General Teaching Council Northern Ireland

Professional Competences

The Council has published the new professional competences for teachers in Northern Ireland - Teaching: the Reflective Profession

The 27 teacher competences have been organised within 3 broad areas within the document:

• Professional Values and Practice
• Professional Knowledge and Understanding
• Professional Skills and Application

Each competence has also been delineated by way of phase exemplars, across each phase of teacher education:
- inital teacher education
- induction
- early professional development
- continuing professional development, collaborative practice and school improvement

The Council's Code of Values and Professional Practice has also been included as an integral element of the competence model.

The philosophy and understanding that underpins the Council's approach to teacher competences is also described in Teaching: The Reflective Profession.