Instead of the extremism on show at union conferences, Lord Puttnam, chairman of the General Teaching Council for England, said that the fledgling organisation would project an image of solid, reliable, trustworthiness.

I don't want my grandchildren to be taught by pessimists.

Lord Puttnam

And Lord Puttnam called for a much more optimistic attitude towards teaching as a career.

"I don't want my grandchildren to be taught by pessimists," he said.

"I want teachers to be people who are ready to evolve and make use of the opportunities of new technology."

Education was undergoing a period of rapid modernisation, he said, and teachers had to be ready to accommodate the pace of change.

For instance, he said that while there was current concern about tests for seven year olds, in another few years the education system would have moved beyond the idea of annual testing.

Annual tests could disappear in a few years, says Lord Puttnam

Using the metaphor of regular health check-ups, he predicted that lessons will be developed to include their own diagnostic element - so that assessment would be continuous.

Speaking at the ballot result for the teachers' representatives on the council, Lord Puttnam said that he wanted to overcome the public's "schizoid attitude" towards teaching.

While parents had a favourable opinion of their own children's teachers, many still had a negative impression of teachers in general, said Lord Puttnam.

The General Teaching Council, an independent body which will maintain professional standards and promote the teaching profession, will have a ruling body of 25 elected teachers, 9 representatives of trade unions, 16 representatives of other educational organisations and 14 nominees of the education secretary.

Click here for the results.

In all, 200 heads and teachers stood for the 25 elected positions. Of the 51 candidates on trades union "slates", 12 were elected.

The success of trade unions in winning almost half the teacher representative places, plus the places already reserved for them, should not be seen as giving the unions an undue influence, said Lord Puttnam.

"The results reflect a fair balance of interests in the profession," he said.

The head of the GTC, Carol Adams, promised that the new body would seek action on a number of key areas of concern to teachers.

This would include encouraging professional development and training, reducing bureaucracy, overcoming recruitment problems and bringing back a sense of enjoyment to teaching.

Teachers of junior pupils
Bowie, Sarah Elizabeth
Britcliffe, Peter
Clarke, Rosemary M
Cuthbert, Tony
Gough, Jo
Harrop, Marilyn
Johns, Derek
Manning, Ralph Anthony
Meaney, Helen
Mountain, Sheila Patricia
Redfearn, Norma

Teachers of Senior Pupils
Barker, Andy
Belfield, David John
Connell, Andrew
Gibbon, Mary
Handley, Anthony
Mortimer, Gail
Regan, Carole
Robinson, Alice
Ruyssenaars, Hans
Scotchmer, Martin Hugh
Tullock Bisgrove, Anthea

Head of Primary School
Paterson, Vicki

Head of Senior School
Neal, Tony

Teacher at a Special School
Dewhirst, David

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