2005 No. 355

EDUCATION

The Requirements for Teachers (Scotland) Regulations 2005

Made

Laid before the Scottish Parliament

Coming into force

The Scottish Ministers, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 2, 73(c), 74(1) and 90(1) of the Education (Scotland) Act 19801 and section 59 of the Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 20002 and all other powers enabling them in that behalf, hereby make the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement1

These Regulations may be cited as the Requirements for Teachers (Scotland) Regulations 2005 and shall come into force on 30th September 2005.

Interpretation2

In these Regulations–

  • “the 1980 Act” means the Education (Scotland) Act 1980;

  • “the 2000 Act” means the Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc Act 2000;

  • “employ” means to employ a person as a teacher under a contract of employment or to appoint a person as a teacher otherwise than under a contract of employment;

  • “hearing impaired” means deaf or partially deaf; and

  • “visually impaired” means blind or partially sighted.

General requirements in relation to employment of teachers3

Every education authority shall employ adequate numbers of teachers in the schools under their management, with the appropriate professional skills and knowledge necessary to enable those teachers to undertake the teaching duties allocated to them.

Requirement to employ registered teachers4

1

Every education authority shall, in discharging their functions under section 1 of the 1980 Act and section 2(1) of the 2000 Act employ only a registered teacher (“registered teacher” having the meaning set out in paragraph (2) below) as a teacher.

1

“Registered teacher” in these Regulations means a teacher whose particulars are recorded in the register maintained by the General Teaching Council for Scotland under section 6 of the Teaching Council (Scotland) Act 19653 and includes a teacher whose registration has been marked as suspended on the basis however that, for the duration of that teacher’s registration being marked as suspended, such a teacher may only be employed as a teacher–

a

by his or her existing employer, and

b

in his or her existing teaching post.

Requirement in the employment of teachers of hearing impaired pupils5

Without prejudice to regulations 3 and 4, where, in discharging their functions under section 1 of the 1980 Act and section 2(1) of the 2000 Act, an education authority employ a teacher wholly or mainly to teach hearing impaired pupils that teacher shall possess an appropriate qualification to teach such pupils.

Requirement in the employment of teachers of visually impaired pupils6

Without prejudice to regulations 3 and 4, where, in discharging their functions under section 1 of the 1980 Act and section 2(1) of the 2000 Act, an education authority employ a teacher wholly or mainly to teach visually impaired pupils that teacher shall possess an appropriate qualification to teach such pupils.

Requirement in the employment of teachers of both hearing and visually impaired pupils7

Without prejudice to regulations 3 and 4, where, in discharging their functions under section 1 of the 1980 Act and section 2(1) of the 2000 Act, an education authority employ a teacher wholly or mainly to teach pupils who are both hearing and visually impaired that teacher shall possess an appropriate qualification to teach such pupils.

Employment of teachers of hearing or visually impaired pupils who do not possess an appropriate qualification8

A teacher who does not possess a qualification as referred to in regulations 5, 6 or 7 may be employed by an education authority wholly or mainly to teach pupils who are hearing impaired, visually impaired or both hearing and visually impaired, if the education authority are satisfied that the teacher is in the process of obtaining a qualification as referred to in regulations 5, 6 or 7, provided that the aggregate period for which the teacher wholly or mainly teaches pupils who are hearing impaired, visually impaired or both hearing and visually impaired, does not exceed five years.

Existing qualifications for teaching hearing impaired or visually impaired pupils9

Any teacher, who immediately before 30th September 2005 possessed–

a

a special qualification to act as a teacher of deaf pupils for the purposes of regulation 7(1) of the Schools (Scotland) Code 19564 shall be treated as possessing a qualification as referred to in regulation 5 above; or

b

a special qualification to act as a teacher of blind pupils or as a blind teacher of the blind for the purposes of regulation 7(2) of the Schools (Scotland) Code 19565 shall be treated as possessing a qualification as referred to in regulation 6 above.

