Task 5b : Codes of Practises that steer Ethical Frameworks in my Profession

As I predicted after reading through both policy documents from both the ISTD and RAD for who I am a registered teacher, they follow the same train of thought and encourage what I already expect from myself as a Teacher and Principal of a Dance School. Therefore I dont really feel they have provided me with any further areas to explore in terms of understanding or to gain knowledge.

It was interesting to see how these documents were presented, with the RAD producing a very stately Policy booklet in comparison to the ISTD which was a few sheets of information. The RAD information was heavily based around the ethos that they are providers of the highest standard of dance education to offer both Nationally and Internationally. They continually refer to discipline and setting & maintaining of high standards as a priority throughout emphasising that a teacher who did not adhere to these expectations would and could be reprimanded accordingly.
Since being a young student of the RAD I have always had the perception in my head that they upheld strong expectations of students and that they were the pinnacle of all dance societies, somewhat looking down their nose at others. As a teacher I have maintained that feeling of hierarchy knowing that now it is far more challenging to become a qualified teacher with the RAD due to the demands and costs involved and so young teachers are not being given that opportunity within colleges and so we are an exclusive breed of teacher !
Continuing Professional Development was also acknowledged within the document as a priority for any registered teacher and failure to comply with this would again incur consequences. I strongly agree with this point and very much support the RAD in their stand on this issue as there are many teachers who after completing their initial teacher training fail to maintain CPD. These kind of teachers are cheating their students as they are not abreast of change and as a result provide an inadequate service that is being paid for in return.

The ISTD document is a very generalised piece of literature which refers to dance and teaching of dance but is not very specific to its expectations of delivery in lessons and its journey through to examinations. Its breaks the document down into very generic headings such as Integrity; Objectivity; Competency; Confidentiality etc. these titles lend themselves too many professions. However where its does become more specific is in relation to Health & Safety requirements; financial obligations and Data Protection all areas that a teacher of dance must be fully aware of and actively promote within their profession, and more so as both a business owner and employer I personally need to be very proactive on these issues. One area of learning I gained from the ISTD document was a reference to the Information Commission with regards to the possession of Data. On reading through the material it appears that I fall into the criteria that may or may not need to register even though I only use the data for my own business requirements - further exploration will be necessary.