Aspiring teachers in maths, chemistry, physics and modern foreign languages are set to get up to £35,000 during training and their early careers, on top of their salaries.

Trainee teachers in these subjects are set to receive £26,000 during training, with an additional £6,000 to be paid across the first four years of their career, from 2020/21. For those working in high need areas, these additional payments will rise to £9,000.

Teachers in three subjects – chemistry, physics and modern foreign languages – will receive these early career payments for the first time, while trainees in maths have benefitted from phased bursaries for the last two years.

The government has committed more than £250 million in financial incentives to encourage talented graduates to enter the classroom, and remain in the profession, building on a pledge in the Department’s Recruitment & Retention Strategy to ensure the bursary system focuses more heavily on the retention of teachers.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

The inspirational role of a talented, dedicated and committed teacher can never be understated and is the one constant that all of us can remember from our time at school.

I want both the brightest and the best talent to be drawn to the teaching profession and for schools to compete with the biggest employers in the labour market.

The bursaries we are announcing today, along with the 2.75% pay rise for all teachers and school leaders this academic year, will do just that, while ensuring that those who stay in the classroom will benefit most.

Trainee teachers in Art & Design and Business Studies are also set to benefit from new bursaries of £9,000.

Each year, the Department reviews bursaries to decide the offer for trainee teachers, tacking account of both recruitment to date and the future need for teachers in each subject.

Changes to bursary amounts may mean that trainees starting one year may receive a lower incentive when compared with trainees starting another year. However, being able to change the incentive amounts provides flexibility to respond to recruitment need and other government priorities.

In the next academic year, school teachers and leaders are set to receive an above inflation pay rise, after the Education Secretary accepted all the recommendations from the independent School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), to raise the upper and lower boundaries of all pay ranges by 2.75 per cent.

The increase in pay will be supported by an additional £105 million to be paid through the teachers’ pay grant, on top of the £321 million already committed for the 2019-20 financial year, and is equivalent to a £1,000 increase to average classroom teacher pay and a £1,620 increase in the average pay of school leaders.

Teachers’ starting salaries are also set to rise to £30,000 by 2022-23, under government plans for the biggest reform to teacher pay in a generation.

This will make starting salaries for teachers among the most competitive in the graduate labour market, building on the above-inflation average pay increases for teachers in the last two years.

The Teacher’s Pension Scheme is also one of the most generous on offer. From September, the government will be fully funding increased contributions into the scheme, so that school leaders can focus as much of their resources as possible on the front line. It means teachers will get an employer contribution of 23.6% on top their salary towards their pension every year to ensure the scheme is fully funded.

Announced in the Department’s Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy earlier this year, the Early Career Framework will provide new teachers with the foundations for a successful career in the profession through a two-year package of structured training and support.

This will include a reduced timetable to allow teachers to make the most of their training, alongside high-quality materials for new teachers and their mentors that underpin each area of the Early Career Framework.

The Forum was co-chaired by the Rt Hon Dr Andrew Murrison, Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa, and H.E. Sabri Bachtobji, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

Association Agreement

Both countries committed themselves to finalising a broad bilateral association agreement in the near future. Concluding this agreement will provide a framework for the growing trading relationship between our two countries. It will ensure British and Tunisian businesses and consumers benefit from continued access to markets once the UK has left the EU. Beyond trade, this agreement will provide a comprehensive framework to strengthen cooperation on political dialogue, democracy, education, trade, environmental and human rights matters.

Politics

After appreciating the progress made by Tunisia to ensure a smooth democratic transition, both countries underlined their intention to strengthen parliamentary ties, in order to share experience and promote exchanges between legislative and judicial bodies. Both countries noted the important role that media freedom plays in democracies, with Tunisia expressing an interest in the Global Coalition on Media Freedom due to be announced at UNGA. There was agreement to continue working closely together in the UN when Tunisia assumes its membership of the UN Security Council in January 2020, with Tunisia welcoming the UK’s offer of pre-membership training. Tunisia highlighted gender as a priority issue during its upcoming UNSC membership. There was also agreement to work together on climate and protecting oceans against plastic waste. On Libya, both countries reiterated their support for an urgent ceasefire and a return to the UN-led political process as essential steps towards stabilising that country. Tunisia reiterated its request for concluding a bilateral agreement on visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders. Highlighting recent improvements to the process for students, both countries committed to continuing talks to identify further opportunities to ease visa application for all Tunisians.

Economics and trade

Both countries identified a number of business opportunities to develop, including in the energy, agrifood, textile, tourism and technology sectors. They committed to explore these further in the run-up to the African Investment Summit (AIS) in London in January 2020. They agreed to raise awareness among businesses of the UK Export Finance offer for Tunisia (worth £2 billion). Both countries expressed satisfaction with the impact of their existing initiatives on trade and investment flows, and agreed to strengthen their efforts in order to further trade and investment. They decided to establish a Trade and Investment Multi-Sector Working Group and looked ahead to the launch of a UK-funded project to develop the Tunisian Stock Exchange. Agreement was reached on the Tunisians attending the AIS at the most senior level, while discussions also covered the 2nd session of the “UK-Tunisia Trade and Investment Forum”, which is due to take place on 22 October in London. Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation on inclusive economic development, beginning with the deployment of new UK development advisers to Tunis before the end of this year.

