to affirm his/her election.

Otherwise, an election will be held and a ballot prepared. Each member present will be entitled to cast a vote or, where the election takes place outside of a meeting, each member will be entitled to cast a vote by such means as may be provided for this purpose. The voting system will be first past the post. In the event of a tie, the election will be decided between the tied candidates by the drawing of lots conducted by the Convener (where he/she has been elected) or Chief Executive.

8 The Chief Executive 8.1 Role and responsibilities 8.1.1 The Chief Executive is delegated responsibility for overseeing and monitoring GTC Scotland employees

as well as implementing the rules, policies and guidance determined by the Council or by its committees or sub-committees and, unless specifically delegated elsewhere, is also responsible for any decisions required under such rules, policies or guidance .

8.1.2 The Chief Executive is to seek to ensure that GTC Scotland acts at all times within the terms of the

Order and the law.

8.1.3 In conjunction with the Convener, the Chief Executive will be responsible for presenting the views of the Council to members of the teaching profession, members of the public and other public bodies.

8.1.4 The Chief Executive is to carry out such further functions and be delegated such further responsibilities as may be specified by Council in his/her contract of employment or conditions of service.

8.1.5 In addition, the Council, its committees, sub-committees and any convener may delegate

responsibilities or tasks allocated to it or them to the Chief Executive and/or GTC Scotland employees as is seen fit. The Council may also act on behalf of a committee, sub-committee or convener in order to effect such a delegation directly should it see fit.

8.2 Appointment 8.2.1 The appointment of a Chief Executive will be effected by the Council in accordance with the procedure

determined by the Council from time to time. 9 Document Signing and Authorisation of Payments 9.1 Any document issued on behalf of the Council or GTC Scotland may be signed by the Chief Executive

or by another GTC Scotland employee duly authorised by the Chief Executive to do so or when acting in the course of their duties.

9.2 Payments drawn by whatever means on the Council’s accounts will be authorised by the Chief

Executive or Director of Business and Finance in the case of amounts below a threshold determined by the Finance and Corporate Services Committee. Payments drawn by whatever means on the Council’s

Standing Order and Committee Scheme – Approved 09 12 15 – Updated 2018 09 26 2019 09 11 9

accounts in the case of amounts above that threshold will be authorised in accordance with arrangements approved by the Finance and Corporate Services Committee.

10 Amendment, Revocation and Suspension of this Scheme 10.1 The Council may amend or revoke any provision set out in this Scheme by resolution passed by a two-

thirds majority of members present and voting at a Council meeting, provided that notice of the proposal has been circulated with the relevant agenda.

10.2 The Council may suspend any provision of this Scheme by resolution passed by a majority of members

present and voting at a Council meeting.

10 Standing Order and Committee Scheme – Approved 09 12 15 – Updated 2018 09 262019 09 11

Schedule 1

Motions and Debate

1 The following will be competent:

(a) To make a textual amendment to the motion. Any such proposal will be intimated at the

beginning of the debate on a motion. Each textual amendment will be moved and seconded and debate may take place. Any amendment which is not seconded will not be recorded in the minutes of the meeting. The mover of the amendment will have the right to reply to the discussion and the mover of the motion will have the right to sum up. The vote will then take place. In the event of the amendment being carried, the motion as amended will become the proposal before the meeting and, from that point on, the motion (as amended) will be deemed to have been moved by the mover of the successful amendment. Further amendments may be moved, following the same procedure, and there shall be a final debate on whether to approve the motion, with the mover having the right to sum-up. It shall be incompetent to introduce new matter into any reply or summing-up speech. The order in which amendments to the same motion are to be considered will be determined by the Convener in accordance with the general principle that the proposal making the least radical change to the motion will be considered first. The direct negative will not be a competent amendment.

(b) To remit the question to the ……………………….Committee with or without powers. The

mover will name the committee concerned and say whether the remit is to be with or without powers. A seconder will be required. If there is no seconder, the amendment will not be recorded in the minutes of the meeting. During the subsequent debate, the mover of the motion will be given the opportunity to provide his/her views on the procedural amendment proposed. In the case of a remit with powers, the committee concerned will have the power to take a decision on the matter. In the case of a remit without powers, the committee concerned will make a recommendation to the next Council meeting. If a decision to remit is taken by the Council, there will be no further discussion of the motion. An amendment to remit will be competent at any stage of the debate on the motion, but the Convener will decide when the remit should be considered in relation to other amendments which have been duly intimated. Where a remit is carried before any duly intimated amendment has been disposed of, that amendment will be deemed to be part of the remit.

(c) That the question be now put. This amendment may only be moved and seconded at the end

of a speech and only by members who have not taken part in the debate up to that point. If the amendment is not seconded, it will not be recorded in the minutes of the meeting. The Convener will not refuse to consider such an amendment but has the power to decide when, during a debate, it should be considered. There will be no debate on the proposition. If it is carried, the Convener will proceed immediately to the reply (if appropriate) and the summing-up. The vote on the matter under discussion will then be taken. If the matter under discussion was an amendment to a motion, the debate will then proceed as appropriate.

(d) That the meeting proceed to next business. This amendment may be moved at any time during

a debate on a motion or on amendment to a motion. If it is seconded, it will be put to the meeting without debate. If it is not seconded, it will not be recorded in the minutes of the meeting. If the procedural motion is carried, the debate will conclude and the matter which was the subject of debate will be considered dropped and will not be further discussed at the meeting concerned.

2 An amendment may be withdrawn by the mover at any time, but only with the permission of the Council, which will be given or not without debate.

Standing Order and Committee Scheme – Approved 09 12 15 – Updated 2018 09 26 2019 09 11 11

3 The initial speeches of movers of motions and amendments will be limited to ten minutes. All other speeches (including any replies and summing-up) will be limited to five minutes. It will be open to a member to move, when the time limit for a speech has been reached, that the speaker be further heard. If seconded, this motion will be put to the meeting without debate. If carried, an extension of time of five minutes will be granted to the speaker.

4 Except with the permission of the Convener, a member may speak only once in any debate. For this purpose, debates on individual amendments will be deemed to be separate debates.

5 A member may raise a point of order at any time. The point will be presented factually and briefly and there will be no discussion. The Convener’s decision on a point of order will be final.

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Schedule 2 Committees and Sub-Committees

In carrying out the functions and delegated responsibilities set out below, all committees and sub-committees are required to: • ensure that GTC Scotland meets its responsibilities to perform its functions in a way which appears to represent best regulatory practice. • ensure that GTC Scotland acts legally and within its statutory authority. • have regard to the interests of the public when carrying out their functions. Committee or Panel

Functions and Delegated Responsibilities

Quorum

Appointments Committee

Delegated responsibility for : • those functions set out in the Appointments Scheme; • adjudicating any case referred to it in accordance with the terms of the Code of Conduct and Membership

Scheme; and • determining the compensation policy (or similar) for members of Council.

3, including a registrant and lay person

ITE Programme Accreditation Panel

Delegated responsibility for scrutinising, reviewing and accrediting where it sees fit programmes leading to the award of a GTC Scotland recognised teaching qualification or any GTC Scotland professional standard or award in accordance with any applicable GTC Scotland procedural rules, policy or guidance.

53, including a lay person or non-registrant and majority of registrants (minimum of 3 drawn from the appointed Education Panel pool (including a lay person or non-registrant and majority of registrants) 1 university rep and 1 LA rep)

Education Committee

Delegated responsibility to carry out, commission and publish research to inform GTC Scotland and stakeholders with regard to the functions and responsibilities delegated to the Education Committee.

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Delegated responsibility to oversee the actions of the Programme Accreditation, Professional Standards, Professional Update Validation and Standard for Headship Professional Interview Panels. To advise, inform and put forward recommendations or proposals to Council (or its other committees or sub-committees where appropriate) on: • all aspects of the establishment, promotion and review of professional standards for registrants (excluding

in respect of conduct and the procedures for dealing with any registrant’s alleged lack of professional competence which are both delegated to the Professional Regulatory Assurance Committee);

• any policy or guidance related to a scheme of probationary service for provisional registrants; • any policy or guidance related to the Standard for Headship professional interview process; • GTC Scotland’s Statement of Registration Principles and Practice for applicants who have qualified as

teachers outside Scotland; • all aspects of the establishment, promotion and review of a professional recognition award scheme for

registrants; • the supply of teachers in Scotland (excluding matters of remuneration or conditions of service); • the education and career long professional learning of teachers; • all aspects of establishing and reviewing a scheme setting out measures to be undertaken for the purposes

of allowing GTC Scotland to keep itself informed about the standards of education and career long professional learning of teachers;

• all aspects of establishing and reviewing the requirements for entry to courses leading to a GTC Scotland recognised teaching qualification;

• all aspects of enhancing and promoting the registration of teachers within the further education sector; • any rules, policy or guidance applicable to a Course Accreditation Panel or the course accreditation

process; • the establishment, implementation and review of the Registration and Standards Rules; and • any education related consultation exercise, issue or debate arising and of interest to GTC Scotland.

Executive Committee

Delegated responsibility to: • act and make appropriate decisions on behalf of Council (with the exception of the functions of Council to

make rules and schemes) between Council meetings; • ensure appropriate and effective Council and committee communications; • ensure and oversee appropriate preparation and planning for Council meetings; • oversee GTC Scotland’s performance with reference to its strategic objectives; • secure the effective risk management of GTC Scotland and monitor such arrangements appropriately; • oversee implementation of any Council stakeholder engagement strategy; and • direct strategically the commissioning of research by GTC Scotland to inform it of its functions.

14 Standing Order and Committee Scheme – Approved 09 12 15 – Updated 2017 03 152019 09 11

To advise, inform and put forward recommendations or proposals to Council (or its other committees or sub-committees where appropriate) on all aspects of: • supporting the Council in shaping and advancing the strategic direction of GTC Scotland; • GTC Scotland’s annual report; • establishing and reviewing GTC Scotland’s stakeholder engagement strategy; • the governance of the Council including the establishment and review of this Scheme, the Election Scheme,

the Appointments Scheme and Code of Conduct and Membership Scheme together with any related policies; and

• the establishment of such other registers of other individuals working in educational settings as is seen fit. In addition, the Executive Committee is empowered to delegate any of its functions and responsibilities to such other GTC Scotland committees or sub-committees as it sees fit.

Finance and Corporate Services Committee

Delegated responsibility to: • secure the effective budget management as well as internal and financial control of GTC Scotland; • manage GTC Scotland’s banking, investment and insurance arrangements and policies; • oversee the actions of the Audit and Staffing Sub-Committees; • ensure that GTC Scotland meets its responsibilities as a good employer which includes overseeing policy

matters related to the remuneration and conditions of service of GTC Scotland employees (excluding the Chief Executive) and staff organisation and structure;

• secure the effective management of GTC Scotland property as well as establish, review and oversee policies related to the procurement by GTC Scotland of goods and services;

• ensure that GTC Scotland, as a body with charitable status, complies with any applicable charities legislation;

• oversee implementation of any GTC Scotland information and technology strategy; • ensure the maintenance and security of the register; • establish, review and oversee the implementation of policies related to GTC Scotland’s compliance with

data protection, health and safety, equality and diversity and freedom of information legislation as well as with regard to service complaints;

• oversee implementation of the Election, Appointments and Code of Conduct and Membership Schemes (including the performance review process prescribed by Council as regards Council Members); and

• commission and publish research when appropriate with regard to the functions and responsibilities delegated to the committee.

To advise, inform and put forward recommendations or proposals to Council (or its other committees or sub-committees where appropriate) on:

Standing Order and Committee Scheme – Approved 09 12 15 – updated 2017 03 152019 09 11 15

• how best to secure effective risk management; • GTC Scotland’s annual budget and accounts; • the remuneration of the Chief Executive; • setting registration and any other similar GTC Scotland fees; • establishing and reviewing GTC Scotland’s information and technology strategy; • GTC Scotland’s expenses and compensation policy (or similar) for members (excluding the aspect of such

policy delegated to the Appointments Committee); and • any consultation exercise, report or similar arising that is of relevance to the Committee’s other delegated

responsibilities.

Audit Sub-Committee

To advise and inform on, put forward recommendations or proposals on and advance generally on the Finance and Corporate Services Committee’s behalf, all aspects of the audit, including internal audit, of GTC Scotland each financial year. To advise on and consider such further matters as the Finance and Corporate Services Committee may refer to it related to GTC Scotland’s accounts, risk, accounting policies, internal audit, internal control systems or similar.

Staffing Sub-Committee

To advise and inform on, put forward recommendations or proposals on and advance generally on the Finance and Corporate Services Committee’s behalf, such GTC Scotland staffing matters as may be referred to it.

Fitness to Teach Panel

Delegated responsibility to adjudicate fitness to teach referrals made about registrants or those seeking registration in accordance with the terms of the Fitness to Teach Rules. For the avoidance of doubt, Fitness to Teach Panel Conveners are delegated responsibility to carry out those functions attributed to them by the Fitness to Teach and Appeals Rules and to sub-delegate such functions in accordance with paragraph 8.1.5 of this Scheme.

3, including a lay person and majority of registrants

Professional Regulatory Assurance Committee

Delegated responsibility to: • consider the decisions of Fitness to Teach and Registration Panels to identify any trends, themes or issues; • consider the decisions of officers to take no further action in fitness to teach cases to identify any trends,

themes or issues; • establish and review practice statements, policy and guidance to support the implementation of the Fitness

to Teach Rules and Registration and Standards Rules; and • oversee implementation of the performance review process prescribed by Council in respect of members of

Fitness to Teach and Registration Panels;

16 Standing Order and Committee Scheme – Approved 09 12 15 – Updated 2017 03 152019 09 11

• keep itself informed of any appeal or judicial review proceedings related to the Fitness to Teach and Registration Panels and take such action as is seen fit (within the scope of the Committee’s other delegated responsibilities) as a result of the outcomes of those proceedings; and

• commission and publish research when appropriate with regard to the functions and responsibilities delegated to the committee.

To advise, inform and put forward recommendations or proposals to Council (or its other committees or sub-committees where appropriate) on: • the establishment, promotion and review of the standard of conduct expected of a registrant; • the establishment, implementation and review of the Fitness to Teach Rules; • the establishment, implementation and review of a Framework on Teacher Competence; and • any report, consultation exercise, issue or debate arising relating to professional regulation in teaching and

comparable professions. Excellence in Professional Learning Awards Panel

Delegated responsibility to issue GTC Scotland Professional Learning Excellence Awards in accordance with the GTC Scotland Professional Learning Framework (and any related guidance or policy).

