Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998

Part one

Chapter One

• General Teaching Councils will be established in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Duty of GTC Scotland towards disabled persons and the representation of Special needs teachers
• Teachers at maintained schools in the UK are required to register with their GTC
• Teachers must abide by the GTC for England Code of Conduct and the GTC for Wales Code of Conduct

  Chapter Two

• Headteachers in schools in England and Wales must have a professional headship qualification.
• This chapter also makes provision for the inspection of teacher training institutions.

  Chapter Three

• All Newly Qualified Teachers in the England and Wales are required to pass an induction period of three school terms. At the end of this period the headteacher is required to make a recommendation to the appropriate body as to whether the new teacher has achieved the standards set by the GTC.

  Part two

• This section outlines, in very broad terms, the system of student loans in the UK. A non-governmental body was set up in 1989 to administer the awarding and recovery of these loans. The Student Loans Company is not directly mentioned in this section however; the statute only calls for the Secretary of State to administer these loans.

  Part Three

• An insert to the Employment Rights Act 1996 which states that any employee who is 16 or 17, and not in full-time education, and 'has not attained such standard of achievement as is prescribed by regulations made by the Secretary of State', is entitled to take time off their working hours to undertake training for a qualification.
• 'An employee who is permitted to take time off...is entitled to be paid remuneration by his employer for the time taken off at the appropriate hourly rate'

  Part Four

• Miscellaneous additions, including the re-affirmation that the only educational services in the UK allowed to use the title 'University' are those that are authorised by act of parliament or by Royal Charter, or have been approved by the Privy Council.