TUTORIAL PAPER

ID of Student: G00393979-Pauric Clinton

Article/Reading Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers (Teaching Council, 2016)

1. CONCISE SUMMARY OF READING

The code of professional conduct was published by the teaching council in 2016. The code's main function is
promoting moral conduct and preserving the dignity of the teaching profession. One of the main goals of the
code of conduct is to ensure that all newly qualified teachers are given the opportunity to have the best start to
their career by following the code, by following the code this ensure that Ireland retains the high calibre of
teachers that are in the profession in Ireland. The three objectives of the code are to inform the public about
teaching expectations, support instructors in their ethical and respectful career, and act as a legal guide for the
Teaching Council's disciplinary and investigative operations. The code explores the standards arranged under
four key ethical ideals of Respect, Care, Integrity, and Trust that support the teaching profession. The code puts
a high emphasis on the previous four ethical ideas as they are the values that support and set the standards of the
teaching and conduct that is highlighted in the code. “The role of the teacher is to educate. The following ethical
values underpin the standards of teaching, knowledge, skill, competence and conduct as set out in this Code.”
(TeachingCouncil, 2016).
Collegiality, collaboration, professional development, ethics, behaviour, and practice are all covered by these
principles. The council has set these six standards out for all professional teachers to follow as it is pivotal for
teachers to retain a professional status no matter their role in education. The code has a section each of the
standards and states what teacher should and shouldn’t do in their practise. Teachers should be reflective
practitioners who are involved in professional learning communities, and this is in line with the Council's vision.
The Council recognises the larger educational context, which includes the rights of parents, teachers, and
students as well as outside influences on the work of educators. It is believed that the Code offers moral
guidelines and principles that are relevant to different circumstances. The implementation of this code, it is
concluded, will increase society's confidence and trust in educators. The standards for instruction, knowledge,
skill, competence, and behaviour are also described in the article. It also offers details on how complaints
against registered teachers are handled, including the grounds for filing them and the function of the
investigating committee. The protocols that are now in place to address issues and grievances at the school level
are confirmed, with an emphasis on referring significant complaints to investigations.

2. CRITICAL REFLECTION

I think the Council provide a comprehensive overview of the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers in
Ireland, outlining its purpose, structure, and standards. The information presented is clear, organized, and serves
the intended purpose of informing teachers, the education community, and the wider public about the ethical
expectations in the teaching profession.

The code of conduct effectively communicates the ethical values and standards underpinning the teaching

© ATU Dept. of Creative Education 2023-2024

 profession, emphasizing their importance in maintaining the honour and dignity of teachers. The inclusion of
specific standards and expectations for professional behaviour adds clarity to the document. I think that the
depth of knowledge and information given in the standards and values section is highly beneficial to all student
teachers and newly qualified teachers as it is all new to us and having a guide to follow is a huge advantage.
When I first began my school placement I was wondering what is the boundaries in relation to the teacher
student relationship, as a new teacher it is something that can be quite difficult to get right you don’t want to be
the students friends but you also don’t want to be too strict, by reading the code of conduct I feel that it can
really guide you in the right direction.

I feel that educators should be putting the key values in to their practise in every class and this can only be
complete by having a complete understanding of the code of conduct first. As an educator at the beginning of
my journey I found the code of conduct very beneficial and was constantly trying to integrate the values into my
practise to constantly improve my skills and develop myself as an educator. I put a high emphasis on the four
values that have been highlighted by the council and this was noticed by my inspector when they were
completing their visit and commented on the respect and trust within my class, I was also awarded for my
gender inclusion in my class, and I feel that this all came from reading and applying the code of conduct to my
practise. I felt after completing my placement that my success was due to my understanding of how a
professional teacher is meant to act and behave in class. The following statement from (Scanlon, 2011) backs up
my point on the importance of reading and understanding the theoretical knowledge and implementing it to their
work experience. “Pre-service professional preparation involves the budding professional in the acquisition of
theoretical knowledge and workplace experience, backs up my point on the importance of reading and
understanding the theoretical knowledge and implementing it to their work experience.

The way the code of conduct is written it addresses not only the teachers, but it addresses the broader context of
education, including the rights of students, parents and teachers as well external factors affecting teachers' work.
This contextualization enhances the understanding of the challenges and considerations involved in teaching. I
think that this is very beneficial not only to us teachers but to anyone else that may have queries or confusions
related to the professional conduct.