43, including 1a Council or Education Committee membera member of the appointed Education Panel pool memberacting as Chair and 3 external LA repsregistrant

Professional Standards Panel

Delegated responsibility to adjudicate any case referred to it in terms of the Registration and Standards Rules relating to the matter of professional standards.

3, including a lay person and majority of registrants (drawn from the appointed Education Panel pool)

Professional Update Validation/ Re-validation Panel

Delegated responsibility to validate employer Professional Review and Development systems or schemes in the context of GTC Scotland’s Professional Update framework.

23. including a Council or Education Committee member3, including 1 drawn from the appointed Education Panel pool acting as Chair and either 1 LA rep or 1 university rep

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(depending on establishment being validated/revalidated)

Professional Recognition Programme Accreditation Panel

Delegated responsibility to make a Professional Recognition Award

4, including 1 member of 3 drawn from tthe appointed Education Panel pool including a registrantacting as Chair, 1 university rep and 2 LA reps

Registration Panel

Delegated responsibility to adjudicate any case referred to it in terms of the Registration and Standards Rules relating to the matter of registration.

3, including a lay person and majority of registrants

GTC Scotland Clerwood House, 96 Clermiston Road, Edinburgh EH12 6UT Tel: 0131 314 6000 Fax: 0131 314 6001 E-mail: gtcs@gtcs.org.uk Website: www.gtcs.org.uk

Direct weblinks Continuing Professional Development: Professional Recognition: www.gtcs.org.uk/cpd www.gtcs.org.uk/professional-recognition Professional Learning and Fitness to Teach: Development Department: www.gtcs.org.uk/ftt www.gtcs.org.uk/pld Professional Update for Teachers: Probationer Teachers: www.gtcs.org.uk/professional-update www.probationerteacher scotland.org.uk Research: www.gtcs.org.uk/research Registration Services: www.gtcs.org.uk/registration-services Teaching Scotland: www.teachingscotland.org.uk Code: GTCS……

GTC Scotland aims to promote equality and diversity in all its activities

18-20Co(19)105 - Proposed Amendments to ITE Accred Documentation Page 1 of 3

Proposed Amendments to Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Accreditation

Documentation Council Meeting – 25 September 2019

Classification:

Private Session

Status:

For Discussion and Approval

Considered by Committee(s):

Education

Purpose:

To propose the inclusion of a small number of references to specific additional support needs and strengthen ITE entry, selection, admission and interviewing practice in the documentation used by GTC Scotland panels in accrediting ITE programmes.

Recommendation(s):

Members are invited to discuss and approve the proposed amendments to ITE accreditation documentation (attached as Appendices 1 – 3).

1 Background 1.1 GTC Scotland has the statutory function to accredit programmes leading to the award of provisional

registration. This function regarding the accreditation of ITE programmes is supported by the following documents which set out GTC Scotland’s policy on the content, nature and duration of programmes leading to teaching qualifications for the primary and secondary sectors. • Appendix 1 - The Guidelines for Initial Teacher Education Programmes in Scotland April 2019 • Appendix 2 - Policy Statement: Accreditation of Programmes of Initial Teacher Education in

Scotland, April 2019 • Appendix 3 - Evaluation Framework: Accreditation of Programmes of Initial Teacher Education

in Scotland, June 2018.

1.2 In May 2017, the Scottish Government’s Education and Skills Committee produced a report How is Additional Support for Learning working in practice?. The report noted that there were ‘issues about initial teacher training [sic] and the training that is offered at colleges [sic] to upskill staff before they go into the profession’. It also expressed concern about ‘the time available for trainee teachers to train in additional support needs’. GTC Scotland responded immediately to these concerns through supporting the publication and distribution of the Salvesen Mindroom Booklet ‘It Takes All Kinds of Minds’ to all students and registrants. This booklet sets out the characteristics of the five main learning difficulties (Dyslexia; Dyspraxia; Autism; ADHD and Tourette Syndrome) and how teachers can address them. Distribution of this booklet was received positively by the profession and was followed up by a GTC Scotland webinar delivered by the author of the booklet.

1.3 In the last two years, GTC Scotland has worked closely with Dyslexia Scotland to support them in

increasing awareness of dyslexia amongst students and teachers so that they are better able to support children and young people in schools. More recently, GTC Scotland has been represented on the Scottish Government’s Autism in Schools Short-Life Working Group, which is chaired by the Scottish Council of Deans of Education, and includes members from a number of charitable bodies providing autism-specific services.

1.4 The Strategic Board for Teacher Education (SBTE) was asked to establish a working group to

respond to Scotland’s Race Equality Action Plan 2017-2021, A Fairer Scotland for All, with a view to exploring how the number of teachers from under-represented groups at all levels in Scottish schools could be increased. The resulting publication, Teaching in a Diverse Scotland: increasing and retaining minority ethnic teachers, set out 17 recommendations, two of which (recommendations 8 and 12) relate directly to ITE. These are:

18-20Co(19)105

18-20Co(19)105 - Proposed Amendments to ITE Accred Documentation Page 2 of 3

2

• Recommendation 8. Universities providing ITE and the GTCS should examine national entry requirements, selection, admissions and interviewing practices to ensure that institutional barriers, conscious or unconscious bias do not deter applicants from being selected.

• Recommendation 12. Starting in 2019, as part of their accreditation of ITE Programmes,

GTCS should ensure that universities add specific guidance to programme and placement handbooks providing clear advice to students on the support they can access if they experience discrimination or harassment.

2 Accreditation of Initial Teacher Education Programmes 2.1 Para 1.2.4 of GTC Scotland’s Policy Statement on ITE programme accreditation states that ‘The

Council requires that [ITE] courses and programmes will embrace diversity, challenge discrimination and promote the equal opportunity requirements laid down by statute’.

2.2 Addressing the lack of diversity in the teacher workforce, alongside challenging discrimination and

promoting equal opportunities is becoming increasingly important as the pupil population in Scottish schools is becoming more diverse. It is important that GTC Scotland guidance and support for ITE providers reflects the changing landscape and supports and promotes diversity in the teaching workforce.

2.3 Building on the good work done already by GTC Scotland on additional support needs, and through

our engagement with Dyslexia Scotland and those autism-specific charitable bodies on the Short-Life Working Group, it has emerged that specific reference to the main learning difficulties in GTC Scotland’s ITE documentation would give greater focus to them and enhance the support provided to students and teachers.

2.4 It should be noted that the five main learning difficulties noted above will be referred to specifically in

the draft overarching document that will accompany the refreshed Professional Standards for teachers. In addition, GTC Scotland plans to create advice and guidance booklets on autism and dyslexia as part of the second phase of such booklets that will support the Professional Standards.

3 Recommendations 3.1 It is proposed that specific mention is made of the five main learning difficulties (Dyslexia; Dyspraxia;

Autism; ADHD and Tourette Syndrome ), as set out in the Salvesen Mindroom Booklet ‘It Takes All Kinds of Minds’, at appropriate points in GTC Scotland’s ITE accreditation documentation set out in para 1.1. Additionally, the ITE accreditation documents should be amended to strengthen entry, selection, admission and interviewing practice to ensure that possible barriers are mitigated and student handbooks provide clear support and guidance to students in respect to discrimination or harassment.

4 Action Required 4.1 Members are invited to discuss the proposal and approve the inclusion of references to five specific

additional support needs and inclusion of strengthened criteria around selection procedures and support for student teachers at appropriate points in the documentation used by GTC Scotland panels in accrediting ITE programmes.

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3

Implications:

• Resource

Minimal staffing resource is required to make the adjustments to the wording in relevant ITE documentation

• Risk

None. The inclusion of specific references would bring greater coherence to the work of GTC Scotland

• Legal/Governance

The proposed adjustments would align with GTC Scotland’s commitment to supporting equality and diversity

• Equality and diversity

The proposed adjustments would enhance the support given to students and teachers in dealing with children and young people with the most common additional support needs and would fulfil the two recommendations set out in para 1.4.

• Communications

Adjustments to documentation would be communicated appropriately with key stakeholders, including ITE providers.

Links to the Strategic Plan:

This links to Strategic Objectives 1 and 3.

Charlaine Simpson Kenneth Muir Senior Education Officer (Accreditation and ITE) Chief Executive and Registrar August 2019

DRIVING FORWARD PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS

Guidelines for Accreditation of Initial Teacher Education Programmes in Scotland September 2019

18-20Co(19)105 Appendix 1

Guidelines for Initial Teacher Education Programme in Scotland

Contents

1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1

1.1 Purpose and Status ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 1

1.2 The Aims of Teacher Education ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 1

1.3 Partnership in Initial Teacher Education ........................................................................................................................................................................ 1

1.4 Initial Teacher Education in the Context of Continuing Professional Development....................................................................................................... 1

1.5 Meeting the Standard for Provisional Registration......................................................................................................................................................... 2

2 Conditions for the Accreditation of All Programmes of Initial Teacher Education ................................................................................ 2

2.1 General Conditions ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 2

2.2 Requirements Applying to Programmes Leading to the Award of a Teaching Qualification ......................................................................................... 3

3 Requirements for Programmes .................................................................................................................................................................. 5

3.1 Statutory Requirements ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 5

3.2 Staffing Levels and Effective Delivery ............................................................................................................................................................................ 5

3.3 Programme Design ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 5

3.4 Recruitment and Selection of Students .......................................................................................................................................................................... 6

3.5 Support for Student Teachers ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 6

3.6 Content of Programme ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

3.7 Professional Values ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

3.8 Delivery of Programme .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 7

3.9 Assessment .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

3.10 Partnership ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Guidelines for Initial Teacher Education Programme in Scotland 1

1 Introduction 1.1 Purpose and Status

Under the Public Services Reform (General Teaching Council for Scotland) Order (2011), it is for the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTC Scotland) to determine what constitutes a recognised teaching qualification for individuals seeking registration as a school teacher. GTC Scotland may make such provision about the education and training required to attain such a qualification as we think fit. These guidelines set out our policy on the content, nature and duration of programmes leading to teaching qualifications (TQs) for the primary and secondary sectors. They supersede those issued by us in June 2013. We ensure that these requirements are met through accrediting all programmes of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in Scotland.

1.2 The Aims of Teacher Education

The overall aim of programmes of ITE is to prepare student teachers to become competent, thoughtful, reflective and innovative practitioners, who are committed to providing high quality learning for every learner. These programmes must align with the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education’s requirements and ensure that student teachers meet the requirements of the Standard for Provisional Registration (2012), which is part of the Standards for Full Registration (2012), and are mandatory requirements for Registration with the General Teaching Council for Scotland.

1.3 Partnership in Initial Teacher Education ITE in Scotland is provided by universities and the Royal Conservatoire for Scotland in partnership with schools and local education authorities. Each of the partners has particular priorities, roles and responsibilities as have been highlighted in documents such as Teaching Scotland’s Future (2010), Teaching Scotland’s Future – National Partnership Group: Report to Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning (2012) and the National Implementation Board STEC/ADES National Framework Agreement for Partnership in the Early Phase of Teacher Learning (2013). Good partnership arrangements take full account of the partners' mutual aims, their respective priorities and responsibilities. All partners, including GTC Scotland and the Scottish Government, will continue to keep the quality of arrangements for partnership under consideration.

1.4 Initial Teacher Education in the Context of Continuing Professional Development

ITE is the foundation on which all further professional learning is built. Newly qualified teachers are Provisionally Registered with us and only attain Full Registration on successful completion of the Teacher Induction Scheme or Flexible Route which allows them to achieve the Standard for Full Registration (2012). After attaining full registration teachers are expected to be committed to career-long professional learning as an aspect of teacher professionalism. Through a process of self-evaluation, underpinned by engagement with the most appropriate Professional Standard, teachers should identify their own professional learning needs and maintain a professional reflective learning record to meet the requirements of Professional Update.

2 Guidelines for Initial Teacher Education Programme in Scotland

While some universities may continue to offer Additional Teaching Qualifications, which will remain subject to accreditation, other opportunities for teachers to gain professional recognition or additional registration are provided through our Framework for Professional Recognition and Framework for Professional Registration.

1.5 Meeting the Standard for Provisional Registration

Student teachers completing an ITE programme and gaining the award of a teaching qualification (TQ) must have demonstrated that they have met the Standard for Provisional Registration.

Prior to entry to an ITE programme, applicants must: have appropriate levels of English (SCQF level 6) and mathematics (SCQF level 5); be competent in the use of Digital Technology; demonstrate appropriate interpersonal skills, attributes and dispositions which will allow them to engage young people, colleagues and partners in

effective collaboration. Applicants should show that they: are committed to professional values, are reflective and innovative; are self-directed, resilient and have high levels of self-efficacy; can reflect on the impact of their teaching on every learner; can develop appropriate subject and pedagogical content knowledge, and have the capability to become experts in pedagogy; can develop awareness of how the study of Scottish culture can be developed within the curriculum; can understand the principles of assessment and are able to use assessment to monitor and enhance learners progress; are committed to their own ongoing professional learning and can engage with and are informed by educational research and policy; have an awareness of educational provision across Scotland, including the particular requirements of rural schools; have some awareness of education’s links to other fields and are committed to working with other professionals within and beyond education.

2 Conditions for the Accreditation of All Programmes of Initial Teacher Education 2.1 General Conditions

As a general rule, we will only accredit those programmes of ITE which meet the following conditions: Programmes must be subject to validation and review processes under the auspices of a university or degree awarding institution. These processes

must involve external members as a means of ensuring the maintenance of acceptable academic standards. Programmes must provide pathways leading to registration as a primary or secondary teacher.

Guidelines for Initial Teacher Education Programme in Scotland 3

The minimum requirements for entry to programmes will be those laid down in the 'Memorandum on Entry Requirements to Programmes of Initial Teacher Education in Scotland 2013'.

2.2 Requirements Applying to Programmes Leading to the Award of a Teaching Qualification

Programmes of study must make student teachers aware of their contribution to learners’ development, including the acquisition of core skills. They should also raise student teachers’ awareness of all teachers’ wider role in the safeguarding of children as set out in the Scottish Government’s Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) approach. Student teachers' study of the curriculum must cover current national guidance and prepare student teachers to identify and meet the needs of every learner in the cross-curricular aspects of their subjects, including literacy, numeracy, health and well-being and using digital technology to enhance the learning experience. Student teachers must also be prepared to support every learner to access and fully participate in the curriculum. Student teachers should also have an awareness of transition issues both in school and between pre-school, primary and secondary schools and beyond. Primary

Programmes must prepare teachers to teach children through Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) as laid out in the Implementing Early Learning and Childcare under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014: Progress Update and those attending primary school. They must ensure that all new teachers are able to deliver programmes of learning appropriate for these stages. New teachers must, therefore, have knowledge and understanding of childhood development and undertake blocks of professional placement, including in a pre-school environment, giving appropriate coverage to the range of stages of the primary school.

