Inside the Centre for Teaching Excellence: Progress and Perspectives
We were delighted to welcome the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Jenny Gilruth, back to the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CfTE) recently. CfTE is a new national centre that supports teachers across Scotland in engaging with research and enhancing practice. During her visit, Ms Gilruth was especially keen to meet our seconded Teacher Associates and hear directly about their experiences and their work with the Centre.
Our 46 Teacher Associates bring vital classroom expertise and guide our engagement with the profession. Below, two of them, David Neale and Sharon Croome, share reflections on their time at the Centre and the impact on their professional growth.
For David, collaboration across Scotland is key to his seconded role:
"Within the CfTE, I collaborate with a team of teachers from across Scotland to create Continuing Professional Development (CPD) experiences for professionals involved in Scottish education. We are planning events which bring together communities of practitioners from across all sectors of Scottish education, supporting teachers’ engagement with research and enquiry while also giving flexibility in shaping their own CPD experience with the CfTE. The Centre’s position within the University of Glasgow elevates our work by enabling us to bridge the gap between leading educational researchers, both within and beyond the university, and classroom teachers. The University’s excellent reputation is key to this."
Sharon, one of our new Teacher Associates, who joined in January 2026, expressed her passion for change that empowers teachers and learners:
"We talk a lot in Scottish education about disrupting the barriers to active participation and inclusion, and sometimes those barriers are professional beliefs and narratives. What we’re less good at is deliberately planning the time and space needed to interrogate them...I can already feel how this ‘professional freedom’, the opportunity to research and live an enquiry mindset within communities of practice, will begin to build momentum for sustainable change. I’m also really pleased and grateful to see the Teacher Associates co-creating what the Centre can be, both now and in the longer term. "
If you would like to learn more about the Centre or get involved with our activities, visit our website, where you can find out the latest news and the work of the Teacher Associates: Centre for Teaching Excellence.