Strategic Board Teacher Education Meeting papers – May 2023

SBTE Workplan Development – 31 May 2023

Purpose

1. To provide an overview of discussions with SBTE members about the redevelopment of the workplan, set out suggested priority areas and pose discussion points for members to consider.

Background

2. Following discussion at the SBTE on 29 March, the secretariat took an action to hold bilateral meetings with a cross-section of members to identify priority areas for inclusion in a refreshed workplan.

3. The aim of this work is to develop an outcome-focussed, action-oriented, programme-management style workplan that defines key outcomes and actions where the SBTE can collectively add value and drive progress.

4. The Secretariat met with: SCES; EIS; ADES; ES; SLS; AHDS, SCDE, GTCS and AREP leads.

Summary of discussions

5. A range of issues and suggested areas of focus were identified by members. These are summarised and grouped below under broad themes.

SBTE Function / Remit

• Identify the strategic aim for teacher education in Scotland.
• SBTE should be more strategic. Less talking, more action. Less reactive to individual issues / concerns, more proactive longer-term planning.
• Prioritise 'big-ticket items', e.g. support for early career teachers.
• Focus on fewer issues but in more depth.
• Identify issues where SBTE can uniquely and collectively add value, not micro-managing the workplans of member organisations.
• Should we try and capture all activities member orgs are taking forward on teacher education, with a view to honing in on key issues where the SBTE can add value?
• Encourage collaboration and collective responsibility, with members having more 'skin in the game' and taking ownership of / leading workstreams.

Governance

• How does SBTE relate to / interact with other groups? For example, the Scottish Education Council (SEC), Headteacher Recruitment & Retention Working Group, Teacher Workforce Planning Advisory Group.
• How will planned refocus of SEC impact on SBTE and other groups?
• How do the individual cogs (groups) fit together and drive the decision making process?
• Is SBTE a decision making Board? Does it defer to SEC? Can it make recommendations to Ministers? Need clarity on these questions from the outset.
• What is the overarching governance / decision making structure?

Increased Resource Demand Analysis

• Gather detail on local approaches to workforce planning across local authorities.
• Would a more consistent approach to local workforce planning be helpful in achieving effective long term planning at a national level?
• Acknowledge that each area local has unique challenges – no one size fits all solution.
• Improve understanding of teacher shortages in certain geographical areas and certain subjects and develop strategies to tackle these shortages.
• Revisit and assess alternative routes into teaching, determine which were successful and ascertain whether they could be reinvigorated or built upon.
• Continue to have a specific focus on issues related to headteacher recruitment and retention.

Reducing Barriers to Becoming a Teacher

• Support work of SG Anti-Racism in Education Programme. For example: ITE providers implementing SCDE anti-racism in ITE framework; consider local authorities' approaches to recruitment and recruitment of BME teachers.
• Better understand issues related to teacher recruitment and retention in denominational schools and look to develop new approaches to overcome them.
• Work with HEIs to consider targeting ITE programmes to defined groups, such as individuals who have a disability.

Early career teachers (ECT)

• Support in the early phase of a teachers career (1-5 years) is vital. Links to findings in MQuITE report^[8].
• Consider inconsistencies in support for ECT and identify gaps in development opportunities.
• Consider how to support experienced teachers who provide support to ECT through and beyond probation.
• Explore the role of the 'school based teacher educator'.
• Understand why only 33% of TIS probationers are in full-time permanent posts the year after probation (2022).
• Involve ECT in policy development / delivery, what are their experiences, link policy decisions with actual impacts on people. Track beyond early career – does support drop off?
• Evaluation / review of the Teacher Induction Scheme. Could / should SBTE have responsibility for this?

Promoting teaching as a career

• Consider how to shift public attitudes and improve the perception of teaching as a rewarding career
• Seek opportunities to positively promote the profession with the aim of improving teacher recruitment and retention.

Donaldson – Teaching Scotland's Future

• Donaldson recommendations on early career focus have not been recognised.
• Is it time to review Donaldson? Could / should SBTE lead on that?
• Time to review the strategy for teacher education in Scotland?
• Need to consider full continuum of teacher education not just ITE, e.g. Masters programmes, Into Headship.

Reform

• As Education Reform programme continues, SBTE must ensure that the interdependencies and impacts those reforms, including revisions to qualifications and curriculum, may have on ITE programmes and teacher recruitment and retention are understood.

Professional Learning

• Improve support / education available to teachers re pupils with additional support needs
• Ensure teachers have access to appropriate subject specific professional learning

Workplan / Governance

6. Based on discussions with members and the priorities outlined in the SEC paper, a draft workplan continues to be developed and is enclosed at Annex A.

Discussion Points

7. SBTE members are asked to consider the following discussion points:

• Are Governance arrangements clarified via the enclosed diagram, noting that the SEC function and remit are currently being reviewed?
• Are members content with the overarching aim of the SBTE workplan?
  • Ensure that we have the right numbers of qualified teachers, in the right places, with the right areas of expertise, representing the diversity of Scottish society, in order to support improved learning and societal outcomes for all children and young people, whatever their background, circumstances and wherever they are being educated.
• Are members content with the suggested structure of the SBTE workplan?
  • Are any key areas missing?
• What are members' views on the secretariat undertaking an exercise to capture all current and planned work relating to teacher education in each organisation? The aim of this would be to try and hone in on areas the SBTE can add value, in addition to those identified in the draft action plan.
• Are members content with the suggestion of organisations taking the lead on individual workstreams?
  • Would member organisations have resources that could support workstreams (e.g. secretariat functions)?

SBTE Secretariat

May 2023