Headteachers’ leaders are claiming a rare victory after ministers backed down on plans to scrap a national register of teachers in England.

The Department for Education has made a U-turn on its proposal to stop registering teachers as part of the abolition of the General Teaching Council for England (GTC) next year.

The proposal had been heavily criticised by headteachers’ unions the NAHT and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), which said that not having an up-to-date register would risk schools recruiting unqualified staff.

The DfE has now conceded that a database recording who has qualified teacher status (QTS) and who has subsequently passed their induction year is necessary.

There will also be a separate list of those banned by the new Teaching Agency, which replaces the GTC and the Training and Development Agency for Schools next April. However, the new system will be more limited than the current register, which is regularly updated with teachers’ full qualifications and their previous employment.

ASCL general secretary Brian Lightman said: “What we will have in future won’t be as detailed, but it’s a compromise the Government has made, which is welcome.”