Is it true that a teacher who refuses to pay a subscription to the general teaching councils in England and Wales will not be able to teach?
The GTCs are statutory bodies, created under the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998. This requires all teachers in state schools to register. In other words, if you are not registered, you cannot be employed in a state school. Independent schools are encouraged to support the GTCs by employing only registered teachers.
The government determined, with the whole-hearted support of the teaching unions, (and one supposes most teachers), that the GTCs should be autonomous bodies. It would be a denial of that independence if they were funded from the public purse.
Therefore, although the government has met the costs of setting up the GTCs, they will eventually be required to be self-financing.
It follows, then, that teachers must pay the required fees. The Act also gives employers the authority to deduct fees from salaries at source. However, given teacher shortages it is unlikely anyone will seek confrontation over this issue.
Archimedes