Secondary

ITE programmes of study must be designed to prepare teachers to teach learners in secondary schools in one or more subjects and will lead to a TQ (Secondary Education) in a subject (or subjects). Student teachers should be supported to develop an understanding of the principles of assessment and be able to use assessment to enhance learning and to meet the requirements of the curriculum and awarding bodies. Programmes must make student teachers aware of the contribution their subject(s) makes to the secondary school curriculum and to learners development, including the acquisition of core skills. In addition, they should also raise student teachers' awareness of secondary teachers' wider role in schools beyond subject teaching, through contributing to the interdisciplinary learning and the wider ethos of the school.

ITE Programmes Leading to Teaching Qualifications

There are a number of different types of ITE programme: Concurrent degree, Combined degree and Professional/Postgraduate diploma. The requirements of each of these programmes is shown in the table below.

4 Guidelines for Initial Teacher Education Programme in Scotland

Undergraduate degree Professional/Post graduate diploma*

Type of qualification

Combined degree: (TQ is awarded within the Degree.)

Concurrent degree: (The degree is awarded with the TQ being

awarded separately.)

Professional/Postgraduate diploma

Timeframe of ITE

programme

4 academic years of full-time study or equivalent part-time study.

PRIMARY 4 academic years of full-time study or

equivalent part-time study. 36 weeks of full-time study or the equivalent part-time study.

SECONDARY

At least three and a half academic years’ full-time study or the equivalent part-time

study.

Professional placement

At least 30 weeks. More than half of this should occur in the

final 2 years of the programme, with a substantial block taking place in the last

year.**

There must be a minimum of

18 weeks.

There must be a minimum of 18 weeks.

Placement should take place in each school term. A block of at least 4 weeks taking place towards the end of the programme.

Programme Content

Programmes must contain appropriate elements of study, including in-depth

academic study in areas beyond education, to allow student teachers to extend and deepen their knowledge,

understanding and experience in order to meet the Standard for Provisional

Registration.

PRIMARY On graduation, student teachers must have

an area of specialism within the Primary curriculum and meet the Standard for

Provisional Registration.

PRIMARY Programmes allow student teachers to extend and deepen their knowledge,

understanding and experience in order to meet the Standard for Provisional Registration and build on relevant elements of their original degree

programme for use in primary schools.

SECONDARY On graduation, student teachers' level of

academic attainment in their subject specialism must comply with the relevant PGDE (Secondary) entry requirements in the 'Memorandum on Entry Requirements to Programmes of Teacher Education in

Scotland'.***

SECONDARY In the case of student teachers seeking

a qualification in more than one subject, the arrangements for school

experience must allow student teachers to meet the requirements for

the Standard for Provisional Registration in each subject.***

*Professional Graduate Diploma in Education is awarded at level 10 of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) Post Graduate is awarding at SCQF level 11.This does not affect the Teaching Qualification which is the same at both levels.

Guidelines for Initial Teacher Education Programme in Scotland 5

**(In the case of the B.Ed. (Technology) a minimum of 30 weeks must be spent on placement with a minimum of 24 weeks spent specifically on school experience and a further minimum of 6 weeks available for an optional industrial placement depending on the student teacher’s needs and previous experience. The industrial placements should be drawn from a range of industrial, commercial and service organisations.) ***Student teachers undertaking a PGDE (Secondary) programme leading to a TQ or TQs in physics, chemistry or biology must also be appropriately prepared to teach science within the broad general education.

3 Requirements for Programmes

3.1 Statutory Requirements

The ITE providers or other degree awarding institution will assess the programme proposal for academic rigour and degree-worthiness. All programmes are subjected to external scrutiny as a means of ensuring the maintenance of acceptable academic standards. The process must be completed before the accreditation event or as part of the joint accreditation event. The University must ensure that the statutory requirements have been met and robust Quality Assurance procedures are in place ensuring the programme meets its aims, remains contemporary and relevant and reviews the quality of provision.

3.2 Staffing Levels and Effective Delivery

Staff delivering the programme and associate tutors involved in professional placement should be identified along with their GTC Scotland status. For ITE staff their area of research/scholarship should also be noted and how this expertise is being used to both underpin and enhance the programme. The communication strategy to ensure there is a shared understanding of the roles and responsibilities of Associate tutors should be shared, along with an outline of how the associate tutors are supported to ensure their knowledge and practice remains contemporary.

3.3 Programme Design

The delivery of the programme must be premised on a sound rationale with associated aims and objectives. The programme design and delivery should also: develop and promote equality and diversity and empower students to adopt these principles; ensure there is a progression in skills and knowledge acquisition; offer opportunities for personalisation and choice.

6 Guidelines for Initial Teacher Education Programme in Scotland

3.4 Recruitment and Selection of Students The marketing approaches must encourage diversity of applicants. ITE providers must have a system of selection for student teachers which must take into account available reports on individual applicants, their experience, interests and wider achievement and the extent to which they match the skills, attributes and dispositions desirable in a teacher. Student teachers should only be admitted to a programme after an interview process which should normally involve personnel from both the university and local education authorities/schools.

ITE providers should mitigate institutional barriers and bias throughout the recruitment and selection procedures to ensure all applicants are given equal opportunities of being selected onto an ITE programme.

Programmes must have clear criteria for recognising prior learning and experience, and offer opportunities for part-time and distance learning wherever this is appropriate.

All student teachers must apply to Disclosure Scotland for membership of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme once an offer to join a programme has been received.

3.5 Support for Student Teachers

Each ITE provider must have in place strategies and protocols to support student teachers both academically and with pastoral issues. The delivery of the programme should support student teachers to build their academic and professional resilience. There also needs to be within the partnership arrangement defined roles and responsibilities to ensure that student teachers are fully supported on professional placement.

The student programme and placement handbook should both explicitly state the supports available to all students, including clear advice for students should they experience discrimination or harassment.

3.6 Content of Programme

The programme should include educational theory and practice that supports student teachers to develop their knowledge, understanding and practice in areas such as educational theory, childhood development and developing positive relationships. The legal and statutory frameworks which govern teachers work should also be addressed throughout the programme. Student teachers should be exposed to national priorities and pedagogies to develop their understanding and practice in key areas such as: inclusion; additional support needs including;

o Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), o Autism, o Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia) (DCD) and o Tourette syndrome.

parental involvement; involvement of young people;

Guidelines for Initial Teacher Education Programme in Scotland 7

the curriculum with emphasis on areas that are Responsibilities of All - literacy, numeracy, health and well-being; digital and data literacy; skills for learning, life and work; Learning for Sustainability.

3.7 Professional Values Personal values and GTC Scotland Professional Values must be explored, discussed and assessed at multiple points throughout the programme. 3.8 Delivery of Programme

The rationale for the delivery model should be clearly outlined with associated timelines and key milestones. An outline of methodologies used, moderation of the programme and how the programme supports students to connect theory to practice should also be included. The development of the programme should include opportunities for student teachers to engage in professional dialogue, to work collegiately and engage in collaborative learning. It should also include opportunities for student teachers to be creative and enhance their digital literacy skills to enrich the learning of every learner. Multiple exit points should be identified and opportunities for further study should be signposted to support the teacher journey.

3.9 Assessment

The assessment pattern and range of assessment strategies, the diverse learning and teaching approaches and blended learning opportunities should support student teachers’ progression. Successful completion of the programme should enable students to meet (and evidence) the Standard for Provisional Registration (GTC Scotland, 2012). Moderation activities must be part of the programme alongside clearly outlined interventions to support student teachers who do not meet the assessment criteria, with procedures for re-sits, extensions and appeals identified. There should be clear roles and responsibilities in the assessment of placements to ensure these are a valid and reliable means of measuring students’ progress.

3.10 Partnership

Partners must be involved in the planning of the programme to ensure that university staff, school staff and student teachers have a shared, relevant and up-to-date knowledge and are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities in respect to the professional placement. This would include mechanisms to collect feedback on the quality of the professional placement. The programme should normally have a professional placement pattern that is compatible with Student Placement System and is practicable and sustainable.

8 Guidelines for Initial Teacher Education Programme in Scotland

The partnership working should be evident to support and promote collegiality and collaborative working which is underpinned by self-evaluation, reflection and enquiry and supports student teachers to develop these stances.

GTC Scotland aims to promote equality and diversity in all its activities

GTC Scotland Comhairle Choitcheann Teagaisg na h-Alba

The General Teaching Council for Scotland is the independent professional body which maintains and enhances teaching standards and promotes and regulates the teaching profession in Scotland. We strive to be a world leader in professional education issues.

Clerwood House 96 Clermiston Road Edinburgh EH12 6UT Tel: 0131 314 6000 Fax: 0131 314 6001 E-mail: GTC Scotland@GTC Scotland.org.uk Website: www.GTC Scotland.org.uk

Scottish Charity Number SC006187 © GTC SCOTLAND 2014

Direct web links

Professional Update: www.GTC Scotland.org.uk/professional-update Fitness to Teach: www.GTC Scotland.org.uk/fitness-to-teach

Probation site: www.in2teaching.org.uk

Latest news: www.teachingscotland.org.uk Twitter feed @GTC Scotland

Policy Statement: Accreditation of Programmes of Initial Teacher Education in Scotland September 2019

DRIVING FORWARD PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS

18-20Co(19)105 Appendix 2

Policy Statement: Accreditation of Programmes of ITE in Scotland

Contents 1 Introduction and Statutory Background ................................................................................................1

1.1 Introduction .........................................................................................................................................1

1.2 Statutory Background .........................................................................................................................1

1.3 Equal Opportunities/Disability Discrimination .....................................................................................1

2 Programme Accreditation Process.........................................................................................................2

3 Accreditation Cycle and Timescale ........................................................................................................3

4 Evaluation Framework for the Accreditation of Programmes of Initial Teacher Education in Scotland .....................................................................................................................................................3

5 Programme Documentation ....................................................................................................................3

5.1 Documentation for Accreditation of Programmes ..............................................................................3

5.2 Re-accreditation .................................................................................................................................5

6 Accreditation Mechanisms ......................................................................................................................7

7 Accreditation Arrangements ...................................................................................................................7

8 Outcomes and Reporting .........................................................................................................................8

8.1 Outcomes ...........................................................................................................................................8

8.2 Reporting ............................................................................................................................................8

8.3 Appeals Process.................................................................................................................................8

9 Interim Evaluation and Enhancement ....................................................................................................9

9.1 Interim Visit .........................................................................................................................................9

10 Confidentiality ........................................................................................................................................ 10

Policy Statement: Accreditation of Programmes of ITE in Scotland 1

1 Introduction and Statutory Background 1.1 Introduction

The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTC Scotland) is dedicated to maintaining and enhancing standards of teaching and teacher education. GTC Scotland seek to ensure that programmes of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) are professionally appropriate, demanding and prepare students for registration as a primary or secondary teacher.

1.2 Statutory Background GTC Scotland’s powers in relation to Teacher Education Institutions (Institutions) originally derived

from the Teaching Council (Scotland) Act 1965. The Act placed a duty upon GTC Scotland to monitor the quality of programmes of ITE and authorised the establishment of groups of persons to visit the Institutions for that purpose. The Act also empowered GTC Scotland to make recommendations to the Institutions and outlined the procedure for use in the event of conflict arising between GTC Scotland and the Institution.

The Teachers (Education, Training and Recommendation for Registration) (Scotland) Regulations

1993 required that, with certain prescribed exceptions, instruction in the Theory, Methods and Practice of teaching must be given by teachers registered with GTC Scotland. While these Regulations are now revoked, this specific requirement is maintained under Schedule 5 of the Public Services Reform (General Teaching Council for Scotland) Order 2011. The Public Services Reform (General Teaching Council for Scotland) Order 2011 Part 4 states that:

29 (1) It is for the GTC Scotland to determine what constitutes a recognised teaching qualification

for individuals seeking registration as a school teacher. 29 (2) A determination may make such provision about the education and training required to attain

such a qualification as the GTC Scotland thinks fit. The Guidelines for Initial Teacher Education Programmes in Scotland 2019, (the Guidelines) sets out

GTC Scotland’s policy on the content, nature and duration of programmes leading to teaching qualifications (TQs). GTC Scotland ensures that these requirements are met through accrediting all ITE programmes in Scotland.

1.3 Equal Opportunities/Disability Discrimination

In the ever-evolving landscape of Scottish education it is GTC Scotland’s belief that programmes of ITE need to prepare student teachers to become competent, thoughtful, reflective and innovative practitioners, who are committed to providing high quality learning for every learner. GTC Scotland considers that this includes prioritising and ensuring that all programmes of ITE embed the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion. GTC Scotland is committed to the general equality duty under the Equality Act 2010 in all of its functions. This includes having a due regard to the need to: eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct that is

prohibited by the Equality Act 2010; advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic

and those who do not, including those with specific learning differences such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Autism, Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia) (DCD) and Tourette syndrome,; and

foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. As part of the accreditation of ITE programmes, GTC Scotland encourages ITE programme providers to demonstrate their commitment to ensuring that all ITE programmes embrace and promote diversity, challenge discrimination and promote the equal opportunity requirements as laid down by statute and that all opportunities reflect the diversity of Scotland’s population. In addition, GTC Scotland will look for clarification as to how programme providers will empower students to adopt these principles.

2 Policy Statement: Accreditation of Programmes of ITE in Scotland

2 Programme Accreditation Process

GTC Scotland defines accreditation as the process of ascertaining the professional acceptability of a programme of ITE leading to a teaching qualification. Accreditation applies to programmes and not to ITE Institution; accreditation will therefore take place programme by programme. It is the programme delivered by the ITE Institutions which is accredited, not the ITE Institution itself. GTC Scotland thinks it right and in line with its role that each programme should be carefully evaluated on an individual basis and from a professional point of view. When a programme has been accredited by GTC Scotland on an unconditional basis, it is entitled to run for a period of up to six years with an interim report highlighting any developments and/or enhancements in the content, nature, duration or structure of the programme. The ITE Institution would require to have the programme re-accredited at the end of each six-year period or earlier if the programme is subject to substantial revision.

GTC Scotland in any event reserves the right to revisit a programme at any time during the six-year period, a possibility which is sometimes signalled in accreditation reports.

