ABSTRACT
In the nineteenth century since the teaching 'profession' was for the most part unregulated, any person was legally entitled to open a school. College members considered that their solidarity was essential in the wake of government intervention in the elementary sector and the improvements in working-class education, modest though they were, added weight to the argument of channelling resources exclusively to the private school system. The Scholastic Registration Association, founded in the mid-1860s, welcomed support across the board and the inclusion of elementary teachers set in motion the prospect of a unified body of teachers to campaign for a Registration Act but the alliance was short-lived. In 1899 the Board of Education Act was introduced and it gave powers for constituting by Order in Council a Consultative Committee for framing, with the approval of the Board of Education, regulations for a register of teachers.
