Our new education Principles and Standards documents

Prospect’s Education and Children’s Services Group has always been much more than just about looking after our members when they have problems; or negotiating their pay and terms and conditions.

We do all those things, of course, but we also want to inspire and guide our members to continually develop in their careers.

In our field, maximising talent and upholding standards will also, ultimately, lead to better outcomes for children.

This is why in 2004, our predecessor union Aspect, published a set of Core Principles for professionals working in education and children’s services.

We have continued to support this as Prospect and now, for the first time since 2014, we have thoroughly updated and revised the two key documents.

They are:

• Our Six Core Principles helps to define, and underlines a commitment to, the highest professional and moral standards for professionals working in education and services.

• Our Standards underpin the definition, responsibilities and development of professional roles in education and children’s services, and is an important roadmap to aid continuing professional development.

A special working group of Prospect ECSG, led by our vice-president Paul Watson and the ECSG executive council, have ensured that the new revisions fully reflect the changes in working practices and new challenges, such as around the use of social media.

Moreover, since 2015 the education landscape has become ever more fragmented. Nearly a third of our members are now self-employed and up to a quarter of the members who are employed work outside of local authorities.

The new documents also reflect that our members are working in a greater number, and more diverse range, of roles than ever before – they’re not only in schools improvement.

We are publishing these documents, and sharing them widely, in the hope that professionals, and the organisations they work for, will engage with them and find them useful.

Hard copies are also available on request from [email protected] or by calling 01924 207890.