195.Section 19 of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998 enables the Secretary of State and National Assembly to make regulations requiring persons employed as newly qualified teachers at a maintained school or a special school (whether or not maintained) to complete satisfactorily an induction period of not less than three school terms at such a or, in such circumstances as may be prescribed, an independent school. This provision does not allow induction at FE institutions, including sixth form colleges. Section 19, as amended, gives the Secretary of State and the National Assembly power to make regulations setting out the circumstances in which FE institutions to offer induction if they can give teachers experience comparable to that in maintained schools. The National Assembly has not yet made any regulations in respect of induction for newly qualified teachers. Section 139 of this Act also applies sections 496 and 497 of the Education Act 1996 (power of the Secretary of State to prevent unreasonable exercise of functions etc.) to institutions offering induction (other than independent schools) and to the “appropriate bodies” which decide whether teachers have successfully completed induction.
Commentary on Sections Part V - Miscellaneous and General Section 139: extension of statutory induction for school teachers to FE institutions