This is the first of two linked papers on the development of codes of professional conduct for teachers. Both papers are located within the context of the English education system but seek to examine parallels with pan – European approaches to perspectives on professional conduct within teacher education. In 2009, the General Teaching Council (GTC) for England introduced a revised Code of Conduct and Practice (CoCP, 2009) for registered teachers. Whilst this code is clearly designed to enhance professionalism, which has been described as the “predominant leitmotif for European teacher education” (Weiner, 2002) it attempts to do so by defining a series of rules and prescriptions designed to determine and homogenise the way in which practising teachers perform their role. Through exploring the moral and ethical values (explicit and implicit) of the CoCP, and through discussion of the manner in which trainee-teachers are required to sign-up to the code, it will be suggested that such codes may be usefully seen as offering the opportunity for teacher educators to introduce student teachers to notions of rights, principles, goals and the telos of teaching. Given that the European Commission have advocated that “European common references and principles in a number of areas, including the competences and qualifications of teachers and trainers, should be developed ‘as a matter of priority’ (2008 p.28.) It is intended that a contextualised case study of this nature be used as a starting point for debate with teacher educators from across Europe. As such, this paper will explore the background and media reaction to the revised CoCP in England and offer a critique of the eight principles to which teachers are bound by the Code before inviting audience members from other European nations, and beyond, to share their own thoughts and experiences of similar codes of conduct and practice.

European Commission (2008) Joint European Council / Commission report on the implementation of the Education and Training 2010 work programme. Brussels: Council of the European Union MacIntyre, A (2007) After Virtue (3rd Edition) University of Notre Dame Press: Notre dame, Indiana Weiner, G (2002) ‘Uniquely similar or similarly unique? Education and development of teachers in Europe’. Teaching Education. 13(3) pp. 273-288