Regulation of teacher training and professionalisation in England: implications for professional autonomy and trade union action
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5944/reec.44.2024.37941Keywords:
Teaching profession, Education policy, In-service training, Teachers' union, Sociology of the professions, EnglandAbstract
School systems are faced with a series of challenges, one of which is teacher training and professionalization. These challenges have involved a process of confrontation between ideals and understandings of the teaching profession, which has led to the interest of different agents in regulating and controlling it. England has been a pioneering nation in implementing regulations on teacher training and the teaching profession based on a market model, which was subsequently transferred to other nations. Within the context of a sociological perspective on the professions, we analyze the principal characteristics of the regulation model of the teaching profession in England, including the axes of initial training, labour market regulations, and the social division of labour. Furthermore, the proposal that teacher unions build around it through their participation in in-service training is explored in depth. The English model of teacher professionalization is anchored by a significant agreement among diverse political factions, including conservative and progressive, who have come to a consensus on the notion that teaching is a profession that can be evaluated and whose focus is on practical work. This would ignore other areas of professionalization, such as research on practice and reflection on teachers' own conceptions. The majority of trade unions are involved in vocational training, offering courses and training on various topics. Their approach is grounded in practical training and the development of a model of activism at work. The English model is founded on market principles, which facilitate greater flexibility in professional practice while simultaneously imposing external control through evaluations linked to professional standards of practice.
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