In the case of concurrent programmes, only those aspects/courses concerned with the Theory and Practice of Teaching will be the subject of scrutiny by GTC Scotland.

GTC Scotland’s accreditation function is currently overseen by means of the Education Committee.

In the case of a programme being accredited for the first time this will normally contain three stages: Stage 1 – Expression of Interest

The expectation is that the ITE Institution will wish to discuss informally with the Scottish Government and GTC Scotland proposals for the introduction of a new programme. Having taken account of a range of considerations, including supply issues, a decision will be made whether or not the ITE Institution should be encouraged to proceed with more detailed programme planning. The ITE Institution should then confirm in writing that the programme is being developed and will be submitted for accreditation.

Stage 2 – University Approval/Validation

The second stage concerns the internal approval/validation requirement. The ITE Institution or other degree-awarding Institution will assess the programme proposal for academic rigour and degree-worthiness. The Guidelines for Initial Teacher Education Courses in Scotland require that all programmes are subjected to external scrutiny as a means of ensuring the maintenance of acceptable academic standards. The process must be completed before the accreditation event and needs to comply with Section 2 of the Guidelines. This stage must be concluded before proceeding to Stage 3.

Stage 3 – Accreditation

This is the stage at which GTC Scotland establishes whether or not the programme is professionally acceptable as leading to registration as a primary or secondary teacher. GTC Scotland aims to determine whether a programme offers relevant professional preparation for teaching; it will focus on key professional aspects of the programme and on the understanding and perceptions of the staff likely to be involved in its delivery. The documentation used for accreditation will include appropriate internal approval/validation documentation used in Stage 2 alongside the Evaluation Framework: Accreditation of Programmes of Initial Teacher Education in Scotland, 2019 (see 4).

Exception to Stages 2 and 3

GTC Scotland would wish to encourage an approach which amalgamates Stages 2 and 3. This would be through holding a joint event, where the ITE Institution and GTC Scotland consider the programme together, enabling stages 2 and 3 to be met concurrently leading to joint validation and accreditation.

Policy Statement: Accreditation of Programmes of ITE in Scotland 3

The process of re-accreditation will occur automatically after 6 years and have two stages, namely internal approval/validation and accreditation or be combined into one process with a joint validation/accreditation event.

3 Accreditation Cycle and Timescale

The cycle for accreditation of ITE programmes is a 6 year cycle which commenced in 2003-2004. Accreditation will take place on a programme by programme basis. The accreditation will normally

take place through the attendance of ITE Institution and partner staff at a meeting, in GTC Scotland offices, of a Panel comprising of members of the Education Committee and external experts appointed by GTC Scotland.

Where a joint validation/ accreditation event is to be held, GTC Scotland Panel members will attend

the ITE Institution event and the accreditation will form part of that event. 4 Evaluation Framework for the Accreditation of Programmes of

Initial Teacher Education in Scotland The evaluation criteria are designed to assist the process of internal review of ITE and external

accreditation and approval. The format for the evaluation framework is centred on ‘key aspects’ to which ITE Institutions are

expected to respond. The headings within the framework give a sense of the ‘teacher journey’ and support the principles of the developing professional.

The evaluation criteria are for use by all stakeholders with a key interest in evaluating the quality of

ITE.

5 Programme Documentation 5.1 Documentation for Accreditation of Programmes

GTC Scotland must receive electronic submission of the complete documentation not less than six weeks before the event is scheduled to commence. As panel members require sufficient time to scrutinise the documents, failure to submit by that date may result in the postponement of the event, to a mutually agreed future date. Documentation should be in English. The documentation for the proposed programmes should include:

Statutory Requirements

The programme proposal must be assessed for academic rigour and degree-worthiness by the ITE providers or other degree awarding body and be subjected to external scrutiny as a means of ensuring the maintenance of acceptable academic standards. Annual reports and external examiner reports for the previous three years should be available for scrutiny.

Staffing Levels and Effective Delivery

Staff delivering the programme and associate tutors involved in professional placement should be identified along with their GTC Scotland status. For ITE staff, their area of research/scholarship should also be noted and how this expertise is being used to both underpin and enhance the programme. The communication strategy for associate tutors, outlining the roles, responsibilities and how associate tutors will be supported to ensure their knowledge and practice remains contemporary.

4 Policy Statement: Accreditation of Programmes of ITE in Scotland

Programme Design

The rationale with associated aims and objectives of the programme, including how the following are addressed throughout the programme: Clarity in how programmes develop and promote equality and diversity and empower

students to adopt these principles. For example, outline how additional support needs such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Autism, Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia) (DCD) and Tourette syndrome are addressed

Ensure there is a progression in skills and knowledge acquisition. Offer opportunities for personalisation and choice.

Recruitment and Selection of Students

The marketing approaches must encourage diversity of applicants. ITE providers must have a system of selection for student teachers which must take into account available reports on individual applicants, their experience, interests and wider achievement and the extent to which they match the skills, attributes and dispositions desirable in a teacher. Student teachers should only be admitted to a programme after an interview process which should normally involve personnel from both the university and local education authorities/schools. ITE providers should mitigate institutional barriers and bias throughout the recruitment and selection procedures to ensure all applicants are given equal opportunities of being selected onto an ITE programme. Programmes must have clear criteria for recognising prior learning and experience, and offer opportunities for part-time and distance learning wherever this is appropriate. All student teachers must apply to Disclosure Scotland for membership to the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme once an offer to join a programme has been received.

Support for Student Teachers

Each ITE provider must have in place strategies and protocols to support student teachers both academically and with pastoral issues. The delivery of the programme should support student teachers to build their academic and professional resilience. There also needs to be within the partnership arrangement defined roles and responsibilities to ensure that student teachers are fully supported on professional placement. The student programme and placement handbook should both explicitly state the supports available to all students, including clear advice for students should they experience discrimination or harassment.

Content of Programme

The programme should include educational theory and practice that supports student teachers to develop their knowledge, understanding and practice in areas such as educational theory, childhood development and developing positive relationships. The legal and statutory frameworks which govern teachers work should also be address throughout the programme. Student teachers should be exposed to national priorities and pedagogies to develop their understanding and practice in key areas such as:

inclusion; Additional support needs including;

o Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), o Autism, o Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia) (DCD) and o Tourette syndrome.

parental involvement; involvement of young people;

Policy Statement: Accreditation of Programmes of ITE in Scotland 5

the curriculum with emphasis on areas that are Responsibilities of All - literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing;

digital and data literacy; skills for learning, life and work; Learning for Sustainability.

Professional Values

Personal values and GTC Scotland Professional values must be explored, discussed and assessed at multiple points throughout the programme.

Delivery of Programme

The rationale for the delivery model should be clearly outlined with associated timelines and key milestones. An outline of methodologies used, moderation of the programme and how the programme supports students to connect theory to practice should also be included. The development of the programme should include opportunities for student teachers to engage in professional dialogue, to work collegiately and engage in collaboratively learning. It should also include opportunities for student teachers to be creative and enhance their digital literacy skills to enrich learning of every learner.

Multiple exit points should be identified and opportunities for further study should be signposted to support the teacher journey.

Assessment

The assessment pattern and range of assessment strategies, also the diverse learning and teaching approaches and blended learning opportunities should support student teachers progression. Successful completion of the programme should enable students to meet (and evidence) the Standard for Provisional Registration (GTC Scotland, 2012). Moderation activities must be part of the programme alongside clearly outlined interventions to support student teachers who do not meet the assessment criteria with procedures for re-sits, extensions and appeals identified. There should be clear roles and responsibilities in the assessment of placements to ensure these are a valid and reliable means of measuring students’ progress.

Partnership

Partners must be involved in the planning of the programme to ensure that university staff, school staff and student teachers have a shared, relevant and up-to-date knowledge and are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities in respect to the professional placement. This would include mechanisms to collect feedback on the quality of the professional placement. The programme should normally have a professional placement pattern that is compatible with Student Placement System and is practicable and sustainable. The partnership working should be evident to support and promote collegiality and collaborative working which is underpinned by self-evaluation, reflection and enquiry and supports student teachers to develop these stances.

5.2 Re-accreditation

In addition to the documentation for accreditation of programmes (5.1), documentation for a re-accreditation would also include the following; A summary of key changes to the programme. Internal approval reports and membership of the group together with a note of any substantial

amendments made to the documentation in light of the report.

6 Policy Statement: Accreditation of Programmes of ITE in Scotland

Annual reports and external examiners reports for the previous 3 years should be available for scrutiny.

Policy Statement: Accreditation of Programmes of ITE in Scotland 7

6 Accreditation Mechanisms

GTC Scotland’s Education Committee delegates programme scrutiny to Accreditation Panels. All Accreditation panels have delegated powers; in other words each Panel has authority to take a decision/decisions on a programme and to advise the ITE Institution accordingly without further reference to the parent Committee or to the Council. Reports are made available to Committee and Council and the Scottish Government post event.

Each Panel normally consists of a minimum of five members; at least two members are persons external to GTC Scotland. The size of the Panel will vary in relation to the number of programmes to be accredited, the number of students on the programmes and the complexity of provision. Panel meetings are chaired by Panel Conveners appointed from the Education Committee. The external members are drawn from the education community and will include representation from an ITE Institution and, as appropriate to the programme, local authorities and/or schools or the college sector. Care is taken to ensure that external members are not concerned in any way with the ITE Institution or programme(s) under scrutiny. Panel meetings are normally serviced by GTC Scotland staff who also maintain an overview of the accreditation activities. The Chief Executive and/or the Director of Education, Registration and Professional Learning may service some events. A secretary may also be in attendance.

In relation to communications between GTC Scotland and the ITE Institution, the key ITE Institution contact should be the person with designated responsibility for ITE and/or quality assurance in the School or Faculty. The designated liaison person should liaise with GTC Scotland to ensure good two-way communications and to assist with the arrangements for the event.

Prior to events specialist advice may be sought on specific aspects of the programme(s). 7 Accreditation Arrangements

GTC Scotland staff will negotiate the accreditation arrangements. GTC Scotland must receive the required documentation normally not less than six weeks before the

event is scheduled to commence. As panel members require sufficient time to scrutinise the documents, failure to submit by that date may result in the postponement of the event.

GTC Scotland staff will visit the ITE Institution for discussion of the programmes prior to the Panel

meeting.

The task of the GTC Scotland is to ensure that all programmes of ITE are demanding, credible and professionally appropriate, that their contents are relevant to the needs of today’s learners and that the programmes incorporate significant opportunities for professional growth which will also enable new teachers to meet the demands and challenges of tomorrow’s learners.

(i) A private Panel meeting will identify issues for discussion and areas for consideration.

(ii) The ITE Institution team will make a presentation (in English or with translation into English provided) which discusses the key highlights of the programme provision, details the ITE Institution’s current partnership arrangements and reports on the outcomes from the university’s internal review process. The expectation is that there will be sufficient ITE Institution representation to speak with authority on any aspect of the programme and/or to answer questions arising. GTC Scotland will expect to meet representatives of the partnership group, for example, students, recent graduates and professional partners. The presentation should last no longer than 20 minutes.

(iii) The Panel and the ITE Institution team will then have an opportunity for discussion, addressing relevant areas and clarifying issues.

(iv) A private meeting of the Panel will consider conclusions and make decisions on accreditation on a programme by programme basis.

8 Policy Statement: Accreditation of Programmes of ITE in Scotland

(v) The outcomes will then be communicated to the Institution team. All Panel meetings will normally take place at GTC Scotland’s offices. In the course of the internal

meeting the members confirm the issues to discuss later with the representatives of the ITE Institution. The Panel is then joined by the ITE Institution representatives for discussion of the programme arrangements with particular reference to any issues or areas of concern already identified.

In line with 3 above, if a joint validation/accreditation is to be held this would normally be in the relevant ITE Institution.

8 Outcomes and Reporting

8.1 Outcomes

At the conclusion of the Accreditation Panel members have a private meeting to determine the outcome of each programme. There are four possible outcomes: (i) To accredit unconditionally.

(ii) To accredit conditionally:

If the accreditation is conditional, the requirements will be clearly defined along with the timescale within which they have to be met. Some conditions will require to be met before the programme commences. Others will require to be met through the ITE Institution’s normal monitoring, evaluation and review procedures within a specified timescale. Such conditions will also form the basis of discussion at the interim evaluation and enhancement event.

The Panel may also make recommendations which are for the ITE Institution then to consider.

(iii) To defer a decision on accreditation subject to major amendments being implemented:

If accreditation is not granted, providers will be given the opportunity to submit revised proposals within a negotiated timescale.

(iv) To refuse accreditation:

If accreditation is not granted providers also have the choice of appealing against the decision. Details of the Appeals Process are given in Section 8.3.

8.2 Reporting

The ITE Institution is informed of the outcome in three stages: (i) The Chair of the Panel and a GTC Scotland Officer will convey the main outcomes to the ITE

Institution team. This verbal report is done at the conclusion to the meeting of the Panel with the ITE Institution team.

(ii) A formal letter is sent confirming the Panel’s decision(s). The letter indicates the timescale involved for any conditions set.

(iii) A brief overall report of provision is produced which will also identify aspects of good practice. The report is sent to the ITE Institution and Panel members.

8.3 Appeals Process If a programme is not accredited the ITE Institution will have a right of appeal. As detailed in 8.1, if a programme is not accredited, providers have an opportunity to submit a revised proposal in response to the feedback given by the Accreditation Panel. However, if relevant grounds are met, it is also appropriate, for there to be the possibility of appealing against a GTC Scotland Accreditation Panel decision. Any such appeal will follow GTC Scotland processes and be heard by an Appeals Board, composed of three members of the Education Committee who have not been involved in the original Accreditation process.

Policy Statement: Accreditation of Programmes of ITE in Scotland 9

Any such appeal must be made, in writing, within 28 days of the date of receipt of notification of the panel decision. The appeal should be sent to the Accreditation Panel Servicing Officer. The grounds for the appeal should be specified in writing. Grounds for appeal may include:

that the panel failed to act in accordance with this Policy Statement and/or the Guidelines for

Initial Teacher Education Programmes in Scotland; that the panel failed to give due consideration to the information provided by the ITE Institution; that the panel made an error in law or in fact.

An Appeals Board will be established, consisting of 3 members of the Education Committee, not previously involved in the accreditation process. The Appeals Board will determine the outcome of the Appeal, giving due consideration to the Guidelines for ITE Education Programmes in Scotland and to GTC Scotland Standards. Where an appeal against a decision is upheld, the Appeals Board will give direction on the next steps in the accreditation process of the programme concerned.

