Commentary on Sections Abolition of the General Teaching Council for England Section 9: Requirement for teachers in England to serve induction period
104.Section 9 inserts new sections 135A to 135C into EA 2002. The new sections largely reproduce section 19 of THEA 1998 regarding teachers’ induction periods, and transfer existing provisions regarding induction from the GTCE to the Secretary of State as far as these relate to England. Arrangements for Wales are unaffected and remain covered by section 19 of THEA 1998.
105.New section 135A allows regulations to make provision for teachers to have completed an induction period of not less than three school terms and provides for a range of detail to be set out in regulations regarding the induction process. This includes the determination by the Secretary of State of the standards against which a person is to be assessed for the purpose of deciding whether the person has satisfactorily completed an induction period.
106.New section 135B provides that the regulations must include a right of appeal to the Secretary of State by a person aggrieved by an induction decision. There is to be no further right of appeal.
107.In addition, the new sections provide that regulations may allow teachers to complete their induction period within an independent nursery school where the school meets the conditions for induction. The regulations can also allow a teacher to serve more than one induction period. Other than the transfer of functions to the Secretary of State, these are the only substantive changes from section 19 of THEA 1998.