The Contribution of Chartered Subject Teacher Statuses to the Debate About Teacher

Article for Education Today

The contribution of Chartered subject teacher statuses to the debate about teacher professionalisation

Annette Smith, Chair of the Council for Subject Associations, UK

Introduction

This article draws on an analysis of the interfaces between the generic professionalisation of teaching, led by the new Chartered College of Teaching UK, and the existing chartered subject teacher statuses. The analysis was undertaken by the author and explores the policy choices necessary for further strengthening support and recognition for subject expertise within teacher professionalisation.

The bodies within the scope of the research included the Association for Science Education, the Royal Society of Biology, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Science Council, the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, the English Association, the Historical Association, the Geographical Association and the Royal Geographical Society. The criteria and processes for subject teacher recognition schemes provided by these bodies were mapped, and their operation researched through interviews, covering the practicalities of operation of the Chartered schemes, the support available for applicants, numbers taking up the status, the costs to the organisations, monitoring, and the electronic systems used for the process and for the keeping of CPD records. The philosophy behind the schemes and their strategic importance to the organisations was also explored.

The research also looked at subject-based quality marks awarded to departments or schools, including the Primary Science Quality Mark, the Geography Marks (Primary and Secondary), the History Mark and the Artsmark. This part of the research was used to explore issues for future development, having regard to the wishes of current scheme providers, and the intentions of the founding proposers of the new Chartered College of Teaching, which are that the College’s approach to generic teacher professionalisation must work well for subject specialists and subject associations. Options for exploration include licensing agreements to offer a generic chartered teacher status as an additional recognition to chartered subject specialist teacher status, and the extension of equivalent opportunities to subjects and other forms of teacher specialisation not currently served.

The long-established role of the subject associations provides a perspective on the changing meanings attached to the term ‘professional’ in relation to teaching over the last few decades, and leading into the current debate. Sixty-five thousand teachers are currently full members of subject

1 associations, and hence identify personally with such key professional concepts as self-motivated development, and recognition by expert peers.

The subject associations form part of the distinctive context of the UK, where the historic role of chartered bodies, learned societies and professional institutes has few direct comparisons with other countries’ current approaches to teacher professionalisation. This article identifies points of relationship to subject-specific strands within global developments, such as the prioritisation of STEM subject expertise by international organisations, and language development skills by various governments. Hopefully, this article will stimulate further debate.

Chartered statuses

Chartered statuses have been developed for teachers to prove their competence, ability and integrity. They have been further designed to demonstrate a teacher’s commitment to keeping their skills and knowledge up to date through continuing professional development. Widespread adoption and acknowledgement of Chartered status across the profession through the College of Teaching could have a number of benefits in enhancing the respect due to the profession of teaching.

Summary of the findings

The principal findings of the research were:

 The existing chartered subject schemes are small in reach but are extremely important to the strategic vision of the organisations that run them  Existing schemes have drawn on each others’ expertise and are generally compatible  The organisations that run existing Chartered statuses agree that a higher profile with head teachers, school governing bodies and in school hierarchies is necessary in order to expand  Many existing schemes are the product of useful thinking on the process of becoming a professional, on the nature of professional development, on capturing the impact of CPD and on recording reflections on CPD  There are signs that when a critical number of Chartered subject teachers is reached, a virtuous circle of interest and activity follows  Some Chartered subject teacher schemes were set up through relatively short-term projects or initiatives  The costs to applicants vary widely between the organisations running Chartered schemes  Organisations running Chartered subject teacher schemes have a range of systems for applications and maintenance of records ranging from paper forms to sophisticated online systems.  For most organisations a large increase in applications would not be problematic 22  Quality Marks have much wider reach, but the standards and requirements for these vary widely

Aims of the chartered statuses

The Science Council’s website puts the argument for obtaining Chartered status to a professional succinctly as “the shortest CV you’ll ever write”. Chartered statuses in teaching have been developed such that any employer can be confident that a potential employee with Chartered status will have these professional qualities:

 Academic achievement in their subject and in that subject’s pedagogy1  Some years of experience post-qualification and exhibit these behaviours:

 Taking responsibility for their own professional practice  Recognising the need to develop incorporate further learning into that practice  Reflecting on their own practice and on the impact of that practice on their students and their colleagues  Abiding by a code of conduct as set out in the Chartering agreement

The interviews confirmed the view that the organisations have thought about and discussed the nature of the Chartered Teacher extensively and rigorously and have worked hard to convert this thinking into application materials and appropriate support. They have also considered carefully the linkages from Chartered status to higher education, especially with reference to evidencing work at “M” level by professional development activity.

