Education and early years
Teacher
Educating young people to achieve the highest possible standards.
Summary
This occupation is found in a variety of settings where teaching is delivered to pupils between the ages of 3-19. This includes maintained schools, academies, specialist schools, faith schools, and private schools.
A teacher’s primary role is to plan and deliver a high-quality curriculum to their pupils to promote good progress and outcomes. Teachers set high expectations which inspire and challenge pupils and manage behaviour effectively to ensure a safe learning environment. Teachers make accurate and productive use of assessment and adapt their teaching to respond to pupils’ needs. They will have strong subject knowledge and keep their teaching practice up to date through regular professional development.
A teacher's day will look different depending on the type of school they work in and the subject they teach. Each school will have its own timetable and different responsibilities outside of teaching hours. In their daily work, a teacher interacts with children, young people, parents and carers. They will work with the senior leadership team in their school, led by a headteacher or head of school. They interact with teaching colleagues and pastoral and curriculum leads. They will also work closely with specialists such as the special educational needs coordinator and designated safeguarding leads.
A teacher will be responsible for upholding the Teachers' Standards, which set the minimum requirements for teachers' practice and conduct. Teachers demonstrate consistently high standards of personal and professional conduct. They are responsible for safeguarding and must follow statutory guidance set out in 'Keeping Children Safe in Education'. This includes safeguarding pupils' wellbeing. Teachers are responsible for the pupils in their care. They typically report to a subject or year group coordinator in the first instance, with the headteacher having overall responsibility. Qualified teacher status (QTS) is a legal requirement to teach in maintained schools and is considered desirable for teachers in the majority of schools in England.
Typical job titles include
- Teacher
Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)
K1:
Have a secure knowledge of the relevant subject(s) and curriculum areas, foster and maintain pupils’ interest in the subject, and address misunderstandings
K2:
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how pupils learn and how this impacts on teaching
K3:
Demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge
K4:
Demonstrate a critical understanding of developments in the subject and curriculum areas, and promote the value of scholarship
K5:
Demonstrate an understanding of and take responsibility for promoting high standards of literacy, articulacy and the correct use of standard English, whatever the teacher’s specialist subject
K6:
Demonstrate clear understanding of content and teaching methodologies required for relevant curriculum areas and age groups (for example, systematic synthetic phonics if teaching early reading, or appropriate teaching strategies if teaching early maths).
K7:
Know when and how to differentiate appropriately, using approaches which enable pupils to be taught effectively
K8:
Have a secure understanding of how a range of factors can inhibit pupils’ ability to learn, and how best to overcome these
K9:
Demonstrate an awareness of the physical, social and intellectual development of children, and know how to adapt teaching to support pupils’ education at different stages of development
K10:
Have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs; those of high ability; those with English as an additional language; those with disabilities; and be able to use and evaluate distinctive teaching approaches to engage and support them.
K11:
Know and understand how to assess the relevant subject and curriculum areas, including statutory assessment requirements
Technical Educational Products
- ST0490: Teacher - Postgraduate (Level 6) Approved for delivery
- ST1502: Teacher - Undergraduate (Level 6) Approved for delivery
- Reference:
- OCC0490
- Status:
Approved occupation
- Average (median) salary:
- £42,781 per year
- SOC 2020 code:
- 2313 Secondary education teaching professionals
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 2313/99 Secondary education teaching professionals n.e.c.
- 2314/00 Primary education teaching professionals
S1:
Establish a safe and stimulating environment for pupils, rooted in mutual respect
S2:
Set goals that stretch and challenge pupils of all backgrounds, abilities and dispositions
S3:
Demonstrate consistently the positive attitudes, values and behaviour which are expected of pupils.
S4:
Be accountable for pupils’ attainment, progress and outcomes
S5:
Promote good progress and outcomes by pupils
S6:
Be aware of pupils’ capabilities and their prior knowledge, and plan teaching to build on these
S7:
Guide pupils to reflect on the progress they have made and their emerging needs
S8:
Encourage pupils to take a responsible and conscientious attitude to their own work and study.
S9:
Plan and teach well-structured lessons
S10:
Impart knowledge and develop understanding through effective use of lesson time
S11:
Promote a love of learning and children’s intellectual curiosity
S12:
Set homework and plan other out-of-class activities to consolidate and extend the knowledge and understanding pupils have acquired
S13:
Contribute to the design and provision of an engaging curriculum within the relevant subject area(s).
S14:
Make use of formative and summative assessment to secure pupils’ progress
S15:
Use relevant data to monitor progress, set targets, and plan subsequent lessons
S16:
Give pupils regular feedback, both orally and through accurate marking, and encourage pupils to respond to the feedback.
S17:
Deploy support staff effectively
S18:
Have clear rules and routines for behaviour in classrooms, and take responsibility for promoting good and courteous behaviour both in classrooms and around the school, in accordance with the school’s behaviour policy
S19:
Have high expectations of behaviour, and establish a framework for discipline with a range of strategies, using praise, sanctions and rewards consistently and fairly
S20:
Manage classes effectively, using approaches which are appropriate to pupils’ needs in order to involve and motivate them maintain good relationships with pupils, exercise appropriate authority, and act decisively when necessary.
S21:
Communicate effectively with parents with regard to pupils’ achievements and well-being.
S22:
Adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils
S23:
Make accurate and productive use of assessment
S24:
Manage behaviour effectively to ensure a good and safe learning environment
S25:
Develop effective professional relationships with colleagues, knowing how and when to draw on advice and specialist support
S26:
Set high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge pupils
S27:
Reflect systematically on the effectiveness of lessons and approaches to teaching
S28:
Make a positive contribution to the wider life and ethos of the school
S29:
Take responsibility for improving teaching through appropriate professional development, responding to advice and feedback from colleagues
S30:
Fulfil wider professional responsibilities
Technical Educational Products
- ST0490: Teacher - Postgraduate (Level 6) Approved for delivery
- ST1502: Teacher - Undergraduate (Level 6) Approved for delivery
- Reference:
- OCC0490
- Status:
- Approved occupation
- Average (median) salary:
- £42,781 per year
- SOC 2020 code:
- 2313 Secondary education teaching professionals
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 2313/99 Secondary education teaching professionals n.e.c.
- 2314/00 Primary education teaching professionals
B1:
Teachers uphold public trust in the profession and maintain high standards of ethics and behaviour, within and outside school.
B2:
Treating pupils with dignity, building relationships rooted in mutual respect, and at all times observing proper boundaries appropriate to a teacher’s professional position
B3:
Having regard for the need to safeguard pupils’ well-being, in accordance with statutory provisions
B4:
Showing tolerance of and respect for the rights of others
B5:
Not undermining fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
B6:
Ensuring that personal beliefs are not expressed in ways which exploit pupils’ vulnerability or might lead them to break the law.
B7:
Teachers must have proper and professional regard for the ethos, policies and practices of the school in which they teach, and maintain high standards in their own attendance and punctuality.
B8:
Teachers must have an understanding of, and always act within, the statutory frameworks which set out their professional duties and responsibilities.
Technical Educational Products
- ST0490: Teacher - Postgraduate (Level 6) Approved for delivery
- ST1502: Teacher - Undergraduate (Level 6) Approved for delivery
- Reference:
- OCC0490
- Status:
- Approved occupation
- Average (median) salary:
- £42,781 per year
- SOC 2020 code:
- 2313 Secondary education teaching professionals
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 2313/99 Secondary education teaching professionals n.e.c.
- 2314/00 Primary education teaching professionals
