NEWS: General Teaching Council and Education Scotland to offer support to teachers through coaching and mentoring

17 September 2020

NEWS: General Teaching Council and Education Scotland to offer support to teachers through coaching and mentoring

New support measures have been announced to support the mental health of school staff. This support will be available after the October break this year, and will include support delivered by Barnardo's and Place2Be.  This is part of a 1.5 million pound package of support to help school staff manage the additional pressures that have resulted because of COVID-19.  

Probation staff will also recieve mentoring and coaching support  for the teachers who need it most.  This will be delivered by Education Scotland and The General Teaching Council of Scotland.  

Education Secretary John Swinney said, 

“Supporting the health and wellbeing of teachers and other staff is of paramount importance. This was true before COVID-19, but it is of crucial importance as school staff support our children and young people to recover from the pandemic. This additional package of measures will complement the excellent practice which is already taking place to support the wellbeing of staff in schools across Scotland.”

Ken Muir, Chief Executive, of the General Teaching Council for Scotland, said:

"GTC Scotland is pleased to deliver this important support to hard-working teachers in collaboration with our partners in education. GTC Scotland has invested heavily in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of education professionals and we look forward to continuing to do so.”

Gillian Hamilton, Strategic Director at Education Scotland, said:

“Ensuring school staff feel well supported, particularly at this time, is essential.  This new support package, designed collaboratively with partners in the Education Recovery Group, provides direct access to a range of focused supports including coaching, reflective supervision and opportunities for school staff to learn together through the challenges presented by COVID-19.”

Laurence Findlay, Aberdeenshire Council Director of Education and Children’s Services, said:

“I am delighted with the support package being put forward as part of ongoing efforts to support the education workforce. I hope as many practitioners as possible make use of these resources.”

Photo credit: General Teaching Council for Scotland

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