For a subject organisation, a Chartered teacher status has the advantage of identifying a subset of its members who are well-developed professionals. Beyond the advantages for the individual, the subject organisation can call upon its Chartered members for consultations, for a view of classroom experience and to take the temperature of the profession on an issue. Many of these organisations rely heavily on volunteer expertise and this is found at the highest level among the Chartered teachers.

Chartered teacher statuses as they are currently framed also speak strongly of subject specific professional development. When the professional teacher drives the demand for this it can take many forms beyond the traditional off- site course. The insight to be able to value and evaluate these different forms is part of the professionalism that Chartering recognises and promotes.

Dylan Wiliam (2014) argues the need for this view of professional development cogently in his essay for the RSA publication “Licensed to Create – ten essays on improving teacher quality”1. As many of the Chartered

1 Most of this report is concerned with secondary school education although some Chartered statuses have considered and made provision for Primary subject specialists 3 statuses in this review have done, he argues that teachers should not only improve, but should also collect evidence of that improvement.

Importance of the statuses to the strategy of the organisation

All of the organisations awarding Chartered Teacher statuses have them firmly embedded in their strategy. The individual organisations have different ways of making their long term plans and are of various sizes and hence capacities. The administrative burden of the Chartered schemes has widely differing impacts as a result. However, none of the organisations offering a Chartered Teacher status had any plans to draw back from the offer despite the low uptake. This view is qualified by that of the Science Council, which holds the Register for Chartered Scientist of which Chartered Science Teacher (CSciTeach) is a subset. The Science Council has the CSciTeach register under review and will keep a close eye on the new organisations offering the status in the hope that it will expand.

Scope of the existing statuses

A total of less than 450 teachers hold Chartered status across 8 subjects. The Chartered teacher status which has been in operation longest is in geography, and the most successful in terms of numbers is science.

Management of the statuses and support provided for applicants

The organisations contacted found the current administrative burden manageable. Support was offered in different ways to applicants, ranging from a simple online form with an FAQ page to a more sophisticated interactive application process in which pop-up information boxes are available for each entry on the form. This was backed up by personal support ranging from a member of the administrative staff supporting guidance of an applicant through the process to a full range of application workshops, mentorship, professional and peer support.

The cost to applicants varies widely. Interviewees had mixed views about cost – some said that the cost reinforced the value of the designation; others had heard some complaints about the cost, and the need to find this as well as other memberships which were necessary to teachers.

For most subjects, the process through the approval process requires the voluntary efforts of highly qualified and experienced exiting members. For others, the assessors are paid an honorarium. This process is much more likely to be paid for (with attendant costs to the applicant) in the case of Quality Marks, where visits to schools rather than online or telephone contact are essential.

Promotion of the statuses

44 The subject associations have a huge reach into schools, which far exceeds that which might be expected from their membership numbers. A report produced by the Council for Subject Associations in 2015 2 describes this reach and points out that many subject association websites connect with a different set of teachers to their membership. However, the Chartered organisations find promotion of the statuses challenging as success appears to be heavily reliant on personal contact with an existing holder of the status and the influences necessary to recruit a teacher are several and complex. Organisations currently running Chartered statuses will welcome the influence of the College of Teaching to help with this and in particular they feel that:

 Increased take up by school leadership teams would make a difference.

 If schools were to see Chartered status as a value proposition they may then support individuals by paying the fees.

 A combined promotional push with head teachers is necessary and doing this in collaboration with the College of Teaching would be more effective

CPD recording systems and monitoring of the status

As a Chartered status reflects an on-going commitment to the profession, it must be monitored, and the organisations have a variety of mechanisms for doing this which have been developed individually to fit with their existing membership systems. The most sophisticated of these provides a means of capturing accounts of professional development which can then be accessed by the Chartered teacher to provide an annual account for any year of practice. These records can also be sampled by the organisation the check the registrant’s activity. This level of complexity is possible as the organisation in question holds registers for non-teaching Chartered statuses that are well established and have many registrants.

Challenges faced by statuses

The main challenge facing the Chartered statuses is low uptake. As can be seen from the previous section, the organisations have used all available means to promote Chartered status but this has not resulted in high uptake. There are some signs, however, that a critical mass could be achieved with numbers not much higher than those achieved by RGS and ASE. This is indicated by a recent surge in applications for CSciTeach through ASE following some concentrated effort at face-to-face events. In these cases, the organisations can find local mentors for applicants and can provide the one- to-one encouragement that is required.

