Recognise the Graduate Teacher Programme

Here is the first draft of a letter to be sent off on the 26th on May. Please read it and suggest improvements. In particular, maybe trim off some of the fat so that its a bit shorter and to the point. Criticisms greatfully appreciated. It will be sent to 20 representatives of teaching unions in Australia and New Zealand. I will of course ammend specific references to Australia in the versions being sent to NZ.

Read below for copy of letter:

Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing on behalf of a group of teachers trained in the UK through a scheme called the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) and seeking your support and assistance. We believe that we have something to offer in support of education in Australia, and in particular in relieving the chronic shortage of teachers in Australia.
The recent AEU report on tackling teacher shortages within Australia suggests alternative pathways to teaching where individuals “move into teaching through bridging training in combination with recognition of prior learning”(p. 5). I am of course aware that no such scheme exists in Australia at present, and this is no doubt why such routes to teaching are not recognised by teacher registration bodies. However, I encourage you to use the GTP as an example of the success of this kind of training. Until such teacher training routes are explored in Australia, I ask that you consider supporting our campaign, which would certainly bring some relief to teacher shortages in Australia if GTP-trained teachers were allowed to practice there. I ask that you consider:

• Registering with our site and looking further into the merits of the GTP. Registering would also enable you to be added to our monthly newsletters so that you may keep up with developments
• Placing pressure on government departments, ministers and teacher registration boards to change their assessment criteria for overseas teachers to incorporate those trained through non-university-_base_d routes. Some sort of recognition of UK Qualified Teacher Status as awarded by the General Teaching Council of England would be an excellent way of doing that.
• Providing a written response to this letter giving your support or viewpoint for inclusion on our website. We will of course ensure that a _link_ to your site is placed on our _link_s page.
• Mentioning the GTP and our site to any colleagues who you feel may have an interest in this issue
Although teachers qualifying through the GTP are recognised on a par with university-_base_d routes to teaching in the UK (both lead to Qualified Teacher Status awarded by the General Teaching Council of England) the GTP is not recognised by teacher registration boards in Australia or New Zealand. For this reason, many highly skilled and experienced teachers from the UK are unable to continue their profession in Australia.
Nearly a quarter of people training to teach in the England and Wales do so through the Graduate Teacher Programme. The scheme allows people to be _base_d within a school where they undertake teaching practice at the outset. There is a significant amount of academic study of educational theory and pedagogy, but the real success of the GTP lies in its immersion in classroom practice and support and guidance from practicing teachers (in addition to qualified teacher trainers). The GTP is not an ‘easy option’ or a ‘shortcut’ to teaching. It is assessed on the same guidelines and standards for education on which all teachers in the UK are assessed, and selection processes and pre-requisites are certainly as intensive as those for university-_base_d teacher training courses. The scheme was developed several years ago in recognition that trainee teachers benefit from greater pre-service experience in classrooms and in tackling dwindling numbers of applications for teaching qualifications at universities because of financial disincentives. Comprehensive information about the GTP may be obtained through the Training and Development Agency for Schools (http://www.tda.gov.uk).
Our site (http://www.recognisegtp.net) has nearly 150 registered members already, many of whom are well qualified primary and secondary teachers with a wealth of specialist skills and experience would love to be able to teach in Australia or New Zealand. The aim of the site is to bring recognition of the merits of the GTP within Australia and New Zealand and ultimately bring about the changes necessary to allow UK teachers trained through the GTP to practice in Australia as many other UK-trained teachers do.
I believe that we have shared interests in helping to improve education for young Australians and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Your faithfully


Andrew Hickey
Recognise GTP

Hi Andrew!
I don't have anything to add to your letter but I wanted to thank you for it.

I found something about school-_base_d training that you might find interesting.

http://www.cis.org.au/executive_highlights/EH2005/eh31405.html

Great letter, thank you for writing it, and I hope it gets us somewhere!

Just two little things I would change:

* Second bullet point - I would say "Some sort of recognition of UK Qualified Teacher Status as awarded by the General Teaching Council of England would be an excellent way of doing this (rather than that)

* Penultimate paragraph - "Our site (http://www.recognisegtp.net) has nearly 150 registered members already, many of whom are well qualified primary and secondary teachers with a wealth of specialist skills and experience who would love to be able to teach in Australia or New Zealand" (think you just missed a word out here)

Good luck in your campaign

Great web site i have been looking for some support somewhere for people like me in a similar position. The letter seems very good i look forward to hearing how it gets on.

Olly

Hi Andrew,
proud to say that I have just joined your forum and thrilled to discover that there are many other people who are willing to fight for GTP recognition. I am also hopeful that letters such as this will be distributed to the GTCS who have recently announced that they are not accepting the GTP as a recognised teaching qualification in Scotland.
Like many other graduates, I have recently passed my intense year of teacher training with a grade of 'outstanding' and have managed to secure a full time post in the school in which I trained, however, I now feel deflated to think that I can not return to Scotland in the near future and pursue my teaching dream.
Many many thanks for your hard work and commitment for GTP recognition - I look forward to hearing any news about 'positive recognition' of the GTP.
Good luck to everyone who is attempting to fight their corner!!!!

Dear Nina

I have also inquired but did not go very far. Here are some of the replies I got from universities:

"If you completed a GTP and then taught in England completing your NQT year there is no need to take a PGCE since thatwork will be of the same level. However, if you wish to further develop your knowledge and skills I would suggest that you take mopdules from out MA Education which is available by distance learning. The details of how this fits with the Masters of Teaching and Learning (MTL) have not yet been made absolutely clear, but if you tae modules which are nowwithin our PGCE programme then you will certainly be able to carry at least 30 credits forward into the MTL. Could I suggest that you conatct my colleague, Dr. Stephanie Atkinson ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) who will be able to give you advice on specific modules and the processes involved."

"We apologise for the delay in responding to your enquiry. In order to assist you with your enquiry, could you please advise which institution you gained your Qualified Teacher Status from via the GTP course.

Our course, unlike many institutions across the country, does award the PGCE as well as QTS following successful completion of the GTP and trainees do have the opportunity to transfer credits gained during their GTP towards the MA in Education. It appears that you are looking to obtain the PGCE qualification and I am not sure how you can achieve this as you already have QTS. I will speak to the PGCE Administrative Manager when I return to the office next week about how we can help you with this without you having to undergo teacher training."

"Thank you for providing the below information. I have discussed your request with the Postgraduate Administrative Manager who has advised that as you have already obtained QTS through the GTP scheme then unfortunately you will not be able to undertake the PGCE course. Our advice to you is that when you are ready to advance your teaching qualification in the UK then it is worth you considering the Masters in Education. Please visit our website http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/education/masters/education.php for information about this course.



We hope this information is useful, please do not hesitate to contact us should you have further questions."

You are lucky to have found a solution, even if it is a costly one! Which university offered you this possibility?

Have courage!