7.3 The Right Training
The Government is fully committed to ensuring that all teachers continue to develop their skills to help achieve better outcomes for every child and young person.
Recommendation 7 of the HMIE report states that the Scottish Government should work with training providers to ensure that a comprehensive and progressive programme is available. It also states that education authorities should ensure that teaching and support staff have access to a programme of staff development relating to ASD. The NAS report states that teachers and other key professionals must be sufficiently trained in autism to be able to recognise the difficulties that children with autism face and so are able to offer the appropriate education and support that they deserve.
Present Training and Development opportunities on ASD in Scotland are shown in Annex 4a. An overview of training issues and gaps in training for professionals in the field of autism in Scotland is given in the report of work commissioned by the then Scottish Executive to scope training, trainers and training needs: The Development of a National Training Framework for Autistic Spectrum Disorders, A Study of Training for Professionals Working in the Field of ASD in Scotland (MacKay and Dunlop, 2004) ( Annex 4b).
We are also aware of the need for qualified teachers to increase their knowledge and awareness of additional support needs. Through the national continuing professional development ( CPD) framework, the Scottish Government fully expects all teachers to be able to recognise and know how to support pupils with additional support needs. It is the responsibility of each education authority to identify local training needs to ensure they have a range of suitably qualified staff in place to fully support all pupils.
Teaching in Scotland: The Context
The teachers pay and conditions agreement included the contractual requirement for teachers to undertake 35 hours CPD per year. Each teacher, in discussion with his/her line manager, produces an annual plan of CPD activity based on personal need, taking account of school, local and national priorities. The Scottish Government will be providing local government in Scotland with record levels of funding over the period covered by the spending review 2008-11. The vast majority of the funding, including the funding for CPD, will be provided by means of a block grant. It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government's key strategic objectives and manifesto commitments. Local Authorities co-ordinate and provide CPD for teachers. Each authority and, in turn, each school has a CPD co-ordinator. Some authorities distribute funds down to school level.
The CPD framework does not dictate definitive training programmes but allows for individuals, together with their line managers, to take account of particular individual needs, while also considering school, local and national priorities. CPD can take many forms such as work based projects, learning networks, formal courses and coaching and mentoring. However, effective CPD must be modern, relevant, coherent and challenging if it is to meet the needs of teachers, stimulate them and impact on school and pupil learning.
A new on-line portal www. LTScotland.org.uk/cpdscotland/cpdfind has been made available, on the LTS web site, from May 2007 and will become the key website for CPD information in Scottish education. It contains a new on-line tool called CPDFind which is a searchable database of CPD opportunities. Further tools such as self evaluation against the relevant Standards and net conferencing will become available in due course.
Teachers' CPD should ultimately impact on school improvement and pupil attainment. It should also motivate and inspire teachers and encourage sharing of best practice and collegiate working as well as encouraging an inclusive approach to parental involvement.
7.3.2 GTCS Professional Recognition
In 2006 the General Teaching Council for Scotland ( GTCS) announced the launch of the Framework for Professional Recognition and explained that one of the purposes of the framework was to give the necessary assurance that the continuing professional development ( CPD) undertaken by teachers is sufficient to meet the challenges they face. Information on the process by which teachers may apply to GTC Scotland and have their professional recognition registered formally is available in the CPD section on the GTCS website which can be accessed at: http://www.gtcs.org.uk/ .
In August 2007 the GTCS added 5 new cross curricular areas to the framework, one of which was Autism Spectrum Disorder. A feature of professional recognition is that it is valid for a period of 5 years only. After that period teachers will be required to demonstrate that they have maintained their knowledge and expertise if they wish to retain their professional recognition.
Guidance on the specific competence for Autism which a teacher should be able to demonstrate to have their professional recognition formally registered by the GTCS can be sourced through GTCS.
The process of applying for professional recognition
A key purpose of producing the competencies is to support and inform the Professional Discussion with the line manger and/or school/local authority CPD co-ordinator.
These specific competences comprise the specialised knowledge, understanding and skills required of teachers to enable them to teach pupils who have ASD.
