4 May 2016
On 18 November 2009, the Teaching Council introduced the Registration Regulations, 2009. These regulations outlined the different pathways to registration across primary, Montessori and Other Categories, post-primary and further education. Following legislative change in 2012, the Council undertook a re-development of the Registration Regulations. This update focused on registration in the broadest sense and addressed a range of issues including vetting, evidence of character, renewals and took into account the initial teacher education criteria which were developed in 2011. As part of the changes, Regulations 2 to 5 were re-designated as “Routes of Registration”. This change in particular (routes of registration) reflected the Council’s responsibility to provide for a fully qualified teaching profession through the Register of Teachers.
The draft Registration Regulations were made available for public consultation via the Teaching Council website in October 2014. Key stakeholders were also circulated with these draft Registration Regulations and invited to give feedback. All feedback was collated and reviewed by the Council and legal advice sought where necessary. Subsequently, the decision was taken to delay issuing new Registration Regulations until the Teaching Council (Amendment) Act, 2015 was finalised as the implementation of the amended Act would require further amendments to the Regulations. Although the Act was signed into law on 15 July 2015, commencement of it was delayed.
Given the delay between the consultation on the new Regulations and their forthcoming commencement, we understand that some teachers who are registered under Regulation 3 are anxious about what the changes will mean for them.
We are happy to clarify that the proposed changes in relation to the “Routes of Registration” do not impact the registration of any teacher currently on the Register of Teachers. Such teachers will continue to remain on the Register once their registration is renewed annually.
As part of this proposed re-designation, Regulation 3 (Montessori and Other Categories) is accommodated under Route 4. Under this route of registration teachers currently registered under Regulation 3 will be facilitated in maintaining their registration. Furthermore, this route of registration will also accommodate students who are currently studying a level 8 qualification in Montessori education or who commence same on or before 1 October 2016. In order to avail of this option, they must register with the Council on or before the 31 December 2021.
It is important to note that all graduates of Initial Teacher Education from summer 2016 onwards will have studied modules relating to SEN under the Council’s standards for these programmes. The needs of children with SEN have been forefront in the Council’s considerations on this matter. The Council’s work is grounded in the belief that all children are entitled to be taught first and foremost by fully qualified, registered teachers.
We acknowledge that SEN is a complex and evolving area. Conscious of their responsibility for ongoing professional learning to inform their practice, many teachers have for some time been pursuing opportunities for further learning in this area. The Council is therefore open to considering ways in which Montessori education can be most appropriately accommodated within the framework of standards that have been established for both Initial Teacher Education and Cosán, the national framework for teachers’ learning.
The Council has received a number of queries in relation to the impact of the re-designation of Regulation 3 (Montessori and Other Categories) as Route 4, the consultation process and the Montessori philosophy and hopes that the following questions and answers will address some of the more specific concerns. The key points to note are:
- If you are currently registered under Regulation 3, the new regulations will not change that registration status. Even if you lapse off the Register at any point in the future, under the proposed revised regulations, you will be entitled to apply for the route to registration which applied when you first registered. In other words, the principle of “what you have, you hold”, will apply for teachers who are currently registered under Regulation 3.
- If you are currently studying a level 8 qualification in Montessori education, you can apply for registration under Regulation 3 up to 31 December 2021. This will also apply for those who commence this programme on or before 1 October 2016.
- Within the parameters of circulars from the Department of Education and Skills, these changes to the regulations do not affect the employment or promotion prospects of teachers who are registered under Regulation 3.
- This change does not undermine the standing of Montessori teaching. It reflects the fact that different philosophies of education are taught on programmes of Initial Teacher Education that are accredited by the Council. These new proposed regulations provide an appropriate opportunity to correct any misinterpretation regarding the relative standing of these various philosophies from a professional standards point of view. The forthcoming review of the standards for Initial Teacher Education, as well as the development phase for Cosán, also offer opportunities to explore how Montessori education can be best positioned in the continuum of teacher education, with the ultimate aim of supporting students’ learning.
