Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

It was a case of sink or swim. If one were lucky one could ask for advice from an experienced teacher, but it could be a very isolating and lonely experience. I was a music teacher and I had to set up a music department in the school. While it gave me great scope and I had great ideas, it could be also a very daunting experience. The Teaching Council of Ireland recognises the importance of this period in a newly qualified teacher's career as a time when he or she needs the support of induction and probation. The Department for Education and Skills funds the national induction programme for teachers and the piloting of the Droichead scheme. This period of induction and probation supported by the Teaching Council of Ireland will ensure that newly qualified teachers get established in the classroom with the highest possible level of competence and confidence. This should go a long way towards enhancing the quality of teaching and learning for students in our classroom. Continuous professional development is also to be welcomed as I believe it is vital to the success of teaching and education and will keep all teachers up to date in the profession. When I taught music I was the only music teacher in the school, as happens with that subject, and as the only music teacher at department meetings, things were very harmonious and nobody objected to any of the ideas I wanted to introduce. It is very important to have that outside scope. I know that the post-primary music teachers association conferences were always a great support to me and we had some excellent conferences.

September 2012 saw the roll out of extended and reconceptualised programmes of initial teacher education. Concurrent initial teacher education programmes are now four years duration with the post graduate programmes taking place over the two years. This is welcome. All reconfigured programmes are required to meet the Teachers Council's accreditation criteria, some of which are specifically related to numeracy and literacy. All of the 60 programmes of initial teacher education at primary and post-primary levels will be reviewed by October 2014. In addition the ten programmes in the further education sector have been accredited.

Teaching is a very complex career in many ways. The teacher is in a position of great trust and responsibility and must be competent not only in his or her subject area but in dealing with children and adolescence who not only require teaching but will benefit from mentoring, counselling, disciplining and often advising and providing advice. The teacher must also communicate with parents, who thankfully nowadays take a major interest in their child's education. The Teachers Council published the second edition of its code of professional conduct for teachers in 2012. The code was developed following a process of consultation with teachers and other stakeholders in education. It sets out first and foremost a clear description of what is expected of teachers in their professional role. It is great that we have clear definitions and clear goals of where we are going. There are 33 standards of professional knowledge, skills, competence and conduct expected of registered teachers. This shows just how complex this is but the core values are respect, care, integrity and trust.

I will comment briefly on the Teaching Council's function in respect to fitness to teach. This section of the Act will commence very shortly and is an area that has attracted most of the recent media coverage. In line with other regulatory bodies, the Act provides that the Teaching Council will have the means to investigate a teacher's fitness to teach and the Bill, given Government approval for drafting on 10 December 2013, will provide for a range of sanctions such as advice, admonishment and censure that may be applied by the Teaching Council following an inquiry. Such measures will ensure that members of the public and teachers themselves can be confident that teachers who are guilty of misconduct or who may need additional support will be dealt with appropriately. It is very important that we recognise that some people may need extra support because of something happening in their personal life or in the classroom. Parents can be assured that genuine concerns can be addressed through the available channels. We can look forward to the remaining element of the Act pertaining to the continuous professional development of teachers being rolled out in the near future. Teaching is a profession in which one cannot stand still. One must be always open to new methodologies, new ways of thinking. The majority of teachers welcome the opportunity to upskill and update. This can only mean enhanced teaching and learning in the classroom.