9 Interim Evaluation and Enhancement When a programme has been accredited on an unconditional basis, it is entitled to run for a period of up to six years with an interim visit by GTC Scotland staff and, where possible, the peer ITE member of the accreditation panel. Where a programme has been accredited conditionally, an Action Plan with timescale will be required indicating how the programme planned to overtake the conditions and the submission of a final report on completion. Once the conditions are met then the programme will be entitled to run for a period of up to six years with an interim visit. The interim visit will occur during year 3 of the accreditation cycle and will be agreed as part of the action plan. This visit will include GTC Scotland staff and, where possible, the peer ITE member of the accreditation panel.

9.1 Interim Visit The interim visit will be of no longer than two hours and will facilitate professional dialogue between the ITE provider and GTC Scotland staff and possibly the peer ITE member of the accreditation panel. The conversation may include discussion around the following areas: (i) For accreditation with conditions the responses to the Action Plan and a discussion of how

conditions have been overtaken.

(ii) Any major changes in the nature, content or structure of the individual programme(s) and/or overall provision.

(iii) Progress of the programme(s) as described in the internal quality assurance report.

(iv) Enhancement of the ITE provision.

(v) Professional profiles of new staff involved in the delivery of the programme(s). Within two weeks of the visit GTC Scotland will provide a report to the ITE provider outlining good practice and recommendations to support the ITE in their preparation for re-accreditation. If any significant issues are noted during the interim visit, GTC Scotland will convene an additional meeting with the ITE provider to discuss these.

10 Policy Statement: Accreditation of Programmes of ITE in Scotland

10 Confidentiality GTC Scotland considers discussions with ITE institutions and participating individuals during the course of accreditation to be confidential.

GTC Scotland aims to promote equality and diversity in all its activities

GTC Scotland Comhairle Choitcheann Teagaisg na h-Alba

The General Teaching Council for Scotland is the independent professional body which maintains and enhances teaching standards and promotes and regulates the teaching profession in Scotland. We strive to be a world leader in professional education issues.

Clerwood House 96 Clermiston Road Edinburgh EH12 6UT Tel: 0131 314 6000 Fax: 0131 314 6001 E-mail: GTC Scotland@GTC Scotland.org.uk Website: www.GTC Scotland.org.uk

Scottish Charity Number SC006187 © GTC SCOTLAND 2014

Direct web links

Professional Update: www.GTC Scotland.org.uk/professional-update

Fitness to Teach: www.GTC Scotland.org.uk/fitness-to-teach

Probation site: www.in2teaching.org.uk

Latest news: www.teachingScotland.org.uk Twitter feed @GTC Scotland

DRIVING FORWARD PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS

Evaluation Framework:

Accreditation of Programmes of Initial Teacher Education in Scotland

September 2019

18-20Co(19)105 Appendix 3

ITE Programme Accreditation Evaluation Framework

Contents

1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 1

1.1 Background ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1

1.2 Equal Opportunities/Disability Discrimination .................................................................................................................................................................. 1

2 Accreditation of Programmes of Initial Teacher Education in Scotland .......................................................................................................................... 2

3 Evaluation Framework ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

3.1 Statutory Requirements ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

3.2 Staffing Levels and Effective Delivery .............................................................................................................................................................................. 4

3.3 Programme Design .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

3.4 Recruitment and Selection of Students ............................................................................................................................................................................ 5

3.5 Support for Student Teachers .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

3.6 Content of Programme ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

3.7 Professional Values ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

3.8 Delivery of Programme .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8

3.9 Assessment ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8

3.10 Partnerships ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

ITE Programme Accreditation Evaluation Framework 1

1 Introduction

1.1 Background The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTC Scotland) is dedicated to maintaining and enhancing standards of teaching and teacher education in Scotland. We seek to ensure that programmes of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) are professionally appropriate, demanding and prepare students for registration as a primary or secondary teacher. In the ever-evolving landscape of Scottish education it is also our belief that ITE programmes should help to prepare creative and dedicated teachers who are able to work and develop professionally in a world of change, diversity and accountability and who are committed to equal opportunities for all. Our powers in relation to teacher education institutions (“relevant institutions”) originally derived from the Teaching Council (Scotland) Act 1965. The Act placed a duty upon us to monitor the quality of programmes of ITE and authorised the establishment of groups of persons to visit the institutions for that purpose. The Act also empowered us to make recommendations to the institutions and outlined the procedure for use in the event of conflict arising between GTC Scotland and the institution. The Teachers (Education, Training and Recommendation for Registration) (Scotland) Regulations 1993 required that, with certain prescribed exceptions, instruction in the Theory, Methods and Practice of teaching must be given by teachers registered with GTC Scotland. While these Regulations are now revoked, this specific requirement is maintained under Schedule 5 and article 29 of the Public Services Reform (General Teaching Council for Scotland) Order 2011 (the 2011 Order). Article 29 of thee 2011 Order states that:

29 (1) It is for the GTC Scotland to determine what constitutes a recognised teaching qualification for individuals seeking registration as a school teacher.

29 (2) A determination may make such provision about the education and training required to attain such a qualification as the GTC Scotland

thinks fit. The Policy Statement: Accreditation of Programmes of Initial Teacher Education in Scotland, and the Guidelines for Initial Teacher Education Programmes in Scotland 2019 (the Guidelines) set out our policy on the content, nature and duration of programmes leading to teaching qualifications (TQs) for the primary and secondary sectors. We ensure that these requirements are met through accrediting all programmes of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in Scotland.

1.2 Equal Opportunities/Disability Discrimination In the ever-evolving landscape of Scottish education it is GTC Scotland’s belief that programmes of ITE need to prepare student teachers to become competent, thoughtful, reflective and innovative practitioners, who are committed to providing high quality learning for every learner. We considers that this includes prioritising and ensuring that all programmes of ITE embed the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion.

We are committed to the general equality duty under the Equality Act 2010 in all of our functions. This includes having a due regard to the need to:

2 ITE Programme Accreditation Evaluation Framework

eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct that is prohibited by the Equality Act 2010; advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not, including those with specific

learning differences such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Autism, Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia) (DCD) and Tourette syndrome, and

foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

As part of the accreditation of ITE programmes, we encourage ITE course providers to demonstrate their commitment to ensuring that all ITE courses and programmes embrace and promote diversity, challenge discrimination and promote the equal opportunity requirements as laid down by law and that all opportunities reflect the diversity of Scotland’s population. In addition, we will look for clarification as to how course providers will empower students to adopt these principles.

2 Accreditation of Programmes of Initial Teacher Education in Scotland

We define accreditation as the process of ascertaining the professional acceptability of a programme of ITE leading to a teaching qualification. Accreditation applies to programmes and not to ITE institutions; accreditation will therefore take place programme by programme. It is the programme operated by the ITE institution which is accredited, not the institution itself. We think it right and consonant with our role that each programme should be carefully evaluated on an individual basis and from a professional point of view. When a programme has been accredited by us, either unconditionally or after all conditions have been met, the programme is entitled to run for a period of up to six years, with an interim evaluation in year 3 highlighting any developments and/or enhancements in the content, nature, duration or structure of the programme. The ITE institution would require to have the programme re-accredited before the end of the six-year period or earlier if the programme is subject to substantial revision.

ITE Programme Accreditation Evaluation Framework 3

3 Evaluation Framework

3.1 Statutory Requirements

The ITE institution will assess the programme proposal for academic rigour and degree-worthiness. Policy Statement: Accreditation of Programmes of Initial Teacher Education in Scotland, April 2019 and The Guidelines for Initial Teacher Education Programmes in Scotland, April 2019 requires that all programmes are subjected to external scrutiny as a means of ensuring the maintenance of acceptable academic standards. The process must be completed before the accreditation event or as a joint accreditation event. Provide evidence of: Evidence

How the programme meets statutory requirements.

Robust quality assurance procedures to ensure that the content, design and organisation of the ITE curriculum are effective in promoting student learning and achievement of the learning outcomes. (Please include links to your website and policy documentation, if appropriate).

The mechanisms which are in place to enhance and ensure the quality of provision are contemporary and relevant.

The mechanisms which are in place to review the quality of provision and ensure processes adequately provide learning opportunities for every learner.

The procedures that are in place to enhance the growth and development of the programme, including reflecting new or growing national educational priorities.

4 ITE Programme Accreditation Evaluation Framework

3.2 Staffing Levels and Effective Delivery

Provide the following: Evidence

Detail of: • academic staff who deliver the University led elements of the ITE

programme, including GTC Scotland registration status; • staff involved in professional placement of the programme, including GTC

Scotland registration status; • how the programme is underpinned by or enhanced by the

research/scholarly activity of the programme team; • how the research/scholarly activity of the delivery team supports the wider

aspect of student experience.

(Appendix 1)

A map across the programme of how the expertise of staff will support the delivery of the stated aims of the programme.

Detail of the communication strategy for Associate Tutors to ensure there is a shared understanding of their role and responsibilities.

An outline of how Associate Tutors are supported to ensure their knowledge and practice remains contemporary.

ITE Programme Accreditation Evaluation Framework 5

3.3 Programme Design

Provide the following: Evidence

A clear rationale for the programme with its stated aims and outcomes.

An outline of how the programme is designed to embrace, develop and promote equality, diversity and, challenge and addresses any potential discrimination to promote equal opportunity for all and empower student teachers to adopt these principles. For example outline how additional support needs such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Autism, Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia) (DCD) and Tourette syndrome are addressed

An outline of how the programme ensures learners knowledge and skills are built appropriately over the programme.

can we add in these 5 learning difficulties as examples of those we would expect to see covered in ITE programmes

An outline of the level of personalisation and choice offered to student teachers and demonstrate how this contributes to their skills development.

3.4 Recruitment and Selection of Students

Provide the following: Evidence

An outline of the marketing approaches, including how the success of the marketing strategy will be evaluated with respect to targets groups, final uptake etc.

A detailed outline of the recruitment and selection procedures, including the following: • the selection criteria for entry; • the interview process, including the constitution of the panel members.

An outline of the ways diversity of entrants is encouraged to this programme

An outline of the procedures used to monitor and evaluate both recruitment and selection, in particular how institutional barriers, conscious and unconscious bias are mitigated.

6 ITE Programme Accreditation Evaluation Framework

3.5 Support for Student Teachers

Provide the following: Evidence

An outline of the variety of academic support strategies in place for student teachers while attending university and while on professional placement to ensure their progress towards successful completion of the programme.

An outline of the variety of pastoral support strategies offered to student teachers while attending university and while on professional placement to ensure their wellbeing and progress towards successful completion of the programme. This should include clear advice on they support they can access if they experience discrimination or harassment.

A description of the strategies in place to support student teachers to develop their resilience and confidence to lead their own learning and the learning of others.

A description of the early intervention strategies employed to support student teachers.

Details of how partnership arrangements ensure appropriate preparation and support of student teachers on professional placement.

3.6 Content of Programme

Provide the following: Evidence

An outline of how student teachers are supported to develop an understanding of educational literature to underpin their practice, in areas such as: • educational theory; • childhood development; • developing positive relationships.

An outline of how student teachers are supported to develop an awareness of the legal and statutory frameworks which govern their responsibilities.

ITE Programme Accreditation Evaluation Framework 7

An outline of how student teachers are supported to develop an understanding of current national policy and to make a positive contribution.

For example in areas such as: • Getting It Right For Every Child; • Inclusion; • Additional support needs including,

o Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD),

o Autism, o Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia) (DCD) and o Tourette syndrome.

• Parental involvement; • Involvement of young people • Children’s progress (attainment and achievement); • Skills for learning, work and life; • Learning for Sustainability; • Digital literacy; • Data literacy.

An outline of how all student teachers are supported to develop an understanding of a range of pedagogical approaches to teaching in the key areas of: • Literacy; • Numeracy; • Health and wellbeing; • Digital literacy; • The Curriculum; • Interdisciplinary learning.

3.7 Professional Values

Provide the following: Evidence

An outline of how the vision and aims of the programme promote the Professional Values as stated in the GTC Scotland Professional Standards (SPF/SFR).

An outline of how these Professional Values are connect to, explored and elaborated upon during the course of the programme for both the university based learning and the professional placement.

8 ITE Programme Accreditation Evaluation Framework

3.8 Delivery of Programme

Provide the following: Evidence

A clear rationale for the delivery model of the programme.

A clear timeline for the delivery of the programme, including key milestones.

An outline of the methodologies used to deliver the programme.

An outline of how the delivery model of the programme is moderated.

An outline of how the delivery of the programme supports student teachers to connect their learning to theory, policy and GTC Scotland Professional Standards.

An outline of how professional dialogue is used to share the professional learning of student teachers.

An outline of the opportunities student teachers have to be involved in collegiate and collaborative learning.

An outline of opportunities for student teachers to develop creativity in curriculum development.

An outline of how the rationale and structure of the programme provides a number of meaningful exit points and opportunities.

An outline of how student teachers are encouraged to develop their own digital technology skills and apply these to enhance their own and pupil learning.

3.9 Assessment

Provide the following: Evidence

An outline of the assessment pattern for the programme, including details regarding the assessment strategies that support student teachers to successfully complete the programme.

An outline of the range of assessment methods used to measure student teachers progress.

ITE Programme Accreditation Evaluation Framework 9

An outline of how peer and self-assessment is modelled in the programme, including how this supports the learning experience of student teachers.

A description of the interventions in place to support student teachers who do not meet assessment criteria and the procedures for re-sits, extensions and appeals.

An outline of the moderation procedures for assessment across the programme.

A description of the structures in place with local authority partners to ensure that assessment of student teachers on professional placement are valid and reliable.

An outline of how successful completion of this programme enables students to meet (or evidence) the GTC Scotland Standard for Provisional Registration.

3.10 Partnerships

Provide the following: Evidence

Details of how partners were involved in the planning of this programme.

Details of the partnership arrangements in relation to professional placement including a clear definition of role and responsibilities of university staff, school staff and student teachers.

An outline of how staff and partners have up-to-date and shared knowledge of the expectation of the programme.

Details of the mechanisms in place to ensure feedback on the quality of professional placement from student teachers, school staff and university staff.

An outline of the ways in which the programme placement pattern is compatible with the requirements of SPS.

An outline of the ways in which the proposed professional placement arrangements are practicable and sustainable.

An outline of how the programme supports and promotes collegiate and collaborative learning across the partnership.

10 ITE Programme Accreditation Evaluation Framework

An outline of how the programme is underpinned by the principles of self-evaluation/reflection and how it supports student teachers to develop positive stances in respect to these.

