Teacher bonuses and funding for schools to level up education

Today the Government has announced a new Levelling Up Premium – a £3,000 tax free annual incentive for teachers in priority areas, to attract and target teaching talent and support disadvantaged pupils.

Pupils in the most disadvantaged schools will benefit from high quality, specialised STEM teaching following a £60 million investment to attract and retain the top teaching talent.

Significant new payments for teachers of STEM subjects in disadvantaged areas, alongside funding for over 1,400 schools to improve the quality of their buildings, form a part of the Government’s continued drive to level up education across England. This will help ensure every child receives a world-class education giving them the opportunity to fulfil their potential and secure the jobs needed to support our economy, no matter where they grow up.

Maths, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in their first five years of teaching will be able to claim up to £9,000 over three years in tax-free bonuses from September, if they work in disadvantaged schools.

The Levelling Up Premium, expected to be worth £60 million over the three years, is intended to improve pupil outcomes across the country by helping to retain specialist teachers working in disadvantaged areas. High quality STEM teaching, delivered by teachers specifically trained in these subjects, will also more effectively support pupils who fell behind during the covid pandemic.

The Levelling Up Premium will help raise school standards in the near term, and also boost employment and opportunities for pupils in the future by enabling them to fill skills gaps and secure higher wage jobs, in turn benefitting the broader economy.

The quality of education in maths and science should not be dependent on where pupils live, and teachers should not have to leave their local area for a better paid job.

The Government is determined to help people receive the best possible education and gain the knowledge and skills needed to unleash their potential.

That is why, through the Levelling Up White Paper, 55 areas across the country have been identified, including Norfolk, where school outcomes are weakest to target investment, support and action – including retention payments to help schools keep the best teachers, prioritisation for new specialist sixth form free schools, and new reading, writing and maths achievement targets.

No child or young person should be limited by where they grow up – they should be supported to get a world class education and the skills they need to succeed at school and beyond.

It is great to secure more investment for Norfolk education. Being an education investment area will help Norwich kids get the best start in life. I’ve helped lead the Norwich Opportunity Area and I’ll continue to support this important drive to improve schools and skills and help local families.
 
The best way to improve a child’s education is with great teachers, and through our Levelling Up Premium we will hire and retain the best specialist teachers while supporting jobs in low-income areas.

As MP for Norwich North, ensuring that our children get the best possible start in life is one of my priorities. To find out what I am doing to ensure this, please visit: https://www.chloesmith.org.uk/myplan/children

For further information on this announcement, please visit:  https://www.gov.uk/government/news/teacher-bonuses-and-funding-for-schools-to-level-up-education