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Raid universities to fund teachers in tough schools, urges Alan Milburn Raid universities to fund teachers in tough schools, urges Alan Milburn
(about 1 hour later)
The government should plunder undergraduate tuition fees to fund a 25% pay rise for teachers willing to work in challenging schools, Alan Milburn, the government’s social mobility champion, has proposed.The government should plunder undergraduate tuition fees to fund a 25% pay rise for teachers willing to work in challenging schools, Alan Milburn, the government’s social mobility champion, has proposed.
Milburn, who chairs the social mobility and child poverty commission, said in a speech on Thursday that radical approaches were needed to close the educational attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their better-off classmates.Milburn, who chairs the social mobility and child poverty commission, said in a speech on Thursday that radical approaches were needed to close the educational attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their better-off classmates.
“National pay bargaining has not helped to narrow the attainment gap. The old orthodoxy is not working. The current government’s laissez-faire approach of giving schools more freedom and then sitting back to see what happens is not working either,” Milburn told a Policy Exchange conference in London.“National pay bargaining has not helped to narrow the attainment gap. The old orthodoxy is not working. The current government’s laissez-faire approach of giving schools more freedom and then sitting back to see what happens is not working either,” Milburn told a Policy Exchange conference in London.
He proposed that the next government should require the teachers’ pay review body to set new pay grades “for the best teachers to work in challenging schools in the hardest-to-recruit areas,” along with what he dubbed the teachers’ pay premium: offering 2,000 experienced teachers a 25% pay rise if they agree to teach in a challenging school. He proposed that the next government should require the teachers’ pay review body to set new pay grades “for the best teachers to work in challenging schools in the hardest-to-recruit areas”, along with what he called the teachers’ pay premium: offering 2,000 experienced teachers a 25% pay rise if they agree to teach in a challenging school.
The teachers’ pay premium would be funded by a £30m raid on university access agreement funds, in effect using undergraduate tuition fees to raise teachers’ salaries – a move likely to be unpopular within the higher education sector.The teachers’ pay premium would be funded by a £30m raid on university access agreement funds, in effect using undergraduate tuition fees to raise teachers’ salaries – a move likely to be unpopular within the higher education sector.
More controversially, Milburn also proposed that academies in particular should be required to funnel pupil premium funds – around £1,000 for each child from low-income households eligible to receive free school meals – into improving teachers’ pay, to attract and retain qualified staff. Milburn also proposed that academies in particular should be required to funnel pupil premium funds – about £1,000 for each child from low-income households eligible to receive free school meals – into improving teachers’ pay, to attract and retain qualified staff.
“Children eligible for the pupil premium are more likely to attend schools – primary and secondary - that require improvement and less likely to attend schools that are outstanding. Our country suffers from a divisive postcode lottery in schooling that condemns children from disadvantaged backgrounds to be far less likely to experience an excellent education than their better-off peers,” Milburn said. “Children eligible for the pupil premium are more likely to attend schools – primary and secondary – that require improvement and less likely to attend schools that are outstanding. Our country suffers from a divisive postcode lottery in schooling that condemns children from disadvantaged backgrounds to be far less likely to experience an excellent education than their better-off peers,” Milburn said.
Pupil premium funds are given to schools with the aim of improving the attainment of children from disadvantaged families. Milburn praised efforts being made to close the gap but said progress was still too slow, and noted that it would take 30 years to halve the gap in GCSE results at current rates of improvement.Pupil premium funds are given to schools with the aim of improving the attainment of children from disadvantaged families. Milburn praised efforts being made to close the gap but said progress was still too slow, and noted that it would take 30 years to halve the gap in GCSE results at current rates of improvement.
The former Labour health secretary admitted that improved pay alone “may not be enough to get younger teachers in particular to areas of the country which are less attractive locations than cities like London to live. The next government should look to introduce new career incentives alongside pay incentives to make a spell in a school in a disadvantaged town more attractive.”The former Labour health secretary admitted that improved pay alone “may not be enough to get younger teachers in particular to areas of the country which are less attractive locations than cities like London to live. The next government should look to introduce new career incentives alongside pay incentives to make a spell in a school in a disadvantaged town more attractive.”
One way would be the creation of a government-backed “fast stream” for teaching, which would aim to get young teachers into senior positions quickly.One way would be the creation of a government-backed “fast stream” for teaching, which would aim to get young teachers into senior positions quickly.
“One of the conditions for rapid promotion for these education fast-streamers would be to spend time teaching in a disadvantaged school,” Milburn said.“One of the conditions for rapid promotion for these education fast-streamers would be to spend time teaching in a disadvantaged school,” Milburn said.