Explanatory note

This Order confers additional functions on the General Teaching Council for England, a body corporate established by section 1(1) of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998. The Council’s functions include establishing and maintaining a register of teachers, issuing a Code of Practice laying down the standards of professional conduct and practice expected of registered teachers, exercising disciplinary powers in relation to registered teachers and persons applying for registration and giving advice about teaching issues to the Secretary of State and others.

The additional functions conferred by this Order are to maintain records in a written or electronic form relating to the categories of persons mentioned in Part I of the Schedule to the Order. These are teachers whose names have been removed from the register, certain teachers who are ineligible for registration, teachers with qualified teacher status who are not registered, persons who have undertaken teacher training, certain unqualified teachers, unregistered teachers preparing for the National Professional Qualification for Headship, and unregistered teachers who have a teacher reference number and who are, or have in the past been, serving teachers. The information to be included in the records is set out in Part II of the Schedule and is similar to the information to be recorded on the Register in relation to registered teachers.