Fife College has been fully validated by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) for its commitment to supporting the professional learning and development of lecturing staff.
GTCS validation recognises Fife College for its commitment to the professional learning and development of lecturing staff and has awarded a quality mark to validate the college’s professional review and development (PRD) policy and processes.
Since 2014, teachers in Scotland working in local authority schools, national organisations and universities (in teacher education) have been required to commit to engaging in ongoing professional learning across their career. This process is called Professional Update and it is a requirement of professional registration with GTCS.
The process requires teachers and lecturers to engage in career-long professional learning through the PRD process in college, self-evaluate using the Professional Standards for Lecturers in Scotland's Colleges and/or
GTCS Professional Standards, to maintain a reflective professional learning record and discuss the impact of this professional learning through professional dialogue with a line manager as an ongoing process and to be signed off every five years through GTCS.
All local authorities in Scotland, universities delivering teacher education and independent schools have their PRD policy and processes validated by GTCS for Professional Update.
Engagement in Professional Update is currently voluntary for the Scottish college sector, as is professional registration with GTCS for college lecturers. Fife College is the sixth college to work in partnership with GTCS to gain validation.
Iain Hawker, Assistant Principal: Quality and Academic Partnerships, said: "We are delighted to receive full validation from GTCS.
“It is an excellent endorsement of our processes and our commitment to supporting continuous learning for our staff. By doing this, we are able to ensure that we continue to deliver high quality teaching to all of our students."
