Context
The Coalition Government is committed to raising the prestige and esteem of the teaching profession. As set out in the Schools White Paper, The Importance of Teaching, the proliferation of existing teacher standards means that expectations of teachers may appear unclear, and it can be hard to assess teacher performance and steer professional development. It is therefore necessary to establish rigorous standards of competence, ethics and behaviour that reflect the trust and professionalism society should be able to expect from its teachers.