As promotion from the organisations appears to be as good as it can be, the organisations have rightly drawn attention to the “pull” side of the equation in their responses to the questionnaire. Currently it is not possible to offer Chartered status in all subjects, either in primary or secondary schools, or in

5 colleges. Budgets for professional development in schools are being squeezed and school accountability requirements have had a negative effect on some subjects. In addition to this, the shortage of teachers in some areas and some subjects means that head teachers and senior leaders have many fewer candidates to select from for vacancies and thus the “instant CV” provided by Chartered status is much less valuable. As a result, the message to head teachers to engage with Chartered status is not currently either clear or compelling.

A further challenge derives from Chartered statuses which have been part of relatively short-lived government initiatives. If government financial support comes to an end, it is quite often the case that initiatives fall out of the purview of officials and operate with reduced influence.

A less problematic feature of the Chartered statuses is the lack of consistency in CPD recording systems. Different Charters have different requirements for on-going CPD recording, ranging from none required (assuming that, having identified themselves at a level of professionalism, the teacher will take full responsibility for their own continuing learning) to a fully on-line comprehensive system, which is routinely sampled.

Cost is an issue with some Chartered statuses, but not all. Some organisations have absorbed the cost of administering the chartering process, but others have not. Those who run their Charters under license have less control over charging. On the whole, it appears that cost is not the main issue resulting in lack of uptake; however, the cost to teachers varies widely.

Finally, it is worth considering that a career in teaching in 2016 does not necessarily start with a degree achieved at age 21 followed by a PGCE and continuing until retirement. Many more teachers enter the profession later in their careers and many leave after four, five or ten years. For Chartered status to appeal more generally, a narrative needs to be developed such that teachers exiting the profession can carry with them the evidence of the level of professionalism attained, and for that to be valued widely.

Relationship between Chartered statuses and other subject-based schemes – Quality Marks

While Chartered statuses recognise the professional journey of individuals, subject Quality Marks recognise development in a subject area in schools. Subject associations have tended to introduce these when they see a need for their subject to have a higher profile in schools, or when they would like an opportunity to recognise excellent practice. The Quality Marks vary considerably in requirements, rigour and reach and were not researched comprehensively for this research; however, the discussion that follows will give a flavour of some of the existing Marks.

The benefits of Quality Marks are much more easily communicated with schools than are Chartered statuses. By focusing on a particular subject a

66 school can vary the curriculum with cross-curricular projects; highlight the local relevance of the subject; introduce community involvement and enhance learning with extra-curricular activity. Some schools are also very happy to receive physical awards and logos, which they can then display.

Some Quality Marks require schools to agree to a package of intervention, starting with an audit of their current provision in a subject and including a professional development package. When it can be demonstrated that real change has been made, the award can be achieved. For others, schools submit an audit of their provision, which may be within the curriculum, or, as with Artsmark, may be awarded for cultural engagement, which may be extra- curricular. In all cases that were looked at for this research, the Quality Marks involved the visit of an assessor to the school. The range of subjects for which Quality Marks are available is also broader than that for Chartered statuses and includes; the Arts, primary science, history, geography, design and technology, religious education and physical education and sport.

Other chartered statuses and schemes

Additional Chartered statuses have been awarded to teachers in the past. These are noted here, along with some reference to the SSAT Lead Practitioner scheme, which is used in many schools to provide a framework for professional development.

Chartered London Teacher

The Chartered London Teacher (CLT) scheme was introduced by the Government to recognise and reward the skills and expertise of London teachers. It formed part of the Government’s London Challenge strategy.

The scheme was launched in September 2004 and the first successful applicants received CLT status in September 2006. The scheme came to an end in 2014. It operated under the College of Teachers’ Royal Charter, with the requirements being to:

 Complete the two year minimum CLT registration period;  Teach in London state schools for four years;  Be on the upper, AST, excellent teacher or leadership pay scales (not the main scale); and  Meet the 12 CLT standards and complete a professional reflection.

An attraction for schools and teachers was the payment to teachers of £1,000 and to schools of £1,500 for each teacher registering for the scheme. Ultimately the scheme was so popular, with 19,000 teachers registering by mid-2006 that it could no longer be funded after March 2006.

Chartered teacher programme (Scotland)

7 The Chartered teacher programme in Scotland was provided by several universities to qualifying teachers who then had their prior learning accredited or undertook modules of professional development. There were costs associated with the scheme, but it led to salary increments upon completion. It ran from 2002 until 2012 when it was replaced by a push towards Masters qualifications. At the time of the programme’s demise 1,200 teachers had completed it, with 2,800 still on the programme. The Donaldson report of 20103 made this comment:

“The programme does not always attract and reward our highest performing class teachers and the nature of the programme does not ensure that participants are better teachers as a result of gaining the award”

Chartered Teacher (Scotland) was awarded by the General Teaching Council of Scotland, which is a charity and an independent body of long standing, but does not have a Royal Charter.

