Name of Student: John Nolan

Article/Reading: Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers

1. CONCISE SUMMARY OF READING

The Code of Professional Conduct is a document laid out by the Teaching

Council of Ireland and is a set of guidelines which outlines the standards of
professional knowledge, skill, competence and conduct to be adhered to
by all teachers at both primary and secondary school level. The purpose
of the Code is divided into three main objectives. Firstly it is to guide
teachers as they strive to lead an ethical and respectful course through
their career. Secondly it communicates the expectations of the teaching
profession in Ireland to the wider community. Finally it may be used by the
Teaching Council as a reference point for investigating and bringing
disciplinary action under Part 5 of the Teaching Council Act 2001, which
deals with issues surrounding a teachers fitness to teach.
According to the Code of Conduct the role of the teacher is to educate,
and to uphold ethical values in the areas of respect, care, integrity and
trust.
The Teaching Council sets out guidelines under six headings.
1.) Professional Values and Relationships. 2.) Professional Integrity.
3.) Professional Conduct. 4.) Professional Practice. 5.) Professional
Development. 6.) Professional Collegiality and Collaboration.
Some of the guidelines overlap a number of different headings.
Through professional practice teachers are required to uphold human
dignity and promote development both emotionally and cognitively.
Teachers must at all times demonstrate equality to all students as they
demonstrate and promote respect for all values and beliefs both of a
cultural and spiritual nature.
A teacher must have a duty of care to all of his or her students. This
must be evident at all times through the teachers professional judgement
and demonstration of empathy towards students.
A high standard of work is also required of the teacher and this may be
assessed in ways other than student grades. The development of the child
on an intellectual and emotional level must also be considered when

assessing the performance of the teacher. When a child shows a

noticeable development on an emotional level while under the care of the
teacher it must be considered that the teacher is maintaining a high
standard of work even if the student does not achieve grades at the same
level as other students.
The integrity of a teacher is evident through their professional
commitments, actions and responsibilities both inside and outside of the
school. A relationship of trust must be developed and demonstrated
between all members of the school community such as pupils/students,
other teachers, parents, management and the local community. A trusting
relationship will ensure that a fair, open and honest relationship will exist
between all the members of the school community.
Continuous development is required as a teacher. It is important for
teachers to further improve their knowledge, skills, competence and
conduct in order to become more and more of a respectable figure and to
become a more rounded educator.

2. CRITICAL REFLECTION

I feel that the Code of Conduct clearly lays out what is expected and
required of a teacher. Each point under the six headings mentioned above
is numbered, and kept short and concise which I feel is extremely
important to avoid confusion when reading the document. As this can be
used as a legal reference point when investigating disciplinary actions
under Part 5 of the Teaching Council Act 2001, it is important that any
breach of the code can be directly linked back to the Code of Conduct
document, should any disciplinary action be brought against a teacher.
Part 5 of the Teaching Council Act 2001 states that For the purposes of
this Part, the following shall constitute professional misconduct by a
registered teacher: (a) engaging in conduct which is contrary to a code of
professional conduct established by the Council under section 7(2)(b); (b)
engaging in any improper conduct in his or her professional capacity or
otherwise by reason of which he or she is unfit to teach. (Dept. of
Education, 2001). Based on these sections of the Teaching Council Act
2001, any teacher who is found guilty of breaching the Code of Conduct
may be deemed unfit to teach and may lose his or her job.
This is a very easy to follow document but I believe that all teachers who
read this document may not be fully aware of what is expected of them in
relation to knowledge, skill, competence and conduct. Despite it being
easy to follow and concise there is also an element of ambiguity

throughout. Many of the points are left open ended and in my opinion this
leaves them open to interpretation. The Code of Professional Conduct for
Nurses in Ireland is a much larger document and it is far more detailed in
its wording. In the Nurses Code of Professional Conduct one of the points
in relation to best practice states that, Even if you have a conscientious
objection, you must provide care to a patient in an emergency where
there is a risk to the patients life. (Nursing and Midwifery Board of
Ireland, 2014). The wording of this point leaves no room for interpretation
of any sort. In a disciplinary hearing it is clear that the code has either
been breached or upheld. The Code of Conduct for teachers is not worded
in this way. A similar point is simply stated as, act in the best interest of
pupils/students (The Teaching Council , 2012). This statement is left
much more open to interpretation and could potentially create a grey area
in a legal standing. I believe that these points should be more detailed to
avoid such an occurrence.
The most significant thing which I have taken from studying this code of
conduct is that I now have a better understanding of the responsibilities of
a teacher. It has become increasingly evident to me that a teacher must
not only develop a strong relationship with the pupils/students but also
with a much wider range of people such as , other teachers, parents,
management and the local community. In his book Essential Teaching
Skills, Chris Kyriacou speaks of the importance of developing mutual
respect in the classroom, A positive classroom climate very much
depends on the type of relationship you establish with your pupils. Pupils
learning is most likely to flourish in a climate where this relationship is
based on mutual respect and rapport between yourself and your pupils.
(Kyriacou, 2007). One very important factor in creating mutual respect in
the classroom is portraying yourself as a role model for the students, It is
also important to be aware of the influence that your behaviour can have
on pupils in acting as an example or model for their own behaviour.
(Kyriacou, 2007). I believe that when a teacher is seen to have a positive
relationship with the wider community and colleagues, it sets a good
example to the students and upholds the integrity and professional
conduct of the teacher.
In conclusion, I found reviewing the Code of Professional Conduct for
teachers in Ireland as a very enlightening experience. It is a nice
document to read and does not create confusion from the outset. The only
flaw which I see in the document is that its ambiguity could cause
difficulty in a situation of a disciplinary action against a teacher. As I have
shown above, some more detail could clarify the points more in the same
way as the Code of Professional Conduct for nurses does. I believe that in

order to become a more complete educator all teachers should be familiar

with this document and understand their responsibilities both inside and
outside the classroom.
3. LIST OF REFERENCES

Bibliography
Dept. of Education, 2001. Teaching Council Act , Dublin: The Oireachtas.
Kyriacou, C., 2007. Essential Teaching Skills. 3rd ed. Cheltenham : Nelson Thornes Ltd.
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, 2014. Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics,
Dublin: s.n.
The Teaching Council , 2012. Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers, Dublin: s.n.