Glynis Ballard

Dear Headteacher

As you will be aware, it is a requirement that teachers employed in all maintained schools are registered with the General Teaching Council.

The annual registration fee of £23.00 per teacher was payable last year and teachers were requested to inform the Council how they wanted this sum to be paid.

There are however, a number of teachers throughout the Country who have yet to submit the registration fee and regulations were laid before Parliament last year requiring employers to deduct, or arrange for the deduction of, this fee from the salaries of teachers who have yet to pay by other means.

A number of teachers have already chosen to pay the fee by a deduction from salary and these regulations also cover this set of circumstances.

The General Teaching Council will, in the near future, provide details of those teachers whose fees are outstanding, and the regulations provide for the fee to be deducted from salary within one month of notification, and remitted to the General Teaching Council by the 19th of the following month.

The responsibility for ensuring that fees are deducted will be with the employers whether this be the LEA, or the individual Governing Body in the case of Voluntary Aided or Foundation Schools.

For those schools using Capita Payroll Services, arrangements will be made for the fees to be deducted and remitted to the General Teaching Council within the required timescale.

For those schools using another payroll provider or operating their own payroll, the regulations require the Governing Body to ensure that arrangements are amended to incorporate the deduction and remittance of fees.

At this stage it is not known precisely when the fees will be deducted, but I should be grateful if you make the contents of this letter available to staff in your school.

It might also be helpful for you to be aware that the proposed teachers pay award for 2002 provides for all qualified teachers to receive an additional sum to take account of the registration fee, an extra £33 being added to all pay points.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Yours sincerely

Bryan Slater

Director of Education