An outline of how the programme is underpinned by the principles of enquiry and how it supports student teachers to develop a positive enquiring stance.

ITE Programme Accreditation Evaluation Framework 11

Appendix 1

Name

GTC SCOTLAND registration number

Area of expertise

Details of relevant publication (if appropriate)

Demonstrate how the programme is underpinned by or enhanced by the research/scholarly activity of the programme team

GTC Scotland aims to promote equality and diversity in all its activities

GTC Scotland Comhairle Choitcheann Teagaisg na h-Alba

The General Teaching Council for Scotland is the independent professional body which maintains and enhances teaching standards and promotes and regulates the teaching profession in Scotland. We strive to be a world leader in professional education issues.

Clerwood House 96 Clermiston Road Edinburgh EH12 6UT Tel: 0131 314 6000 Fax: 0131 314 6001 E-mail: GTC Scotland@GTC Scotland.org.uk Website: www.GTC Scotland.org.uk

Scottish Charity Number SC006187 © GTC SCOTLAND 2014

Direct web links

Professional Update: www.GTC Scotland.org.uk/professional-update Fitness to Teach: www.GTC Scotland.org.uk/fitness-to-teach

Probation site: www.in2teaching.org.uk

Latest news: www.teachingscotland.org.uk Twitter feed @GTC Scotland

18-20Co(19)106

18-20Co(19)106 - Financial Position as at 30 June 2019 Page 1 of 6

Financial Position as at 30 June 2019 Council Meeting – 25 September 2019

Classification:

Public Session

Status:

For Noting

Considered by Committee(s): Finance and Corporate Services Purpose:

To provide members with an update on the financial position of the organisation.

Recommendation(s):

Members are invited to note the financial position of GTCS as at 30 June 2019.

1 Introduction 1.1 This paper sets out the financial position for the period to 30 June 2019 (Period 3) and provides a

summary of key variances against the approved budget for the year.

Table 1 Summarised Financial Position at 30 June 2019 (P3)

Actual BudgetVarianceFav/(Adv)

Approved Budget

Remaining Plan

£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000Income

Registration activities 4,683 4,507 175 5,095 (412)Other income 345 127 218 897 (553)

Total Income 5,027 4,634 393 5,992 (965)

ExpenditureStaff costs 828 824 (4) 3,477 2,649Administrative Costs 412 458 46 2,029 1,618Property Costs 58 72 14 337 279Governance costs 34 48 14 208 173

Total Expenditure 1,332 1,402 70 6,051 4,720

Net Income / (Expenditure) 3,696 3,232 464 (59) 3,755

P3 Year to Date Full Year

2 Financial Position 2.1 The operating results for the period to 30 June 2019 show net income of £3,696k. This is £464k

higher than the year to date approved budget. Further information and analysis are provided below. 3 Explanation of Key Variances to Budget 3.1 Total income is £393k higher than budget at the end of June.

• The level of fee income generated from registration activities during the first quarter is £175k

higher than budget. This is in part due to the earlier collection of fees in the first quarter but approximately £25k is estimated to be as a result of a higher number of registrants. Fee income has been increased at the Q1 forecast to reflect the revised full year position.

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• PoVG fee income is £30k higher than budget. This income relates directly to the number of new applicants in the year and is offset by corresponding expenditure when GTCS submits the PoVG application to Disclosure Scotland on their behalf. It has been identified that the PoVG fee income from students was omitted from the budget, however, this will have no impact on the results for the year as the corresponding expenditure was also omitted. This oversight has been corrected as part of the Q1 forecast.

• Recharged income is £282k higher than the year to date budget as the phasing of the budget for

SPS differs to the actual recognition of the income. The SPS income budget has been reduced by £1.6k at the Q1 forecast to reflect the actual RPI applied. Income from outward secondments has also been increased at Q1 by £43k to reflect extensions to the current secondment arrangements.

• External funding is £61k less than the year to date budget. Again, this is as a result of timing differences. A grant offer letter has been received for the ongoing MyPL project which confirms the budgeted income of £60k. The grant offer letter received for MQUiTE confirms income for the year to be £62k which is approximately £10k less than budget. External funding income has been adjusted at Q1 to reflect this. There is no full year impact as the corresponding expenditure for MQUiTE has also been reduced.

3.2 Staff costs are £4k higher than budget at the end of June.

• Employer contributions to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme are £5k lower than budget as it was wrongly assumed that the increase in contribution rate would apply from April, when in fact it doesn’t apply until August 2019. This saving is offset by a £10k higher than budgeted spend in temporary staff costs which is mainly as a result of the teachers’ pay award being applied to a teacher on secondment to GTC Scotland.

• The full year staff costs at Q1, based on the current establishment and posts budgeted for within the Strategic Investment Fund, are estimated to be approximately £115k lower than the approved budget of £3.477m. Note that of the £115k, £45k relates to posts that relate to the registration of college lecturers project and were assumed to be grant funded. As such, the net impact would reduce the forecast net expenditure by £70k. However, no adjustment has been made at Q1 to reflect this as there may be further changes to staffing in the near future. The position will be reviewed in full at Q2.

3.3 Administrative costs are overall £46k lower than budget at the end of June.

• Other staff costs are £19k lower than budget. Staff recruitment costs are almost £7k higher than budget as a result of unplanned agency fees for one post and advertising for the Director of Education’s post. This is offset by underspends in staff training (£11k), staff travel and subsistence costs (£9k), professional membership fees (£2k) and staff welfare (£2k). The forecast spend for each of these areas has been revised at Q1 with the exception of staff travel and subsistence which will be monitored and revised at Q2 if necessary.

• Printing, postage and office supplies are £6k higher than budget. This is due to a timing difference – the budget has been spread evenly throughout the year rather than reflecting the timing of planned activity in relation to the printing of Standard for Headship certificates and DAS account letters.

• IT and digital services are £21k higher than budget. The IT and digital services revenue budget

was understated by £78k due to an error within Finance when the total expenditure budget was being allocated between capital and revenue. This has been amended at Q1.

• Consultancy and professional services are £35k lower than budget. Again, this is due to timing

as the evenly phased budget differs to when external advice is being sought.

• PoVG fees are £28k higher than budget. As explained above, fees in relation to students were omitted from the budget. This has been corrected as part of the Q1 forecast.

• Legal costs are £5k lower than budget. This is thought to be a timing difference only.

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• PR, marketing and advertising are £35k lower than budget. This is due to timing as the budget has not been phased to reflect the timing of the Teaching Scotland magazine publication. The budget phasing will be amended following the Q1 forecast.

• Meetings, conferences and events are £13k lower than budget and is thought to be a timing difference only as a number of events are held during the Autumn.

• Depreciation is £8k higher than budget. Depreciation has been increased at the Q1 forecast to take account of increased capital spend in the last quarter of 2018-19.

3.4 Property costs are overall £14k lower than budget. This comprises a number of small variances across various services and is attributed to timing only. The budget for Insurance costs has been increased by £0.5k at Q1 following the annual review by our insurance brokers and property depreciation has been increased by £2.6k to reflect the additional depreciation charge on completion of the refurbishment of Clerwood House in 2018-19.

3.5 Governance costs are £14k lower than budget. • Travel and subsistence costs and compensation costs in relation to committees and panels

are £14k lower than budget. The forecast for the year has been reduced at Q1 to reflect this underspend as planned activity is not expected to increase significantly during the remainder of the year. The revised forecast remains higher than the actual spend in 2018-19.

4 Q1 Forecast - Revenue

4.1 The Q1 forecast shows a net expenditure position of £72k. This is £13k more than the budgeted net

expenditure of £59k.

4.2 Table 2 below summarises the movement between the approved budget and the Q1 forecast position. The adjustments made reflect an estimate of any full year impact resulting from the year to date variances outlined in the previous section of this paper.

Table 2 Reconciliation of Approved Revenue Budget to Q1 Forecast

Income Staff CostsAdministration

CostsProperty

CostsGovernance

CostsNet Income / (Expenditure)

£ £ £ £ £ £

Approved 2019-20 revenue budget 5,965,350 3,477,413 2,002,589 336,741 207,800 (59,193)

Increase Registration Fees 25,000 25,000

Increase PoVG Fees 32,900 32,900 0

Reduce Recharges - SPS (1,626) (1,626)

Increase Recharges - Outward secondment 43,485 43,485

Reduce MQuITE Funding & Expenditure (9,696) (9,696) 0

Increase Gross up for commission on advertising 26,667 26,667 0

Increase Sundry Income 775 775

Increase Recruitment costs 6,500 (6,500)

Reduce Staff training costs (12,200) 12,200

Reduce Professional membership fees (3,300) 3,300

Reduce Staff welfare costs (5,990) 5,990

Increase IT & digital services costs 78,000 (78,000)

Increase Bank charges 5,000 (5,000)

Reduce Corporate subscriptions & publications (5,000) 5,000

Increase Depreciation 33,664 2,651 (36,315)

Increase Insurance 480 (480)

Increase Audit Fees 1,000 (1,000)

Reduce Committee and Panel T&S costs (19,800) 19,800

2019-20 Q1 forecast 6,082,855 3,477,413 2,149,134 339,872 189,000 (72,564)

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4.3 Although the Q1 forecast shows a slightly worse position than the original budget, some areas of forecast spend, we believe, remain overstated. Finance will be working closely with budget holders in advance of Q2 to establish a more accurate position.

5 Capital Budget 5.1 Table 3 below shows the year to date capital spend compared to the approved capital budget for the

year.

Table 3 Capital Budget Position at 30 June (P3)

ActualCapital Budget

Remaining Budget

£ £ £

Description

MyPL 0 12,000 12,000

SPS 30,672 66,000 35,328

Atlas (CRM) 11,472 242,000 230,528

Flexible Route 11,520 0 (11,520)

Review of Professional Standards 0 30,000 30,000

Registration of College Lecturers 0 100,000 100,000

Carpark Upgrade 0 230,000 230,000

Furniture & Equipment 1,077 0 (1,077)

Total 54,741 680,000 625,259

P3 Year to Date

5.2 A summary of the status of each project is as follows:

• MyPL – The project is on track in preparation for the national rollout. All development work has

been completed and progress is being made to migrate users from Professional Update (PU) to MyPL (this change takes place within the MyGTCS system and changes the dashboard icon from PU to MyPL). The invoice from the supplier for the development work remains outstanding.

• SPS – All development work has been completed for this year. The remaining budget will be used for further developments that will be required later in the year in advance of the next session.

• Atlas – Work in many areas of this project has continued to progress while work in some other areas has been delayed due to staffing challenges which are being actively addressed. Overall, considerable positive progress has been made. It is still expected that the full budget will be spent during 19/20.

• Flexible Route – There was no budget in 19/20 for Flexible Route as when the budget was developed there was no requirement for additional functionality which emerged in April 2019. All further development work requested for Flexible Route has now been completed.

• Review of Professional Standards – The refreshed suite of Standards will be launched in summer 2020. Preparation is currently underway to release the draft refreshed Standards for consultation in September 2019. The capital budget has been provided to allow for systems development (to reflect the changes made) which is planned for later in the year.

• Registration of College Lecturers – An SEO has been appointed on a 2-year fixed term contract to support GTCS on this project (cost included within staff costs). A high-level project plan has been developed, along with an initial supporting budget, and is being progressed. Capital

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5

expenditure is planned for later in the year as this relates to systems development. Discussions regarding funding are ongoing with Scottish Government. However, there are other ongoing factors which may impact this project. These are being discussed and reflected in the risk register.

• Carpark Upgrade – A preferred layout for an extended carpark has been decided upon, however, ground investigation work is required to establish the feasibility of the proposed drainage solution which needs to comply with Scottish Water requirements. The estimated cost of extending the carpark versus an upgrade of the existing space will then be considered by CMT.

6 Recommendation 6.1 CMT is invited to note the year to date financial position of GTCS at 30 June 2019 and approve the

Q1 forecast.

Implications:

• Resource

Effective financial management ensures that resources are appropriately deployed in line with the Strategic Plan and three-year budget.

• Risk

Scrutiny of this financial report mitigates against the risk of poor financial performance going un-noticed.

• Legal/Governance

Effective financial management evidences good governance practices.

• Equality and diversity

None

• Communications

We will need to be mindful at all times of our obligations to clearly explain our financial position to registrants i.e. through the Annual Report.

• Other (policy, public

protection etc)

None

Links to the Strategic Plan:

This links to Strategic Objective 3.

Lindsey Furness Senior Strategic Manager: Finance and Procurement

August 2019

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Appendix 1 - Detailed Financial Position at 30 June 2019 (P3)

Actual BudgetVarianceFav/(Adv)

Approved Budget

Remaining Plan

£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000Income

Registration activities 4,631 4,486 145 5,008 377POVG fees 52 22 30 87 35Recharges 316 34 282 387 72External Funding 8 69 (61) 398 390Trading Income 14 13 0 82 68Sundry Income 1 0 1 0 (1)Investment Income 7 11 (4) 30 23

Total Income 5,027 4,634 393 5,992 965

Staff CostsPermanent Staff Salaries 626 625 (1) 2,680 2,054Overtime 1 2 2 10 9STSS Employers Contributions 13 19 5 74 61SPF Employers Contributions 105 103 (2) 413 308Employers NI Contributions 63 65 2 260 197Temporary Staff 20 10 (10) 40 20

Total Staff Costs 828 824 (4) 3,477 2,649

Administrative CostsOther staff costs 27 46 19 189 162Printing, postage & office supplies 17 12 (6) 47 30IT & digital services 118 97 (21) 473 354Consultancy & professional services 9 44 35 276 268PoVG fees (out) 50 22 (28) 89 40Legal costs 58 62 5 250 192PR, marketing & advertising 60 95 35 392 332Meetings, conferences & events 23 35 13 140 118Sundry expenditure 9 11 2 45 35Depreciation 40 32 (8) 128 87

Total Administrative Costs 412 458 46 2,029 1,618

Property CostsRates & insurance 10 10 (0) 39 28Heat, light, power & water 9 11 2 43 34Cleaning & waste management 10 17 7 68 58Property & grounds maintenance 12 19 7 127 115Depreciation (Buildings) 16 15 - 60 44

Total Property Costs 58 72 15 337 279

Governance CostsAudit Fee 4 0 (4) 14 10Travel, subsistence & catering 17 30 14 121 104Induction & appointment costs - 2 2 8 8Compensation of Council & panels 14 16 2 65 51

Total Council, Committee & Panel Costs 34 48 14 208 173

Total Expenditure 1,332 1,402 71 6,051 4,720

Net Income / (Expenditure) 3,696 3,232 464 (59) 3,755

P3 Year to Date Full Year

18-20FCS(19)Min6

18-20FCS(19)Min6 - Press Page 1 of 5

MINUTE of the meeting of the Finance and Corporate Services Committee held in Clerwood House, 96 Clermiston Road, Edinburgh, on Tuesday 20 August 2019 at 10.30 am.

