Helen Liddell, Labour’s spokesperson for Scottish education, came under sustained attack over the party’s proposals in Every Child is Special. Some speakers, angered by what they see as an anti-teacher tone, said Mrs Liddell had a lot to learn.

The GTC’s convener and registrar have had one meeting with Mrs Liddell and another is scheduled for July 1 with heads of the council’s committees.

The council has already staked a claim to regulate teacher incompetence and decide who should be removed from the register, a key plank in Labour’s policy. Raymond Robertson, the Education Minister, has also asked for a paper on how the council could extend its role in this area.

But Tony Finn, the GTC’s education convener, warned that the council’s policy was to have a role in post-probationary staff development. A narrow focus on incompetence could lead the GTC down a path it might later regret.