3 replies to this topic

[Dan Moorhouse]

I promise to put a little summary up about my first few weeks shortly but in the meantime, how are all you at different universities taught about 'teaching and the law'?  We are having just three lectures of approx two hours length each.  Oh and the exam for it is next Saturday!  Does this strike a chord with anyone? 

We're told it should just be common sense, once we've been introduced to the guidelines and guidance offered by various Government Acts and Circulars but there's a fair old bit to remember.  I

Looking at all the different acts does make it all appear to be a bit too much. However, most of it IS common sense. The areas that aren't blindingly obvious include:

In loco parentis - basically this requires teachers to act in the way that a parent would do and places many of the responsibilities of a parent on your shoulders whilst the child is in your care. Essentially this means treat them fairly and if you think there's a problem with the way they are cared for or treated tell someone - in the case of a PGCE student, tell your supervising teacher, they will then pass on the concern to the relevant member of staff. Once you're qualified you SHOULD be told who to pass these concerns to.

SEN and Inclusions - new and fairly complex. In general the new laws on Inclusion mean that everyone within a group should be able to access all activities that students are asked to participate in. This is a requirement for you to differentiate activities for students with physical, behavioural and emotional needs. In practice this means that things such as 'Living Timelines' really aren't an option in a small classroom if you have a wheelchair in there, as the student who is wheelchair bound will be excluded from the activity. It also has implications for the planning of educational visits - how do you get an electric wheelchair onto the battlements of a castle???

Other sections may relate to the teachers contract etc. As this has just been revised the odds are that you will know as much, if not more, about it than established teachers. A quick search of any of the unions websites will illustrate the main changes and the new contractual obligations that a teacher is under.

There are more, these are but a few of the most important things for you to know. Your PGCE tutor and school supervisor will talk you through these in more detail.

[Chris Hammond]

There are given you an exam on the law of teaching as part of the PGCE. I have had quite a few small tests but I was wondering if this was something more serious. Hope it goes or went well: tell us how you got on!

Chris