Lead Practitioner scheme

The Lead Practitioner Accreditation is available from SSAT aiming to provide a structure for teachers who want to follow a path of leadership of learning rather than system leadership. Practitioners use the framework to develop small-scale research projects that impact on students’ learning and then go through a process of self-reflection and evaluation to improve their professional skills and expertise. There is a framework of professional standards and a process of accreditation to support this.

Over 700 schools and 2,500 members of staff have engaged with the Lead Practitioner accreditation through SSAT between 2006 and 2013/14.

The Geography Quality Mark has been mapped on to the SSAT scheme in collaboration between SSAT and the Geographical Association.

Conclusions and recommendations

These conclusions are compiled from the overview of the research and also from the interviewees, who were given an opportunity to input their summary views:

From the interviewees

 Any new scheme through the College of Teaching should have comparable rigour and parity with the existing Chartered subject teacher schemes  The College of Teaching might helpfully provide a cross-subject Primary Chartered status, for example an Early Years and Foundation Stage and KS1 model could have a strong child development component

88  Consultation and the development of a positive relationship with subject associations and professional bodies is essential before assembling subject groups for the College of Teaching  Recognition by school leaders and the teaching profession in general is the key to future success.  The smaller subject associations could benefit from a generic Chartered status and should be included in the discussions  The importance of subject-specific CPD should be emphasised and promoted

From the overview of the findings

From the findings presented in this paper, it is clear that for a Chartered status or equivalent to be successful for the College of Teaching, the following components need to be in place:

 A clear, whole school offer to head teachers and Chairs of Governors and a development of that offer for groupings of schools  Rigorous criteria, developed in collaboration with experts  A carefully constructed promotional plan  A group of teachers willing to act as mentors and guides to applicants  Administrative support and expertise available for complex cases  Online application and record keeping systems which are adaptable and easy to use

In putting these in place it will be essential to work with the existing expertise and to take account of organisations that currently do not run Chartered statuses. The following recommendations describe one route to achieving the above.

1. Decide on a model for the status within the College of Teaching. This could aim to cover all subjects (and possibly specialisms as well) or it could fill in the gaps between existing Chartered Statuses. Either way, there must be a clear offer when engaging with the organisations interviewed for this report.

2. Invite representatives from the organisations currently running or developing Chartered Teacher statuses to form a group constructing the College of teaching standards, using the work of the ESAG Standards Group, this report and their own experience as background. Ensure that HE is involved at this stage also for discussions about Masters equivalence.

3. Invite all existing Chartered Teacher status holders to join the College of Teaching as founder members at no cost, on the understanding that they will encourage others to join and obtain Chartered Status (that is, they will become the first mentors)

9 4. Contact all subject associations, which do not have a Chartered Teacher scheme, and engage them in a discussion about how a College of Teaching membership might provide an equivalent status.

5. Investigate and contact all subject Quality Marks and the SSAT Lead Practitioner scheme to seek potential for collaboration, and a fast track route to membership of the College

6. Ensure that the offer to teachers is appropriate for those in Further Education and in Primary and Early Years settings

7. Consider whether the College of Teaching should endorse the more rigorous Quality Marks

8. Look at the best CPD recording systems (Biology, History, Science) for background before setting a system up

The will to support and engage with the College of Teaching is evident from the organisations offering Chartered subject teacher statuses as they recognise the potential benefits. The next year will provide many opportunities to explore the existing thinking about the meaning of professionalism and the methods for recognising, recording and celebrating teachers with these exemplary qualities.

Annette Smith science:education:governance February 2016

Acknowledgements

I am very grateful to the leaders and staff of the subject associations, learned societies and other organisations who were so generous with their time in taking part in the interviews for this work. Any errors or inaccuracies in conveying the information that they gave me are entirely my responsibility.

In addition to her current role as Chair of the Council for Subject Associations, the author is former Chief Executive of the Association for Science Education. As well as running an education consultancy, she is Chair of Governors of Harris Academy Greenwich and a member of the Harris Federation main Board. She is a founding trustee of a new organisation devoted to working to remove inequality from the education system.

References

1. Wiliam, Dylan. ‘Teacher Expertise: Why It Matters, And How To Get More Of It’. Licensed to Create: 27-36. Royal Society of Arts (2014)

1010 2. Council for Subject Associations. ‘Guardians of subject expertise – the subject associations in 2015’ www.cfsa.org.uk accessed 9 September 2015

3. Donaldson, G. ‘Teaching Scotland’s future’ The Scottish Government http://tinyurl.com/ns6y6y8 accessed 17 September 2015