The Teachers’ Registration Council was set up in 1902. The form in which the register was kept led to protests by the National Union of Teachers and it was withdrawn in 1907. The Council was not reconstituted until 1912.
Teacher registration began in 1914, although records include those who started their careers from the 1870s. Registration remained voluntary.
- Before the Education Act 1902, the training of teachers was largely carried out under a pupil-teacher system.
- Training schools and colleges (also called ‘normal schools’). Initially started by the charities the British Society and the National Society in the early 19th century to train teachers in their elementary schools
- Universities became involved in teacher training in 1890 when ‘day training colleges’ attached to universities were established
- In 1902 the training of teachers became established as a form of higher education, enabling the new local education authorities (LEAs) to make secondary schools available for the training of pupil-teachers
- From 1902 regulations for pupil-teacher training were tightened up and secondary education encouraged wherever possible. From 1907 the bursar system gradually replaced the pupil-teacher system.
- The 1902 Education Act enabled LEAs to provide and maintain training colleges to meet demand for training college places.
- In 1904 municipal training colleges were recognised and the following year building grants were made available to LEAs to encourage the provision of training colleges.
- Universities first became involved in teacher training in 1890 when, as one of the recommendations of the Royal Commission on the Working of the Elementary Education Acts (the Cross Commission), ‘day training colleges’ attached to universities were established.
- The Burnham Committee on the Training of Teachers in Elementary Schools (1923-1925) recommended greater cooperation between training colleges and universities. This led to the establishment of Joint Examination Board (JEBs) who devised and conducted the final examination for student teachers in academic subjects.
- The recommendations of the McNair Report (1944) on the supply, recruitment and training of teachers and youth leaders included the formation of Area Training Organisations (ATOs) to develop a closer relationship between the universities and teacher-training colleges.
- The Fleming Committee was set up in 1943 to consider how to meet post-war requirements for teachers. It recommended a provisional scheme for the emergency recruitment and training of teachers in emergency training colleges which ran until 1951.
- The National Advisory Council on Training and Supply of Teachers (NACTST) was set up in 1948 to review national policy on the training, qualifications and distribution of teachers.
