Chartered College of Teaching: placing teachers at the heart of education.

With the new school year well underway, the teaching profession looks ahead to what the next 12 months will bring. What challenges will our new classes bring, what changes will the teaching profession encounter and which new dance craze will enthrall our pupils?

As the profession prepares, so does the Chartered College of Teaching. Since January 2017 we have been building a strong momentum behind our work to connect, inform and inspire teachers to take pride in their profession and deliver the best possible education for children and young people. We have  accomplished much, but we need to accomplish so much more. If we’re going to be the bridge between the profession and pedagogy, we need to remove the barriers to professional knowledge, provide opportunities for intellectual challenge and support greater collaboration. This is what we are focused on. This is what we are dedicated to delivering, and here is how we are going about achieving it.

We regularly hear about the rising pressures teachers at all stages of their career face, with 1 in 10 teachers leaving the profession. Recently we welcomed our 23,000 member and every day we are in a stronger position to truly support the profession throughout their career. Over 95% of our members are working in schools, with a vast range of experience. We have early career teachers who are getting ready to start their teaching journey right through to teachers and headteachers with extensive classroom experience. We know that different support is needed at each  stage of a teacher’s career. That is  why it’s so important to us to place our members at the heart of each and every single thing to do and listen to them to shape our work. Our first Council elections are an important part of this work to ensure we are driven by our members for the whole profession. Our inaugural elections have seen a wide variety of people standing to help drive our development. Over 99% of those who were eligible to stand and vote are working in schools. Whether it’s one of our Members who are employed to teach children and young people, to our Fellows – each of which have at least  ten  years experience of teaching – we know they will be a huge benefit to our work.

Through our development we  are working hard to deliver the tools that will actually benefit the profession. As the new cohort of teachers prepare for their first day in the classroom, many of them will have a copy of The Profession in their bag. We brought together some of the most knowledgeable voices in education with guidance and practical tips in one journal to provide inspiration and  support . This is enhanced ed by our Early Career Teacher Conference on 27 October which is free for  student teacher members.  With nearly a quarter of teachers who qualified since 2011 leaving, it’s vital that the second a teacher walks into their new classroom, they don’t leave behind the support they will still need to call upon. At the other end of the scale, we’re supporting experienced teachers and leaders through our new Leadership Development Advisory Group. We want senior leaders to have the opportunity to engage with evidence and CPD to benefit their colleagues and the wider profession. This new group – made up of representatives from NAHT, ASCL and the Teaching School Councilamongst others –  will support senior leaders to engage with evidence, will benefit the whole profession and will place teachers in the best possible position to shape their future.

If we are going to effectively support the profession to build this future, then we need to make sure teachers can draw from the research and evidence to have the biggest impact on learning. Each year schools spend an estimated £900m on technology. Used well, it can support teachers in developing effective approaches to pedagogy and assessment. However, its use in schools is not consistent. That’s why we are developing a dedicated education technology-themed edition of our award winning journal, Impact, and creating a new, free online course for teachers and leaders on effective use of education technology. Meanwhile our Chartered Teacher programme – CTeach – is celebrating the fantastic work that happens in classrooms every single day by offering a career-long, professional development pathway. This in turn helps us all to raise the status of the profession. Bringing all of this together is My College – our brand new online community for our membership to share and discuss teaching and learning. From teachers sharing classroom practice and education leaders answering member questions, to research digests and the world’s largest education and research database we can truly become the home for pedagogy.

 

From the day we welcomed member 001 to now, I look back at the work we’ve done and take pride in the positive impact we are having on schools and the attainment of pupils. With over 500,000 teachers in England the task ahead of us is huge. However I’m optimistic. The Chartered College of Teaching is a once in a lifetime opportunity to benefit the teaching profession. Work with us, engage with us, and join us. We want to create a culture of lifelong learning, support and celebration across the sector. We want you to be part of it.