Education

Both countries welcomed the continuing positive work of the UK-Tunisia Higher Education Commission (HESRC), which has met twice this year. They agreed that important progress had been made to strengthen links between higher education institutions in both countries towards the implementation of the agreed Action Plan. They noted that the HESRC had identified Quality Assurance as an area for further engagement and that a new project funded by the British Council and implemented by the Quality Assurance Agency would start soon. They noted the growing demand in Tunisia for English-language and soft-skills training. They welcomed the UK-funded and British-Council-implemented “Teaching for Success” project (worth £6 million), aimed at enhancing job prospects for the next generation of young Tunisians. The Forum also stressed the importance of fostering bilateral cooperation in the field of culture, in order to enhance the promotion of the Tunisian and British cultural heritages in each country.

Environment/Tourism

Over 120,000 tourists travelled to Tunisia in 2018, with more expected this year. This represented a significant increase. Both countries expressed their support for work to protect the environment, including for COP26, for tackling plastics waste, and for creating an enduring eco-system for sustainable tourism.

Security

Both countries highlighted the continuing serious threat posed by terrorist groups, including “Daesh”, to the UK and Tunisia. They agreed that UK-Tunisia collaboration in the fight against terrorism had been ground-breaking and that they wished to expand and deepen that co-operation at the bilateral level and within the “G7+” security coordination mechanism.

The comprehensive and wide-ranging nature of the discussions reflects the deepening relationship between the UK and Tunisia. The successful conclusion of the sixth annual UK-Tunisia Bilateral Forum underlines both countries’ desire to continue working together in a spirit of friendship and close collaboration to advance their shared interests.

The Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme (HPCDS) offers free ‘on-the-day’ legal advice to anyone in danger of being evicted from their home or having their property repossessed, regardless of their financial circumstances.  Given the vital role the HPCDS plays in ensuring access to justice and the timely resolution of legal problems, the continuation of the service is of paramount importance. The proposed changes will ensure it keeps pace with changes in the wider justice system.

Over a number of months, the Ministry of Justice has worked with stakeholders and agreed a package of measures that would ensure the sustainability of this vital scheme, improving access to legal advice and representation for anyone facing possession proceedings in court.

Justice Minister, Wendy Morton MP said:

Housing repossession and homelessness are two of the most serious civic problems that any person can experience.  This ambitious new model will provide greater support for those who rely on it most, while being more financially viable for providers and ensuring long-term sustainability.

The consultation proposes:

• contracts for individual courts rather than larger geographical areas
• allowing providers to claim for the HPCDS fee in addition to the follow up Legal Help fee
• introducing a set attendance fee for all schemes, replacing the existing nil session payment
• introducing reasonable costs for travel as part of the competition element of the bid

Notes to editors

• The consultation will be open for 12 weeks, closing in January 2020
• A paper summarising responses will be published within 3 months of the closing date of the consultation

The British Embassy in Argentina announces the 10 finalists from Argentina to the Regional Student Competition 2019/2020. The applicants answered the question “Why would I like to meet my neighbours in the Falkland Islands?” in a video.

The best 10 videos can be watched here:

VIDEO

The winners of the competition will be announced on Thursday 10 October.

This regional competition, organised by the Government of the Falkland Islands and the British Embassies in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay offers winners (one from each country) the chance to visit the Falklands for a week with all the costs covered. Winners will be staying with a local family, to experience first-hand the life in the Falkland Islands.

The contest is meant to promote the cultural exchange between the Falklands and the region, and to spread the knowledge about the Falkland Island and its people.

List of 10 finalists:

• Agustina Correa – Universidad Católica de las Misiones (UCAMI)
• María Belén Fasanelli – Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA)
• Adriano Modarelli – Universidad del Salvador (USAL)
• Valentina Rosales Aguirre – Instituto de Enseñanza Superior Lenguas Vivas
• María Sol Izquierdo – Universidad del Museo Social Argentino (UMSA)
• Catalina Assenato – Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (UADE)
• Agustín González – Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR)
• Juan Elman- Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA)
• Facundo Marcos Heredia – Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (UNCUYO)
• Aldana Milagros Sayes Fuentes – Universidad Nacional de Salta (UNSA)

In order to enter the competition, all participants presented student certificates issued by their respective universities.

Further Information

See finalists from Brazil, Chile and Uruguay.

The new homes will be built alongside new community facilities including three neighbourhood centres, three new schools and employment opportunities. The development will ensure easy access to public transport and walking and cycling routes.

Homes England, which owns the 200-hectare site known as the Northern Arc, will work with developers to submit detailed planning applications following further community consultation. Construction of the first new homes at Freeks Farm and associated highways infrastructure is expected to begin in 2020.

Ken Glendinning, Head of Strategic Land at Homes England said:

“This flagship scheme will provide existing and new residents with a mix of affordable and market priced homes to buy and rent alongside schools, new community, leisure, health facilities and employment opportunities in Burgess Hill.

“We developed our plans following discussions with the local community as well as working closely with Mid Sussex District Council and West Sussex County Council to ensure that the necessary infrastructure will be delivered at the right time.

“Over the next three years, we plan to invest around £41 million in vital new infrastructure at the Northern Arc. This will unlock these needed new homes in Mid Sussex, making homes happen faster and ensuring they are a real benefit to the local community. The new infrastructure will relieve traffic pressure and provide better links in this part of Mid Sussex.”

Earlier this month, Homes England submitted their first infrastructure planning application for a bridge and link road – which will connect Isaacs Lane to Freeks Farm in the eastern part of the site – to relieve traffic pressure and support the construction of the new homes. Subject to planning permission being granted, work is expected to start early next year.

And – in the west of the site – progress is being made as Homes England seeks a contractor to construct another bridge, link road and roundabouts. Should planning permission be granted for this, work iwill start in summer 2020.

ENDS

For more information contact Sarah Ward on 07776 527 643 or email sarah.ward2@aecom.com or Tom Hustler, Communications Manager at Homes England on 0113 3949355 or email tom.hustler@homesengland.gov.uk