I think the article is well-organized, with a clear structure that introduces the purpose, context, and standards of
the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers, I feel this is important as if the code was not organised and hard
to navigate it would result in less people reading and understanding the information. I also feel that the council
effectively conveys the code of conduct to a broad audience, including educators, students, and the public. One
of the last strengths that I have found is the high level of information given, which in turn means that teachers
who read the full information will have a clear awareness of the expectations, including their ethical grounding,
standards of conduct, and relationship to educational policy. The article on practical assistance provides teachers
with clear information on several areas to help them understand how to adhere to the regulations in their
everyday work. This encourages them to carry out their tasks with professionalism and responsibility.
There are a few weaknesses one of which is the lack of specific examples, the article could benefit from
including concrete examples or case studies to illustrate how the Code of Professional Conduct is applied in
real-life teaching situations. This would help readers gain a better understanding of the practical implications of
the code. Another weakness could be the date of information, the code of conduct has not been updated since
2016 which is 8 years and, in my opinion, this is too old for a document that so many people are adhering to. It
would be beneficial to include a disclaimer or provide information on whether there have been updates or
revisions to the code since 2016. The disclaimer could be something like Please note that this article is based on
the 2nd Edition (2016) of the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers. As educational policies and standards
may evolve, it is advisable to verify whether there have been any updates or revisions to the code since the
publication of this article. Any changes after the 2016 edition may not be reflected in this article. This in turn
would lead the readers to check if there have been any changes or evolution since the date of publication.
Overall, while the article is helpful to us involved in education, it could be improved by addressing these
weaknesses which would enhance its depth and applicability.

While I was comparing the code of conduct to the Australian and British code of conduct, I noticed a lot of
similarities, the main one is that all three have a high expectation that those in the profession must always act
professional. The Australian code states that “the greatest resource in Australian schools is our teachers.”
(Australian Institute for Teaching and School leadership, 2018) This statement is mentioned numerous times

© ATU Dept. of Creative Education 2023-2024

 and really emphasis how important teachers are as they act as an inspiration to the younger students. While
reading the British standards I feel that they have put more of an emphasis on the actual teaching, and they have
gone into detail with it and didn’t focus as much on the values. But overall, the British has quite similar
standards to the Irish teaching council as they state that their teachers must “act with honesty and integrity; have
strong subject knowledge, keep their knowledge and skills as teachers up-to-date and are self-critical; forge
positive professional relationships; and work with parents in the best interests of their pupils.” (Department for
Education, 2021). I feel that the three Councils have all similar interests, and they have all clearly stated the
need for teachers to be professional which is something that I agree with as we are surrounded by younger
people in our profession.

I feel that as newly qualified teacher the Code is going to play huge role in the following few years as I continue
to develop my skills, I also feel that the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers serves as a comprehensive
guide for us teachers to navigate ethical and professional challenges in their careers. It outlines values and
standards that provide a strong foundation for ethical decision-making, which is crucial for ongoing professional
development. I also feel that the document outlines specific professional standards related to values,
relationships, integrity, conduct, practice, professional development, collegiality, and collaboration. This
statement by (Erwin, 2010) backs up the role of a code of conduct where he states that “Ideally, codes of
conduct affect the organizational culture by governing the actions and conduct of employees through the
promotion of ethical business practices, thereby avoiding legal consequences”.

Lastly as well as the four key values I feel that the six standards that has been set out for us to follow are going
to be crucial in our growth as educators, I have already noticed the benefits of these from my third-year
placement to my fourth year. Teachers can also use these standards as benchmarks to assess and enhance their
own professional practices. The article puts a large emphasis on being a reflective practitioner is aligned with
modern views on effective teaching. Teachers are encouraged to engage in self-reflection, continuously evaluate
their practices, and seek opportunities for improvement.
The last point that I have noticed is that the text explicitly includes standards related to professional
development, emphasizing teachers' responsibility for sustaining and improving the quality of their professional
practice. This aligns with the idea that professional development is an ongoing process throughout a teacher's
career, and this code of conduct provides a clear ethical conduct, establishes professional standards, and
encourages a reflective and growth-oriented approach to teaching. Teachers can use this document as a resource
for self-assessment, goal-setting, and continuous improvement in their professional journey.

3. LIST OF REFERENCES

© ATU Dept. of Creative Education 2023-2024

 References
Australian Institute for Teaching and School leadership. (2018). Australian Professional Standards for
Teachers. Melbourne: Australian Institute for Teaching and School leadership.

Department for Education. (2021). Teachers’ Standards Guidance for school leaders,school staff and
governing bodies. Crown.

Erwin, P. M. (2010). Corporate Codes of Conduct: The Effects of Code Content and Quality on Ethical
Performance. Springer .

Scanlon, L. (2011). ‘Becoming’ a Professional. Springer.

TeachingCouncil, T. (2016). The Code of Professional Conduct (Updated 2nd edition 2016). Retrieved
from Teachingcouncil.ie: https://www.teachingcouncil.ie/fitness-to-teach/updated-code-of-
professional-conduct/

© ATU Dept. of Creative Education 2023-2024