Present: Ian Jackson (Convener)

John Bell, Pamela Currie, Karen Farrell, Lilian Field, David Innes (to Item 11), Alison Palmer, Neil Simco (Vice Convener) [from Item 8]

In Attendance: John Adams (SMOERPL) [Items 10 and 11], Kelly Adams (RSM Auditors), , Lisa Dobie

(SMCEG), Lindsey Furness (SSMFP), Tom Madden (SSMPDS) [Item 8], Ken Muir (CEO), Martin Osler (DCS).

Apologies for Absence Apologies for absence had been received from Lynsey Cleland, Lawrie Davidson, John Devine and Edith Swinley. Intimation of Any Other Competent Business There was no intimation of any other competent business. Declarations of Interest There were no new declarations of interest. 1 Minute of the Meeting held on 9 May 2019 (18-20FCS(19)Min5) The Minute was noted. 2 Matters Arising from the Minute There were no matters arising. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION 3 Extending Registration and Regulation to College Lecturers and Instrumental Music Instructors: Update and Implications 4 Financial Position as at 30 June 2019 (18-20FCS(19)78)

The financial position as at 30 June 2019 showed GTCS to have a net income of £3,696k. This was £464k higher than the year to date approved budget. The SSMFP outlined reasons for this and mitigating actions taken. Members commended officers on exercising cautious prudence and approved the forecast for the first quarter. A further update would be presented at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update on the financial position to be presented to the next committee meeting. SSMFP 5 November 2019

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5 Audit Sub-Committee and Annual Accounts

(a) Draft Annual Report and Accounts to 31 March 2019 (18-20FCS(19)79) (b) Draft Letter of Representation (18-20FCS(19)80) A draft letter of representation had been prepared on behalf of Council to RSM following their audit of GTCS’ financial systems and accounts. Members approved the letter which would be issued to all Council members for comment. The finalised version would be presented to Council for formal approval before being officially signed by the Convener of FCS on behalf of Council in September 2019. Action: By: Date:

• Draft letter of representation to be circulated to Council members in their role as Charitable trustees in advance of the September Council meeting.

• Finalised letter to be presented to Council for approval before being formally signed by the Convener of FCS.

SMCEG August 2019/ 25 September 2019

(c) Draft Auditors Report to Management (18-20FCS(19)81) (d) Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 reporting requirements (18-20FCS(19)82)

Members considered and approved the information to be published online in accordance with the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010. This included Council Member meeting attendance and expenses, details of expenditure relating to PR in the past 12 months and a list of senior staff salaries.

Action: By: Date:

Information to be circulated to Council for approval before being made available online in less detailed format. SMCEG 25 September 2019

6 Internal Audit (18-20FCS(19)83) 7 Human Resources Update as at 31 July 2019 (18-20FCS(19)84)

An update was provided on the work carried out by the Human Resources team since the last meeting. Members approved the report and congratulated staff on achieving the Sliver Healthy Working Lives Award. A further report would be provided at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be provided at the next meeting. DCS 5 November 2019

8 Digital Services Update (18-20FCS(19)85)

An update on the work of the Digital Services team was provided. Good progress continued to be made with Atlas which was becoming more visible. Major improvements had been made to project planning for the organisation as it moved towards a more project-based approach with key areas of work. An update would be provided at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented at the next committee meeting. SSMPDS 5 November 2019

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9 Pro-rata Initial Registration Fee (18-20FCS(19)86) 10 Registration Database Statistics as at 31 July 2019 (18-20FCS(19)87)

Members were provided with a report summarising the registration database statistics as at 31 July 2019. A further update on the registration database would be provided at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented at the next committee meeting. SMO(ERPL) 5 November 2019

STANDING ITEMS 11 Risk Assessment and Management (18-20FCS(19)88)

Members discussed the latest version of the Corporate Risk Register which was reviewed at CMT internal team meetings on a regular basis. An updated version would be presented at the next meeting for consideration. Action: By: Date:

Update to be provided at the next meeting. CEO 5 November 2019

12 Finance and Corporate Services Work and Professional Learning Plan (18-20FCS(19)89)

A copy of the work and professional learning plan was presented for approval. An update would be provided at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented at the next committee meeting. SMCEG 5 November 2019

13 Matters for the Next Council Meeting

Members agreed that the Convener, in liaison with the SMCEG, should determine the items to be placed on the agenda for the next Council meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Agenda items for Council meeting to be agreed. Convener/ SMCEG August 2019

ITEMS FOR NOTING 14 GDPR Compliance Report (18-20FCS(19)90)

Members noted the actions taken in GDPR compliance since the previous meeting. An update would be presented at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented to the next meeting. ICO 5 November 2019

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15 Health and Safety Update (18-20FCS(19)91) Members noted the report on actions taken in Health and Safety since the previous meeting. A further

update would be presented to a future meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented at a future meeting. SSMFP ongoing

16 VAT Update (18-20FCS(19)92) Members noted the paper setting out the current position with regard VAT. An update would be

presented at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented to the next meeting. SSMFP 5 November 2019

17 Brexit Update (18-20FCS(19)93)

Members noted the update provided on Brexit.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented at the next meeting. SMBD 5 November 2019

18 Insurance Review and Renewal (18-20FCS(19)94) The annual review and renewal of insurance out. An update would be provided in August 2020

following completion of the annual exercise.

Action: By: Date:

Insurance review and renewal to be carried out in August 2020. SSMFO August 2020

19 Financial Expenditure over £50,000 as at 31 July 2019 (18-20FCS(19)95) Members noted the report detailing expenditure over £50,000 as at 31 July 2019 as ratified by the

Convener. A further update on financial expenditure for the next quarter would be presented to the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to future meeting as required. SSMFP Ongoing

20 Equality and Diversity Action Plan Update (18-20FCS(19)96) Members noted the updated equality and diversity action plan. A further update would be presented

at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented to the next meeting. LA 5 November 2019

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STANDING ITEMS 21 Any Other Competent Business

There was no other competent business.

22 Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting was scheduled to take place on Tuesday 5 November 2019 at 10.30 am.

Acronyms: • CEO – Chief Executive and Registrar – Kenneth Muir • DCS – Director of Corporate Services – Martin Osler • SMCEG – Senior Manager Corporate Executive and Governance – Lisa Dobie • SSMFP – Senior Strategic Manager Finance and Procurement – Lindsey Furness • SSMPDS – Senior Strategic Manager Programmes and Digital Services - Tom Madden • SMOERPL – Senior Manager Operations (Education, Registration and Professional Learning) – John Adams

18-20PRA(19)Min6

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MINUTE of the meeting of the Professional Regulatory Assurance (PRA) Committee held in Clerwood House, 96 Clermiston Road, Edinburgh, on Thursday 26 August 2019 at 10.30 am.

Present: Thomas Britton (Vice Convener)

Nazim Hamid, David Innes, Barrie Sheppard, Charles Smith, Adam Sutcliffe, Edith Swinley, Martin Whitfield, Carole Wilkinson.

In Attendance: Lisa Dobie (SMCEG), Jennifer Macdonald (DRLS), Colin Mackay (RS), Ken Muir

(CEO), Vivien White (SMR). Apologies for Absence Apologies for absence had been received from Kevin Campbell, David Dodds, Donald Gillies, Adela Mansur, Lorraine McBride (Convener), Gillian Sim (SMR). Intimation of Any Other Competent Business There was no other competent business. Declaration of Interest There were no declarations of interest. 1 Minute of the Meeting held on 7 May 2019 (18-20PRA(19)Min5)

The Minute was noted and would be amended to show Barrie Sheppard as in attendance.

2 Matters Arising from the Minutes There were no matters arising from the Minute.

ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION 3 Extending Registration and Regulation to College Lecturers and Instrumental Music Instructors: Update and Implications 4 Revision of COPAC: New Professional Code and Public Consultation Document (18-20PRA(19)49)

Members commended officers on the work undertaken in producing the draft overarching document, draft Code and public consultation document. The draft refreshed suite of professional standards, being considered by the Education Committee would also be included as part of the package of materials subject to public consultation. A series of helpful guidance materials on key areas of interest such as cyber security and professional boundaries were presently being drafted and would accompany the package once launched in June 2020. The draft documents were recommended to Council for final approval, subject to a few minor amendments. Action: By: Date:

Draft documents to be updated to reflect the agreed amendments and presented to Council for final approval. CEO/ DRLS 25 September 2019

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5 Regulatory Casework Report (18-20PRA(19)50) 6 Revised Fitness to Teach Threshold Policy (18-20PRA(19)51)

7 New Fitness to Teach Practice Statement: Witnesses and Hearsay Evidence (18-20PRA(19)52) 8 Revised Fitness to Teach Practice Statements (18-20PRA(19)53)

A number of minor amendments had been made to the following three practice statements:

• Use of Electronic Communications in Hearings Practice Statement • Conduct at Hearings Practice Statement • Decision Making and Writing Practice Statement

Members approved the revised Practice Statements without revision meaning that they would come into operation with immediate effect.

Action: By: Date:

Revised Practice Statements to come into operation with immediate effect. SMR August 2019

9 Decision Process Review Group Report (18-20PRA(19)54)

A copy of the report of the Decision Process Review Group which took place in June was circulated for discussion. Members approved the report, noting the various learning points highlighted along with the updated action tracker. A further report would be presented at the next committee meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Report of the next meeting of the Decision Process Review Group to be presented at the next meeting. SMR 7 November 2019

10 Court of Session Appeal Update

Members were provided with an update on an ongoing Court of Session Appeal. A further update would be provided at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be provided at the next meeting. SMR/LA 7 November 2019

STANDING ITEMS 11 PRA Committee Work and Professional Learning Plan (18-20PRA(19)55)

A copy of the committee work and professional learning plan was circulated for discussion and approval. Members approved the plan and agreed that a demonstration of the new Atlas system be provided at the next meeting. Action: By: Date:

• Update to be provided at the next meeting. • Demonstration of new Atlas system to be delivered. SMCEG/ SMR 7 November 2019

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12 Risk Assessment and Management (18-20PRA(19)56)

Members approved the Risk Register noting that it was reviewed weekly by CMT and Senior Managers. A further update would be presented at the next meeting. Action: By: Date:

Updated risk register to be presented at the next meeting. CEO 7 November 2019

13 Matters for the Next Council Meeting

A number of items were highlighted for inclusion on the Council agenda. Members were invited to submit any additional items for inclusion to the SMCEG. Action: By: Date:

Agenda items to be added to the Council agenda. SMCEG August 2019

ITEMS FOR NOTING 14 12 Month Fitness to Teach Panel Member Development Plan (18-20PRA(19)57)

Members noted the development plan for Fitness to Teach Panel members over the coming 12 months.

Action: By: Date:

Panel Member Development Plan to be put into operation. RO August 2019

15 Fitness to Teach Stakeholder Engagement Report (18-20PRA(19)58)

Members noted the update of the Development Officers fitness to teach engagement activities over the last year. A further update would be presented to the next committee meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented at the next meeting. DO 7 November 2019

16 Regulatory Update (18-20PRA(19)59)

Members noted the update on developments within other regulatory bodies. A further report would be presented at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be provided at the next meeting. SMCEG 7 November 2019

STANDING ITEMS 17 Any Other Competent Business There was no other competent business. 18 Date of Next Meeting

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The next meeting was scheduled to take place at 10.30 am on Thursday 7 November 2019. Acronyms: • CEO – Chief Executive and Registrar (Kenneth Muir) • CMT – Corporate Management Team • DO – Development Officer (Jim Moore and Sarah Stevenson) • DRLS – Director of Regulation and Legal Services (Jennifer Macdonald) • FtT – Fitness to Teach • LA – Legal Adviser – Katie Kearney • RO – Regulation Officer – Dani Tovey • SMCEG – Senior Manager Corporate Executive and Governance (Lisa Dobie) • SMR – Senior Manager Regulation (Gillian Sim) • SMR – Senior Manager Regulation - Maternity Cover (Vivien White)

18-20Educ(19)Min6

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MINUTE of the meeting of the Education Committee held in Clerwood House, 96 Clermiston Road, Edinburgh EH12 6UT on Tuesday 27 August 2019 at 10.30 am.

Present: Craig Carson (Convener)

David Alexander, Paula Cowan, David Innes (Items 4 to 9), Jane Malcolm, Margaret Lannon and Coral Riddell and Patricia Scott, John Rodgers and Edith Swinley.

In Attendance: John Adams (from Item 7), Daniele Bonamini (DS), Lisa Dobie (SMCEG), David

Graham (SSME), Thomas Madden (SSMPDS), Ken Muir (CEO), Elaine Napier (SSME), Martin Osler (DCS), Sharon Smith (SME), Charlaine Simpson [SEO(ITE)].

Apologies for Absence Apologies for absence had been received from Richard Bell (Vice Convener), Helen Budge, Ellen Doherty (DERPL) and Iain Macmillan. Declaration of Interest There were no new declarations of interest. Intimation of Any Other Competent Business The Convener reported that there were two items of other competent business. 1 Minute of the Meeting held on 14 May 2019 (18-20Educ(19)Min5)

Members noted the Minute. 2 Matters Arising from the Minute There were no matters arising. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION 3 Extending Registration and Regulation to College Lecturers and Instrumental Music

Instructors: Update and Implications 4 Professional Update Statistics and Next Steps (18-20Educ(19)90)

Members were provided with the latest statistics for the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 cohorts. The 2017-2018 cohort which showed a completion rate of 99.54%. The 2018-2019 cohort showed a completion rate of 70.24% which was in line with previous cohorts at the same point in time in the academic calendar. Members approved the proposed next steps outlined in the report subject to final approval by Council. This included the proposal to issue a letter to Chief Education Officers within each local authority, providing information in relation to those teachers, presently in employed in their authority who had failed to sign off their PU from cohort 17-18. Members noted the revised PU revalidation timeline. A further progress report would be provided at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

• Report to be circulated to Council for approval. • Update to be presented at the next committee meeting. SSME 25 September 2019 and 12 November 2019

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5 Draft Revised Professional Standards and Draft Public Consultation Document (18-20Educ(19)91)

The suite of refreshed Professional Standards was presented to committee for discussion and approval, along with the draft overarching document and the draft consultation document. The draft standards and overarching document would sit alongside the revised Professional Code (formerly known as COPAC) to form a complete package for registered teachers. A series of useful guidance documents were being produced to supplement the revised Code and would be launched in June 2020 as part of the finalised package. Officers were commended on the work carried out in producing the documents and approved them subject to a few minor amendments. Finalised versions would be presented to Council for final approval. Action: By: Date:

Finalised versions of the draft documents to be presented to Council for approval. CEO 25 September 2019

6 Broad General Education Category Working Group 7 Draft Revised Excellence in Professional Learning and Professional Recognition Awards Documentation (18-20Educ(19)93)

Members were provided with copies of the draft revised Excellence in Professional Learning and Professional Recognition Awards Documentation. The revisions had been made in an effort to ensure that the awards remained current and relevant. Members approved the draft revised documentation subject to a few minor amendments. Finalised versions would be presented to Council for approval in September 2019.

