The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) has announced the appointment of Dr Pauline Stephen as its next chief executive and registrar.
She will replace Ken Muir, who has held the post since 2013. She is the first female chief executive of the GTCS, which was set up in 1965 to register and regulate teachers in Scotland.
Dr Stephen began her career in education as a primary teacher, becoming principal psychologist at Aberdeenshire Council and director of schools and learning at Angus Council, before joining the GTCS as director of education, registration and professional learning in October 2019. In her current role, she has been leading the revision of the GTCS’s Professional Standards for Teachers and the programme to register college lecturers.
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Dr Stephen said: “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead the GTCS. Our work to enable professionalism in teaching continues and I am looking forward to working with our partners to build on our legacy and focus on enhancing services to the profession and the public.”
Departing chief executive Ken Muir said: “I am delighted that Pauline is succeeding me as the GTCS’s next chief executive and registrar. In her time with us, she has brought a wide range of skills and local authority experiences that have served the GTCS and its registrants well.
“As the organisation moves into the next stage of a longer-term transformational change programme, Pauline is well placed to give the strong and creative leadership that will ensure the GTCS enhances its role as a world-class professional body.”
We are very pleased to announce that @GTCSPauline has been appointed as the new Chief Executive and Registrar of GTC Scotland.
Pauline will take up her new post before March 2021.https://t.co/EK9Ar65N8J pic.twitter.com/HXes3MZawu
- gtcs (@gtcs) November 19, 2020
GTCS council convener David Innes said: “Pauline brings a depth of experience to the role of CEO of GTCS, having held senior leadership positions in two local authorities as well as with the GTCS.
“In each of these roles, she has shown insight, talent and enthusiasm along with a strong commitment to supporting teachers and learners and maintaining public confidence in the profession. She will bring these qualities to her new role as she builds on the outstanding work that the GTCS has taken forward under the stewardship of our current CEO, Ken Muir.”
Dr Stephen will take up her new post before March 2021.
