Quality assurance and follow up of new teachers - United Kingdom (Scotland)

External examiners provide quality assurance on the overall content and processes of all programmes, including inclusion specific content and processes. In addition, each university’s teacher education programme undergoes inspection by HMIE. More broadly the work of universities is monitored by the Quality Assurance Agency for higher education (QAA) and the Research Excellence Framework (formerly the Research Assessment Exercise).

Within Scotland the probationary period for NQTs is organised and run by local authorities rather than the universities. One question currently being addressed through a national review (the Donaldson review) of teacher education is whether links during induction process may be enhanced.

Although most universities have no formal process through which to follow-up recent graduates, some universities have established beginning teacher networks. Other universities take every opportunity to seek graduates’ views informally.

Some of the major teacher education programmes reform projects (such as IPP at Aberdeen) have undertaken follow-up studies of recent graduates as part of their research on the impact of teacher education reform.

The universities carry out surveys of graduates and employers (directors of schools, Ministry of Education and Science, other specialists from the educational institutions) once in an accreditation period (once in 6 years) related to the competences and qualifications acquired during the study period. Recommendations are asked on how to improve the content and organisation of study programmes. These recommendations help to improve the quality of the study programmes as well as to make these programmes more appropriate to real life situations for teachers working with the diversity of pupils in their classrooms.

Information on representation from minority groups

Information is collected and collated for teachers by the General Teacher Council (Scotland) and is available in their statistical digest (GTCS, 2009). Each university will also collect such information on student teachers and members of staff. The data on students will be held centrally by the university and by the funding council for higher education. The General Teaching Council has been working to increase the representation of minorities in the teaching profession and universities have various policies to encourage applications from under-represented minority groups in order to widen access and participation.