ABSTRACT
The intention of the chapter is to explore the links between teachers' Professional Codes of Conduct and practice, and what is regarded as ethical behaviour in schools and classrooms. The chapter notes the difference between Codes (which are guidelines) and the more individualised business of making ethical decisions in specific circumstances. The chapter examines some of the ethical issues that underpin the bald statements in the Codes, and de-constructs some of the problems they may pose for teachers and middle leaders. The notion of de-constructing ethical issues is integral to the rest of the book. The text draws on generic examples drawn from real incidents and asks the reader to examine the cases in detail. The reader is challenged to think through these examples, and to begin to generate the kinds of questions that are needed to interrogate ethical dilemmas regarding in-school behaviour by staff and students, and to de-construct the problems they may pose for teachers and middle leaders. The chapter emphasises the centrality of the good of the student in making ethical decisions. It encourages the reader to be mentally prepared and aware of ethical situations as they arise. The point is made that every teacher is subject to decisions like these from day one of their careers.