Application of Regulations to Jordanhill School, Glasgow10

Regulations 3 and 4 shall apply to Jordanhill School, Glasgow, a company limited by guarantee and incorporated under the Companies Act 19856, as if for any reference to an education authority there were substituted a reference to Jordanhill School, Glasgow.

Amendment of the Jordanhill School Grant Regulations 198811

The Jordanhill School Grant Regulations 19887 shall be amended as follows:–

a

in regulation 9, in lines 1 and 2, omit “the Schools (Scotland) Code 1956 and”; and

b

in regulation 9(a) omit “in that Code and”.

Revocations12

The Regulations specified in column (1) of the Schedule are hereby revoked to the extent specified in column (3).

EUAN MACFARLANE ROBSONAuthorised to sign on behalf of the Scottish MinistersSt Andrew’s House, Edinburgh

SCHEDULEREVOCATIONS

Regulation 12

Column (1)

Column (2)

Column (3)

Regulations revoked

Reference

Extent of revocation

The Schools (Scotland) Code 1956

1956/894

All

The Abolition of the Education (Scotland) Fund (Consequential Provisions) Regulations 1959

1959/476

Regulation 12

The Teachers (Education, Training and Certification)(Scotland) Regulations 1965

1965/55

Schedule 2, paragraphs 2–5

The Schools (Scotland) Code Amendment Regulations 1965

1965/940

All

The Teachers (Education, Training and Registration)(Scotland) Regulations 1967

1967/1162

Schedule 2 paragraphs 1–4

The Schools (Scotland) Code (Amendment No 1) Regulations 1968

1968/1055

All

The Schools (Scotland) Code (Amendment No 1) Regulations 1971

1971/1079

All

The Schools (Scotland) Code (Amendment No 1) Regulations 1972

1972/776

All

The Schools General (Scotland) Regulations 1975

1975/1135

Schedule 2 paragraphs 2–3

The Self-Governing Schools (Application and Amendment of Regulations)(Scotland) Regulations 1994

1994/351

Regulation 2

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations concern the requirements to be met by education authorities in employing teachers in the course of discharging their duty under section 1 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, as amended, and section 2(1) of the Standards in Scotland 213 s Schools etc Act 2000. Section 1 of the 1980 Act requires education authorities to secure for their area adequate and efficient provision of school education. Section 2(1) of the 2000 Act requires education authorities where education is provided by them to secure that the education is directed to the development of the personality, talents and mental and physical abilities of the child or young person to their fullest potential.

Regulation 3 requires education authorities to employ adequate numbers of teachers, with appropriate professional skills and knowledge.

Regulation 4 provides that only registered teachers may be employed as teachers by an education authority. It also makes provision in relation to such teachers whose registration has been marked as suspended.

Without prejudice to regulations 3 and 4, where an education authority employ a teacher wholly or mainly to teach pupils who are hearing impaired, visually impaired or both hearing and visually impaired, regulations 5, 6 and 7 require that teacher to possess an appropriate qualification to teach such pupils.

Regulation 8 gives an education authority the power to employ a teacher wholly or mainly to teach pupils who are hearing impaired, visually impaired or both hearing and visually impaired who does not hold the appropriate qualification, provided that the authority are satisfied that the teacher is in the process of obtaining the necessary qualification and the period of teaching without the qualification does not exceed 5 years in total.

Regulation 9 provides that those teachers who immediately before 30th September 2005 hold the specialist qualification required under regulation 7(1) and (2) of the Schools (Scotland) Code 1956 shall be treated as possessing the necessary qualification referred to in regulations 5 or 6, as the case may be.

Regulation 10 applies the general requirements relating to the employment of teachers found in regulations 3 and 4, to Jordanhill School, Glasgow.

Regulation 11 removes references in the grant regulations applicable to Jordanhill School to the Schools (Scotland) Code 1956.

The Schools (Scotland) Code 1956 as amended related to the organisation and management of schools. Incrementally repealed over the years, only a number of its regulations remained in force and which themselves became outdated. Regulation 12 and the Schedule revoke the Schools (Scotland) Code 1956 as amended.