Action: By: Date:

Finalised versions to be presented to Council for approval. SEO/ SEO(ITE) 25 September 2019

8 Draft Professional Review and Development (PRD) Guidance (18-20Educ(19)94)

The draft Professional Review and Development Guidance had been positively received by the PRD Steering Group. A suite of supporting materials was in the process of being developed to sit alongside the draft guidance. Members approved the guidance which would be launched in October 2019 subject to final approval by Council.

Action: By: Date:

• PRD Guidance to be launched in October 2019 once approved by Council in September.

• Supporting materials to be developed. SEO 25 September 2019 and ongoing

9 Proposed Revisions to Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Documentation (18-20Educ(19)95)

Members were provided with copies of the draft revised ITE documentation which had been further updated to include a small number of references to specific additional support needs and strengthen ITE entry, selection, admission and interviewing practice in the documentation used by GTC Scotland panels in accrediting ITE programmes. Members approved the minor changes to the following documents: • The Guidelines for Initial Teacher Education Programmes in Scotland April 2019 • Policy Statement: Accreditation of Programmes of Initial Teacher Education in Scotland, April

2019 • Evaluation Framework: Accreditation of Programmes of Initial Teacher Education in Scotland,

June 2018.

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The changes specifically mentioned the five main learning difficulties (Dyslexia; Dyspraxia; Autism; ADHD and Tourette Syndrome ), as set out in the Salvesen Mindroom Booklet ‘It Takes All Kinds of Minds’ as well as the inclusion of strengthened criteria around selection procedures and support for student teachers. Members recommended the revised documentation to Council for final approval.

Action: By: Date:

Draft revised documentation to be presented to Council for final approval. CEO 25 September 2019

10 Registration Statistics and Trends (18-20Educ(19)96)

A total of 2748 teachers had been lapsed from the register following the deadline for payment of the annual registration fee. This was in keeping with previous years. Overall, there had been a 2.17% increase in the number of registrants. Analysis of Qualified Outside of Scotland applications showed that all three sciences featured in the top ten subjects. A further update would be provided at the next committee meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be provided at the next committee meeting. SMO(ERPL) 12 November 2019

STANDING ITEMS 11 Risk Assessment and Management (18-20Educ(19)97)

Members noted the latest version of the Risk Register which continued to be reviewed weekly by the Corporate Management Team and Senior Managers. An updated version would be presented at the next Council meeting. Action: By: Date:

Risk register to be kept under review and updated version presented to the next Council meeting. CEO 25 September 2019

12 Work and Professional Learning Plan (18-20Educ(19)98)

A copy of the revised work and professional learning plan was circulated for discussion and approval. An updated version of the plan would be circulated at the next meeting. Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented at the next meeting. SMCEG 12 November 2019

13 Matters for the Next Council Meeting

A number of items were highlighted for inclusion on the Council agenda. Members were invited to submit any additional items for inclusion to the SMCEG. Action: By: Date:

Agenda items to be added to the Council agenda. SMCEG August 2019

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ITEMS FOR NOTING 14 MyPL Rollout Update (18-20Educ(19)99)

An update on the rollout of MyPL was circulated for discussion. Action: By: Date:

Update to be provided at the next meeting. DCS 12 November 2019

15 Engagement of Independent Schools with Registration (18-20Educ(19)100)

Members noted the progress made in the registration of those employed in the Independent School sector. An update would be presented at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented at the next meeting. DERPL 12 November 2019

16 Registration of Other Education Professionals – Instrumental Music Instructors (IMIs) Minute of the IMI Working Group meeting held on 1 May 2019 (18-20ROEP(19)Min12)

The Minute was noted. A further update on the progress of the Working Group would be presented at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented at the next meeting. DERPL 12 November 2019

17 Professional Review and Development (PRD) - Minute of the PRD Steering Group meeting held on 17 June 2019 (18-20PRDSG(19)Min5)

The Minute was noted. A further update on the progress of the Working Group would be presented at the next meeting. Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented at the next meeting. DERPL 12 November 2019

18 ITE Programme Accreditation/Reaccreditation Panels

(a) Report of panel meeting held on 8 May 2019 (18-20Educ(19)101) (b) Report of panel meeting held on 10 May 2019 (18-20Educ(19)102) (c) Report of panel meeting held on 15 May 2019 (18-20Educ(19)103) (d) Report of panel meeting held on 20 May 2019 (18-20Educ(19)104) (e) Report of panel meeting held on 23 May 2019 (18-20Educ(19)105) (f) Report of panel meeting held on 17 June 2019 (18-20Educ(19)106)

The reports were noted.

19 Professional Recognition Accreditation Panels

(a) Report of panel meeting held on 29 May 2019 (18-20Educ(19)107)

The report was noted.

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20 Excellence in Professional Learning Award Panels

(a) Report of panel meeting held on 7 May 2019 (18-20Educ(19)108) (b) Report of panel meeting held on 9 May 2019 (18-20Educ(19)109) (c) Report of panel meeting held on 21 May 2019 (18-20Educ(19)110) (d) Report of panel meeting held on 28 May 2019 (18-20Educ(19)111) (e) Report of panel meeting held on 4 June 2019 (18-20Educ(19)112) (f) Report of panel meeting held on 11 June 2019 (18-20Educ(19)113) (g) Report of panel meeting held on 18 June 2019 (18-20Educ(19)114) (h) Report of panel meeting held on 25 June 2019 (18-20Educ(19)115) (i) Report of panel meeting held on 27 June 2019 (18-20Educ(19)116) The reports were noted.

STANDING ITEMS 21 Any Other Competent Business

22 Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting was scheduled to take place on Tuesday 12 November 2019 and would be preceded by the Annual Professional Learning Session.

Acronyms • CEO – Chief Executive and Registrar (Kenneth Muir) • DCS – Director of Corporate Services (Martin Osler) • DS – Data Specialist – Daniele Bonamini • RATL – Registration Assessments Team Leader (Claire Williamson) • SEO(FEPL) – Senior Education Officer (Further Education & PL) (Vikki Robertson) • SEO(AITE) - Senior Education Officer (Accreditation & ITE) (Charlaine Simpson) • SEO(CLLL) – Senior Education Officer (Career Long Learning and Leadership) – Jacqueline Morley • SEO(PRDT) – Senior Education Officer (Professional Review & Development for Teachers) – Sharon Smith • SMCEG – Senior Manager Corporate Executive and Governance (Lisa Dobie) • SSMECSS – Senior Strategic Manager Early Careers and Student Support (Elaine Napier) • SSMPUQA – Senior Strategic Manager Professional Update and Quality Assurance (David Graham) • SMO(ERPL) – Senior Manager Operations (Education, Registration and Professional Learning) (John Adams)

18-20Exec(19)Min6

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MINUTE of the meeting of the Executive Committee held in Clerwood House, 96 Clermiston Road, Edinburgh, on Wednesday 11 September 2019 at 10.30 am.

Present: David Innes (Convener) Lorraine McBride, Neil Simco, Edith Swinley (Vice Convener). In Attendance: John Adams (Item ), Lisa Dobie (SMCEG), Lindsey Furness (SSMF), Thomas Madden

(SSMPDS) (Item ), Ken Muir (CEO), Martin Osler (DCS). Observers: Hannah Downie (CM) Apologies for Absence Apologies for absence were received from Richard Bell, Tom Britton, Craig Carson, Ellen Doherty (DERPL) and Ian Jackson. Intimation of Any Other Competent Business There was no other competent business. Declaration of Interest There were no new declarations of interest received. 1 Minute of the Previous Meeting on 22 May 2019 (18-20Exec(19)Min5) Members noted the Minute. 2 Matters Arising from the Minute

There were no matters arising. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION 3 Employment Appeal Tribunal Intervention - Outcome and Implications (18-20Exec(19)74)

4 Broad General Education (BGE) Registration Category Update (18-20Exec(19)75) 5 Draft Revised COPAC, Refreshed Professional Standards and Public Consultation (18-20Exec(19)76)

Members were invited to discuss and approve the draft revised COPAC (Professional Code), the suite of draft revised Professional Standards (and the associated introductory/overarching document) and the accompanying public consultation document. The draft documents had been discussed at both the Professional Regulatory Assurance Committee and the Education Committee. A final amended version of all documents would be presented to the September Council for final approval prior to the public consultation taking place on 30 September 2019. A suite of guidance documents was currently being drafted, the first phase of which would be launched in June 2020 as part of the

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support package for registrants. Equality Impact Assessments would be carried out alongside the consultation. Action: By: Date:

Draft documentation to be presented at the September Council meeting for approval. CEO/ DRLS 25 September 2019

6 Draft Revised Standing Order and Committee Scheme (18-20Exec(19)77)

At the June Council meeting, Members approved the establishment of an independently appointed Education Pool. The Standing Order and Committee Scheme had been updated to reflect the changes. Members approved the revisions which would be presented to Council for final approval.

Action: By: Date:

Draft revised Standing Order and Committee Scheme to be presented to Council for final approval. SMCEG 25 September 2019

7 Draft Annual Report and Accounts 2018-19 (18-20Exec(19)78) Copies of the Annual Report and Financial Accounts and the Draft Annual Report 2018-2019 were

circulated for consideration. Both had been discussed at length by the Audit Sub-Committee and Finance and Corporate Services Committee. Members approved the documents which would be formally approved by Council and officially signed off by the Council Convener, Convener of the Finance and Corporate Services Committee and the CEO at the conclusion of the meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Finalised drafts to be presented at the September Council meeting for approval. SSMFP 25 September 2019

8 Internal Audit (18-20Exec(19)79)

9 Pro-Rata Initial Registration Fee (18-20Exec(19)80) 10 Frequency of Council and Committee Meetings and Draft Meeting Schedule 2020-2022 (18-20Exec(19)81)

As part of discussions at the June Council meeting, members requested a paper setting out the rationale for the current schedule of Council and committee meetings. The Executive Committee was invited to discuss and approve the proposal to retain the current timetable and approve the draft schedule for Council and Committee meetings in 2020-2022. Members agreed that it would be helpful to update the paper to include a further option for a reduction in the number of meetings going forward with a view to increasing accessibility for members not currently able to secure release.

Action: By: Date:

Revised paper to be presented to Council for discussion and approval. SMCEG 25 September 2019

11 Strategic Plan Update (18-20Exec(19)82) 12 Professional Update Statistics and Update (18-20Exec(19)83)

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13 Update from Conveners and Vice Conveners on Matters of Common Interest

All matters had been discussed in full elsewhere on the agenda. STANDING ITEMS 14 Risk Assessment and Management (18-20Exec(19)84)

A number of updates had been made to the risk register since the previous Council meeting and were highlighted in yellow for ease of reference. This would be further updated to take account of discussions at the recent round of Committee meetings before being presented to the September Council meeting for discussion and approval

Action: By: Date:

Updated risk register to be presented to September Council meeting. CEO 25 September 2019

15 Work and Professional Learning Plan (18-20Exec(19)85)

The work and professional plan was approved. An update would be presented at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Work and training plan to be updated and presented at the next meeting. SMCEG 20 November 2019

16 Matters for the Next Council Meeting (18-20Exec(19)86)

Members approved the draft Council agenda subject to a few minor amendments.

Action: By: Date:

Draft agenda to be updated. SMCEG September 2019

ITEMS FOR NOTING 17 Employer Engagement Update (18-20Exec(19)87)

Members noted the report on recent employer engagement activities. A further update would be presented at the next meeting. Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented at the next meeting. DO 20 November 2019

18 Brexit Update (18-20Exec(19)88)

Members noted the Brexit update and action plan. A further update would be presented at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented at the next meeting. DCS 20 November 2019

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19 Health and Safety Update (18-20Exec(19)89) Members noted the recent work carried out in addressing health and safety within GTCS. A further update would be presented at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented at the next meeting. SSMFP 20 November 2019

20 VAT Update (18-20Exec(19)90)

21 Equality and Diversity Update (18-20Exec(19)91)

The Equality and Diversity Action Plan was noted. A further update would be presented at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Updated Action Plan to be presented at the next meeting. LA 20 November 2019

22 Corporate Communications Update (18-20Exec(19)92)

Members noted the update on report on progress made in the delivery of the Communications and Digital Services strategies. A further progress report would be presented at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be presented at the next meeting. DCS 20 November 2019

23 Information Compliance Update (18-20Exec(19)93)

Members noted the progress made with the Information Compliance project. A further update would be presented at the next meeting.

Action: By: Date:

Progress report to be presented to a future committee meeting. ICO 20 November 2019

24 Governance Update (18-20Exec(19)94)

Members noted the update on governance and other developments of interest within other professional regulatory bodies and organisations with a view to considering whether these impacted on or might be of some benefit to GTC Scotland’s governance and framework processes.

Action: By: Date:

Update to be provided at the next meeting SMCEG 20 November 2019

25 Any Other Competent Business

There was no other competent business.

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26 Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting is scheduled to take place at 10.30 am Wednesday 20 November 2019. Acronyms: CEO Chief Executive and Registrar – Ken Muir DCS Director of Corporate Services – Martin Osler DERPL Director of Education, Registration and Professional Learning – Ellen Doherty DO Development Officer – Jim Moore/ Sarah Stevenson ICO Information Compliance Officer – Suzanne Valente LA Legal Adviser – Katie Kierney SMCEG Senior Manager Corporate Executive and Governance – Lisa Dobie SMRLS Senior Manager Regulation and Legal Services – Gillian Sim SSMFP Senior Strategic Manager Finance and Procurement – Lindsey Furness SSMPDS Senior Strategic Manager Projects and Digital Services – Thomas Madden