This guidance does not define the structure of specific courses or pathways which will result in an appropriate qualification but acknowledges that there is a range of pathways to gaining such a qualification, for example, through taking a post-graduate diploma at a higher education institution, through accredited experiential learning and/or through local authority-based, or other, training. Clearly not all training routes will result in a post-graduate diploma.
7.3.3 ITE Inclusive Practice Project
The Inclusive Practice Project at Aberdeen University has been established using Scottish Government Project Funding to ensure that an understanding of inclusion is central to initial teacher training and CPD; the institutional development of schools and the personal development of the teaching profession. To achieve this there needs to be multiple levels of knowledge within schools as not every teacher can be expected to know everything. The aim is to embed inclusive approaches to teaching for pupils with additional support needs, including ASD, within core initial teacher education. Innovative approaches to teacher training are being developed to ensure that new teachers have a greater awareness and understanding of the educational and social issues that can affect children's learning.
There has been a major change to the structure and content of the one-year initial teacher education programmes for primary and secondary teachers to ensure that social and educational inclusion is addressed within the core Learning and Teaching programme rather than being an elective. Primary and secondary courses have been merged into a single ITE programme.
Key aim is to create an effective continuum of professional development through ITE, supported induction in teachers' early professional lives, and continuing professional development.
7.3.4 The Multi-Professional Postgraduate Award in Autism
The Multi-Professional Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma and MSc in Autism has been offered at the National Centre for Autism Studies at the University of Strathclyde since 1998. The largest single professional group on the course is from education, including teachers from all forms of school and outreach provision. Study on the course is predicated on the view that no single profession can meet all the needs of people with ASD, therefore a very wide range of professionals from the field of autism attend the programme and are joined by appropriately qualified parents, and individuals on the spectrum. Since 1998 over 1,000 professionals have studied on the programme, and teachers who have taken the Support for Learning specialism may gain credit within the autism programme.
The evidence of student projects and a study evaluating the impact of training shows that graduates of the programme find their practice has developed significantly as a result of participation in the course (Tait and Dunlop, 2005).
From 2008-2009 the course will be offered in full-time and part-time modes, on outreach and through blended online learning. Students are supported in their studies by an experienced multi-professional team.
A new Postgraduate Certificate in Autism is being offered at the University of Aberdeen.
7.3.5 The Scottish Autism Services Network
The Scottish Autism Services Network ( SASN) is a resource for professionals working in autism. It was set up through funding from Scottish Government. It provides a professional network for autism in Scotland, with the primary aim of building the capacity of the workforce to make a difference to the lives of people with autism and their families. The Scottish Autism Service Network structures support networking, access to impartial information through their information hub accessible on their website. Each of these elements complements the other. SASN issues a quarterly newsletter and holds information events and Network meetings on a range of topics. Some of the Networks are geographically based. Below is a list of the current autism specific networks that SASN have developed or have had a part in facilitating:
1 Aberdeenshire
2 ASC Forum (for individuals on the autism spectrum)
3 ASD Co-ordinators
4 Borders
5 Clinical
6 Commissioning
7 Education
8 Employment and Occupational Activities
9 Information Sharing
10 Local Area Co-ordinators
11 Lothian
12 SHARP Group (Sexuality, Health and Relationship Practice)
13 Social Work
14 Transitions
The Scottish Autism Network is a hub for direction to provision for people affected by autism spectrum disorders ( ASD) and for sharing good practice, information and resources with local professionals, groups and services across Scotland. This includes providing relevant autism spectrum disorders related information and providing information regarding services and resources that are available locally across Scotland.
The Scottish Autism Network connects and communicates with those interested in autism spectrum disorders; including people on the autism spectrum, family members, friends, carers and practitioners working with them.
The main purpose is to facilitate more effective Scotland wide networking regarding autism spectrum disorders and one of the Network's primary objectives is to help practitioners working with people upon the autism spectrum and their family members to link together to share good practice and information.
The Scottish Autism Network does not provide direct services, but is able to route individuals to appropriate resources and sources of information and support across Scotland through it; website at http://www.scottishautismnetwork.org.uk/. The Network also aims to identify and fill gaps in information in collaboration with the autism community.