Returning to teaching course

This is an online course aimed at primary and secondary teachers who have been out of the profession for a while or have graduated abroad and would like to get back into a teaching job in Scotland.

Moray House School of Education and Sport, in partnership with our six partner authorities (City of Edinburgh Council, East Lothian, Fife, Midlothian, Scottish Borders and West Lothian) is offering this online Returning to Teaching course for primary and secondary teachers. 

The course is designed for professionals who have a teaching qualification but have had a career break or are new to the Scottish Education system. It runs twice a year, in September and February/March. 

Who this course is for

The course will be most relevant for:

• those wishing to return to teaching in Scotland after a period away from the profession

• those wishing to teach in Primary or Secondary schools in Scotland for the first time
• those who wish to engage with the course to support a Professional Update submission to the GTCS
• teachers in the independent sector to support a potential GTCS registration application

Course aims

Our students will:

• understand and engage with current National Education Policy and the Professional Teaching Standards in Scotland, learning about recent changes in national priorities
• work collaboratively to develop an awareness of professional identity and teacher professionalism, discovering themselves as learners and practitioners committed to career-long professional learning
• develop a critical awareness of their own values, beliefs and practices and how these align with the Professional Standards and current educational policy in Scotland
• consider and engage with key areas of social justice and equality in the classroom and develop thinking and strategies for a socially just classroom
• understand key legal and policy requirements relating to inclusive policies and strategies in school to address barriers to learning

The course will:

• advise on current curriculum guidelines and their implications for professional practice
• increase confidence in completing applications and preparing for interview

Course delivery

The current course is running 20 September to 6 December.

This 10-week course is run fully online and all resources are available on Moodle,  our online learning platform. We recommend setting aside 4-6 hours per week to fully engage with the course content, which is made up of pre-recorded videos, reading material and weekly discussions. 

Please see below for an indication of the topics included in the course starting in September 2024. Each new week starts on a Friday.

Each week has a specific theme and the discussion is based on this theme. Halfway through the course there is a catch-up week where you can either take a break or catch up on your studies and/or further your knowledge on a particular topic by using the course virtual library.

Please note, there are no  scheduled sessions. Once a week opens, participants have access to its content for the duration of the course and can choose to study at times that suit them.