National Teaching Standards, 1997-1999

Between 1994 and 1998 the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) developed a National Professional Qualification and Standards (NPQS) framework whihc both defined expertise in key roles and constituted a fundamental restructuring of teacher training as an occupation. The NPQS framework consisted of national standards and attendant qualifications for newly qualified teachers, expert teachers, subject leaders and headteachers.<br> The overall aim of the project was to follow through the assumptions, procedures and mechanisms through which NPQS policy was established, including detailed analysis of the processes of consultation and response and the manner in which policy is being translated into practice. This was expressed through the following objectives:<br> to explore the policy origins of NPQS;<br> to clarify the procedures and mechanisms through which the NPQS policy has been established and the manner in which policy is being translated into practice;<br> to evaluate the impact and significance of the NPQS including users' and beneficiaries' perceptions.