Mandatory qualifications for head teachers will move a step closer tomorrow when Deputy First Minister John Swinney publishes draft regulations requiring new head teachers to hold a Standard of Headship award before being appointed. The move is part of the Scottish Government’s strategy to improve school education by ensuring head teachers have the leadership skills they need.
Under the regulations, the detail of which will now be consulted upon, holding the Standard of Headship awarded by the General Teaching Council of Scotland (GTCS) will be mandatory for all new head teachers in local authority and grant aided schools by August 2019.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “Effective leadership is one of the most important aspects of the success of any school. Highly skilled, empowered leaders will help ensure the highest quality of learning and teaching, which makes a direct difference to young people and society.
“Strengthening professional leadership was a key recommendation of the OECD’s independent review of Scottish education and the changes we are proposing in this consultation will do just that.
“Making the Standard of Headship mandatory will ensure head teachers of the future have the leadership skills and support they need to grasp the opportunities of increased devolution in education system currently being discussed as part of our governance review.
“At the same time, our proposed changes will give education authorities flexibility to deal with an individual local circumstances, particularly in relation to temporary appointments. I urge everyone with an interest in this matter to have their say before the consultation closes on 20 March 2017.”
Background
The consultation on Draft Head Teacher and Training Standards (Scotland) Regulations opens on Monday 12 December 2016 and runs until Monday 20 March 2017.
The Scottish Government’s ‘Delivering Excellence and Equity in Scottish Education – a Delivery Plan for Scotland’ states: “We will make holding the Standard of Headship mandatory for all new Head Teachers by August 2019 and will consult by the end of 2016 on the legislation that will achieve this”.
The Standard of Headship is part of a suite of teaching standards that are developed and awarded by the GTCS. It is awarded by successfully completing the Into Headship development programme managed by the Scottish College for Educational Leadership and delivered by Scottish Universities.
The draft regulations are not retrospective and will not therefore affect currently employed head teachers.
The Scottish Government is currently undertaking a Review of Governance arrangements in Scottish education: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Education/thegovernancereview
Last week the latest international survey showed that Scottish education has slipped further down the world rankings. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a survey of education systems in the world’s developed countries, carried out every three years, which measures how well pupils perform in the key areas of reading, science and maths. The figures published last week show a further decline in Scottish standards – a decline that has been in evidence since devolution in 1999.
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