Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 29
29
Paragraph: 116
High quality teaching is particularly transformative for disadvantaged pupils.
Conclusion
High quality teaching is particularly transformative for disadvantaged pupils. Over a school year, these pupils get 1.5 years’ worth of learning with high quality teachers, compared with 0.5 years with poorly performing teachers. To support the development of local teachers, we should incentivise highly commended initial teacher training providers (like Redcar and Cleveland TTP or Leicester and Leicestershire SCITT) to work with disadvantaged schools and develop top-class school-led routes. The Department must use its enhanced local area statistics to target recruitment and retention policies to schools that are struggling, particularly those in left-behind White communities. The Department must build on the existing postgraduate teaching apprenticeship scheme to make it more widely available and introduce an undergraduate teaching degree apprenticeship with a specific focus on developing teacher subject specialisms. The Department must introduce bursaries, retention payments and salary bonuses to attract good teachers to challenging areas and prevent flight of local talent. This will encourage a more diverse workforce that reflects the communities it serves, through introducing more local teacher training centres in deprived White communities.
Paragraph Reference:
116
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
87. We recognise the pressures schools have faced and have listened to teachers and parents. This Government has announced the biggest funding boost for schools in a decade, which will give every school more money for every child. As a result, funding is increasing by £7.1 billion between 2019-20 and 2022-23, taking total funding next year to over £52bn. Schools continue to be able to access existing support for financial issues, including a wide range of school resource management tools, and, in serious circumstances, additional funding or advances from local authorities for maintained schools, or ESFA for academy trusts. 88. Total Pupil Premium funding has increased to more than £2.5bn this year. The Education Endowment Foundation’s Guide to the Pupil Premium advises school leaders on the most effective, proven approaches for accelerating their pupils’ progress. There are many excellent examples of schools using their Pupil Premium money effectively to close the attainment gap between children from deprived backgrounds and their counterparts. Most schools will include enrichment and extra-curricular activities within their strategy. 89. We have amended Pupil Premium conditions of grant for the 2021/22 academic year, to require all schools to use their funding on evidence-based approaches, to maximise the benefits of the Pupil Premium for their disadvantaged pupils. Schools will also be required to publish an online statement, using a new standardised template, which requires them to outline the evidence-based rationale for their spending decisions across the Pupil Premium, and the recovery premium. 90. Highly effective, proven practice that helps pupils catch up is needed now more than ever. It is important that all schools decide how to use their funding drawing on the best available research evidence such as that provided by Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). The Department is constantly working to review how we can support and encourage schools to do this to best effect.