Strategic Board for Teacher Education minutes: April 2016

Attendees and apologies

Present

• Clare Hicks - Scottish Government
• Teresa Moran - STEC
• Susan Quinn - EIS
• Gillian Hamilton - SCEL
• Alan Armstrong - Education Scotland
• Margaret Lannon - SCIS
• Seamus Searson - SSTA
• Tim Wallace - AHDS
• Ken Muir - GTCS
• Michael Wood - ADES
• Jim Thewliss - SLS
• Christine Stephen - University of Stirling
• Stuart Robb - Scottish Government
• David Roy - Scottish Government
• Audrey MacDougall - Scottish Government

Items and actions

Welcome and introductions

1. Clare Hicks welcomed everyone to the second meeting of the Strategic Board for Teacher Education (SBTE) and thanked GTCS for hosting the meeting. Apologies were received from Kathy Cameron and Michael McGrath.

Previous minutes/workplan

2. The minutes of the meeting of 27 January 2016 were agreed. The Board also considered the workplan. It was suggested that the discussion on the Evaluation of TSF could add some new activity to the workplan.

3. Clare Hicks confirmed that the Scottish Government would pay 100% of the programme fees for Into Headship candidates for the next three years. A number of Board members suggested that the decision to not reimburse teachers from the first cohort that paid a third of costs was unfair and had led to some discontent. Scottish Government colleagues agreed to consider the point but also noted that it would be important to better understand the different local funding arrangements that had emerged in respect of cohort 1.

4. David Roy confirmed that the Scottish Government would be taking forward the action (01/02) agreed at the first meeting of the Board in respect of BME representation in teaching. As part of this work the Scottish Government will work with STEC to investigate drop-out rates in ITE for underrepresented groups.

Action – Scottish Government to consider whether teachers in cohort 1 of the Into Headship programme should have their costs reimbursed.

Remit

5. Clare Hicks drew the Board’s attention to the minor change to the remit to reflect the Board’s role in overseeing quality indicators in terms for the National Improvement Framework School Leadership and Teacher Professionalism drivers.

National Strategy for Educational Research

6. Audrey MacDougall informed the Board of SG plans to develop a National Strategy for Educational Research. The Board discussed a number of related issues including the definition of research, the organisations that would be involved in a National Strategy, how best incorporate teacher research and how research should be used. Audrey MacDougall agreed to consider these points and table a written draft of the Strategy at the next meeting of the Board. Audrey MacDougall also agreed to meet the Scottish Teacher Education Committee to discuss the Strategy.

Action – SG to table a paper on Educational Research at the next meeting of the Strategic Board for Teacher Education.

Action – SG to meet STEC to discuss the Strategy.

National Improvement Framework

7. David Roy provided the Board with an update on work to take forward the National Improvement Framework focusing on the School Leadership and Teacher Professionalism drivers. This update included working through the draft deliverables expected to form the core of work under the two drivers. The Board were asked whether they wished to act as a reference group for the work now underway to implement the Teacher Professionalism and School Leadership driver. This was agreed. It was also agreed that SG would provide a further update, including project plans, to the Board when it meets next.

Action – SG to provide relevant National Improvement Framework project plans for the next Board meeting.

MyProfessionalLearning / Professional Update

8. Ken Muir provided the Board with an update on the MyProfessionalLearning and Professional Update projects. In terms of Professional Update it was explained that only a small number of teachers had failed to complete the process and that generally the system was working well. MyPL would be trialled in up to six local authorities from August this year and that the GTCS were working with current provider such as SEEMIS, SOPRA and Gateway as well as Glow to tie the system together. Ken Muir also confirmed that the MyPL and Professional Update Working Groups would be merged after the summer break.

Teacher Workforce Planning

9. Clare Hicks provided the Board with an update on the meeting of the Workforce Planning sub-group that took place on 10 March. The actions from this meeting were agreed and these will now be taken forward with the Board being regularly updated. It was agreed that there was no need for the Working Group to meet again.

Evaluation of Teaching Scotland’s Future

10. David Roy introduced a paper on the Evaluation of Teaching Scotland’s Future which had been published on 10 March. The paper requested the Board’s views on how best to take forward the areas for further consideration highlighted by the report. The Board agreed that this was an important and sizeable report that should be properly examined with appropriate actions/projects for partners created. It was further agreed that the Scottish Government should convene a sub-group of the Board to consider the report, identify priorities and recommend possible actions.

Action – SG to bring together a sub-group of the Board to consider the Evaluation of Teaching Scotland’s Future in detail and recommend possible actions.

SCQF Level 11 Learning

11. David Roy introduced a paper summarising the key points raised in a series of recent meetings held with recipients of SG grants supporting teachers to undertake SCQF Level 11 (masters) learning. The paper posed a number of key questions about the possible future direction of the policy which the Board discussed. Issues discussed included the criteria for future funding rounds, whether a wider group of education staff should be able to access funds, better promotion of masters level learning and the need to undertake more formal research into the impact of level 11 learning.

12. Scottish Government colleagues explained that it would be necessary to discuss next steps with the Minister but it was agreed a further conversation in the confines of the sub-group on the Evaluation of TSF would be useful. It was also agreed that the Scottish College for Educational Leadership and the Scottish Teacher Education Committee should continue discussions on the relationship between the Framework for Educational Leadership and the Framework for Masters in Education.

Action – Consider possible future approaches to SCQF Level 11 learning as part of the work to develop actions from the Evaluation of Teaching Scotland’s Future.

Action – STEC and SCEL to continue discussion on the relationship between the Framework for Educational Leadership and the Framework for Masters in Education.

AOB

13. None intimated.

Date of next meeting

14. Next meeting will be held on 22 June at 10:00 in St. Andrew’s House, Edinburgh.

Summary of Actions

	Action	Deadline	Owner
01/02	• SG to engage with BEMIS and teachers’ representatives to consider the issue of under-representation of the BME ethnic community in the teaching profession. • SG to consider with STEC the number of students applying to enter ITE courses. • As part of this work the Scottish Government will work with STEC to investigate drop-out rates in ITE for underrepresented groups.	22/06/16	Scottish Government
02/01	Scottish Government to consider whether teachers in cohort 1 of the Into Headship programme should have their costs reimbursed.	22/06/16	Scottish Government
02/02	SG to table a paper on Educational Research at the next meeting of the Strategic Board for Teacher Education.	22/06/16	Scottish Government
02/03	SG to meet STEC to discuss the National Strategy for Educational Research.	22/06/16	Scottish Government
02/04	SG to provide relevant National Improvement Framework project plans for the next Board meeting.	22/06/16	Scottish Government
02/05	SG to bring together a sub-group of the Board to consider the Evaluation of Teaching Scotland’s Future in detail and recommend possible actions.	22/06/16	Scottish Government
02/06	Consider possible future approaches to SCQF Level 11 learning as part of the work to develop actions from the Evaluation of Teaching Scotland’s Future.	22/06/16	Scottish Government
02/07	STEC and SCEL to continue discussion on the relationship between the Framework for Educational Leadership and the Framework for Masters in Education.	22/06/16	STEC/SCEL