The new Chartered College of Teaching has opened its doors to members today. 

Dame Alison Peacock, chief executive of the Chartered College of Teaching, said it would “build an authoritative, collective voice about teaching, inspired and informed by research and stories of practice”.

The Chartered College has been a long time in the making, with its creation first proposed in 2012.

It aims to be a voluntary, teacher-led organisation which will support professional development, promote and share evidence-informed practice, and recognise excellence.

It will be independent of government and the unions, though the Department for Education has made available £5m of funding to the College over four years to get it off the ground.

Dame Alison, the former executive head of Wroxham Primary School in Hertfordshire, was announced as its chief executive last August.

Hailing today’s launch, she said: “When visiting schools and meeting teachers it is energising to witness world-class practice and to see the commitment and dedication that drives us all as educators.

“We look forward to working with our members to help shape the Chartered College as we grow, providing evidence-based professional learning opportunities for communities of teachers.”

She told TES that key early priorities would be to develop a chartered teaching programme, to “encourage teachers to engage with research informed pedagogy”, and to build a strong regional presence for the College.

Membership is currently only open to teachers - though the College said wider membership would follow - and will cost £39 a year for an introductory period.

The fee covers a free place at one of two conferences in London on 16 February and Sheffield on 18 February. Members will also have access to 2,000 research journals. 

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