ID of Student: G00336565

Dáire Regan
Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers

1. CONCISE SUMMARY OF READING

This article will look in depth at Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers (Edition 2016),
paying particular attention to the roles of the teaching council, and the effects of the
implications both positive and negative of the code.

Foreword:
The Teaching council was established in 2006, this was a huge step forward in the
development of teaching in Ireland as a respected profession. ‘The role of the teaching
council is to promote and regulate the teaching profession’ (The Teaching Council, 2016) this
is developed by means establishing professional standards and creating supports for
teachers and their learning. The council strive to show how important its dual mandate is,
achieving this by supporting a holistic and sustainable attitude in the professional practice

Introduction:
In Ireland, it has been researched by the teaching council that the teaching profession
engages well with the Irish public and has established a trusting relationship, allowing the
profession to excel leaving a distinguished record of service.

Purpose of the Code:

The purpose of the Code is to act as a guide for all registered teachers to ensure all teachers
strive to be ethical and respectful though their career and uphold the high levels of honour
and dignity expected by the teaching profession. The code also allows those outside of the
teaching community to see an insight into what is expected by the teaching community.

Structure of the Code:

The structure of the code is split into four core values, Respect, Care, Integrity and thrust.
These values are incorporated throughout the code, and underpin the work of each teacher
in their own profession. Within these values the code sets out standards central to teaching
that are expected to be met by every registered teacher. The code strict legal standings
which the teaching council refer to when dealing disciplinary functions under part 5 of the
teaching council act. The standards are fixed under six headings which identify teacher’s
professional responsibilities:

• Values And Relationships; Teachers should be caring and committed to students best
interests, by promoting each students uniqueness and individuality as they develop.
Ensure equality and inclusion, respecting and accommodating all differences (e.g.
gender, family status, religion etc.)

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 • Integrity; Teachers should demonstrate integrity and honesty throughout their
professional career, including respecting the privacy and confidentiality of
information acquired in their work, unless work legal imperative requires further action.
Avoid conflict between professional and personal life.
• Conduct; Uphold the professional standards and reputation of the teaching
profession, ensuring the safety and well-being of the students at all times. Any
communication with pupils/ students, colleagues, parents etc., reporting in
appropriate circumstances matters which impact on student’s welfare.
• Practice; Teachers should outline and plan clear achievable expectations for the
students. Engage with and reflect on students and personal development, while
being open to constructive feedback.
• Professional Development; Teachers should constantly strive to develop and sustain
the quality of their practice.
• Collegiality and Collaboration; Teachers should strive to collaborate with students
and colleagues to support, develop and maintain the highest quality of education for
the students.
•
Complaints relating to registered teachers:
Procedures for dealing with complaints will remain and continue to operate as existing
nationally agreed procedure. Inquiry will only take place with complaints of a “serious
nature” (The Teaching Council, 2016). Any complaints made will be dealt with in
accordance to the
Context:
The code sees the teaching profession as a reflective practice, although with its key role
being to educate. It supports newly qualified teachers and student teachers by advocating
roles in the profession. The code is always being developed in order to keep up with the
needs of the present and future relations.

2. CRITICAL REFLECTION

Upon reflection on my reading of this text I found the information which it shared to be
extremely useful to me as a student of the teaching profession. It highlighted to me what
qualities and professionalism was required of me through my career, and the importance of
upholding the high level of honour and dignity which comes with the role in the teaching
profession. I also found the way in which the code lays out its structures and standards In
detail for people in the teaching profession, from the newly qualified to the veteran teacher
was well written.

What really stood out to me in this reading is the sheer detail and consideration which the
document itself goes into. It is clear that a lot of thought and work was put into the
development of this code, in comparison to my reading of the ‘Canadian Code of
Professional Conduct’ (Association, 2004), which is considerably shorter and doesn’t cover in
as much in such great detail. An example of this being the six standards which the code has
set out that are expected to be met by every registered teacher. The one which took my
interest was the heading of the professional values and relationships. This spoke about the
responsibility of teachers for inclusion and diversity in the classroom. In most classrooms the
biggest challenge of a teacher is catering for diversity and ensuring every pupil enjoys a positive
learning environment and is progressing. As a student teacher myself it is important for me
create an environment which appropriately challenges all pupils in the class, pupils with
varying abilities, needs and interests. As educators, we have a responsibility to ensure our

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 students are prepared to work in a diverse environment and collaborate with others who
bring new perspectives (Island, 2017).

It is encouraging for me as teacher to see this as it shows me that the teaching profession is
being ran correctly from the top with intentions to make it the best it can possibly be. The
scope of the document includes the student – parent – teacher – community –professional
standards/misconduct. Although the document is short in comparison to other documents of
the same nature such as ‘The Code of Professional Responsibility for New Zealand’ which
covers the same content but is portrayed of 24 pages compared to the 9 of the Irish one, I
feel it incorporated all the necessary detail in a more compact and understandable way
(Education Council, 2017).

From my reading of the document as a whole, it seems to be comprehensive and I found it

difficult to find any faults. One question which arose was the way in which the council works
off, “advocacy and regulation are interdependent” (The Teaching Council, 2016, p. 2). To
me personally I found it strange that the persons in charge of standing up publicly and
supporting a group can be the same persons whom set out the rules and standards for the
same group. To me this seems a bit controversial and hard to get my head around.

3. LIST OF REFERENCES

References
Association, T. A. (2004). Code of Proffesional Conduct. The Albertha Teachers Association.

Education Council. (2017). The Code of Professional Responsibility. Education Council.

The Teaching Council. (2016). Code of Professional. The Teaching Council.

Island, T. U. (2017). diversity and inclusion in the classroom. Retrieved from

https://web.uri.edu/teach/multicultural/

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2019