New Package for Attracting Teachers Into Schools

New package for attracting teachers into schools in challenging circumstances

Questions and Answers(revised September2009)

General answers

Q1 - What is the package?

A1 -The full package is:

a)A Golden Handcuff of £10,000 if teachers stay in the school for three years (i.e. £2,000 after completing 1 year, another £2,000 after completing 2 and the final £6,000 after completing three. The Golden Handcuff is an interim measure available to teachers joining schools between 1 September 2009 and 1 April 2011.

b)For newly-qualified teachers, early, fully-funded access to the new Masters in Teaching and Learning qualification from 2009/10 (but also see Q15).

c)Access to a government-funded network of teachers from participating schools which will offer experience sharing, discussion groups, subject specific activities etc.

d)New school-based training specially structured to help school staff to deal with the particular problems and pressures of working in a challenging school where many pupils have additional needs.

e)Experienced teachers, who meet the appropriate professional standards, may be able to apply for new Advanced Skills Teacher and Excellent Teachers posts that participating schools may be offering.

Q2 - When will it be available?

A2 - From September 2009.

Q3 - Which teachers will be eligible to receive these new incentives?

A3 – They must either be newly qualified teachers (NQTs) with QTS beginning at that school, or experienced teachers with QTS moving into that school to take up a new teaching post. In both cases they need to be starting 1 September 2009 and 1 April 2011.

The post must be in a participating school and the head teacher will need to have decided that this post or this candidate should be offered the package.

Q4 - Which schools are eligible?

A4 – The following are eligible:

• All National Challenge schools and equivalently, intensive secondary Keys to Success/Pathways to Achievement (KtS/PtA) schools in City Challenge areas, where the leadership is rated good or better by Ofsted; or where it is judged by external advisers to now be effective and to have good capacity to improve to this level.

• academies and maintained secondary schools in England where 30% or more of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and where the leadership is rated good or better by Ofsted; or where it is judged by external advisers to now be effective and to have good capacity to improve to this level.

Where the Ofstedleadership criterion is not met, external advisers will have the opportunity to recommend schools for the programme where they consider the school leadership is now effective (or has good capacity to improve to this level) and that the programme is appropriate to help meet the identified needs of the school.

External advisers are National Challenge Advisers for National Challenge Schools; City Challenge Advisers for intensive KtS/PtA schools; Academies Advisers for academies; and SIPs for other maintained secondary schools.

Answers for teachers

Q5 - Will teachers already in post when the scheme opens be eligible for any of the incentives if their school decides to participate?

A5 - The golden handcuff, the network and the access to the Masters in Teaching and Learning is only available to new appointees - but teachers already in post can apply for new Advanced Skills Teacher and Excellent Teacher posts that participating schools may be creating. They can also benefit from school based training designed specifically to help teachers deal with the pressures and problems of working in a challenging school.

Q6-Why is the package not available for teachers already in posts in these schools?

A6 – We want to encourage movement towards these schools. The incentives aim to increase the number of newly qualified and experiencedteachers totake up posts in these schools which they might not otherwise have considered because of the real or perceived problemsthat teachers can encounter in them.If more people are encouraged to apply for these posts, schoolscan make appointments from a stronger field of candidates.There are already flexibilities within the pay arrangements allowing schools to recognise the excellent contribution made by teachers already in post in challenging schools.

Q7 - When will teachers receive their Golden Handcuffs?

A7- Payment will be in three instalments with the earliest payments expected to be made in July 2010. The first instalment of £2,000 is paid after you have completed one academic year, the second instalment of £2,000 is paid after you have completed two academic years and the final £6,000 is paid after you have completed three academic years in the school.

Q8 – How will I claim the handcuff?

A8 - Details will be placed this on later this year. Teachers won’t need to claim the money before July 2010.

Q9 – Are the handcuffs taxable?

A9– Yes and subject to national insurance contributions and are non-consolidated for pension purposes. The same situation as has been the case with golden hellos.

Q10 - What is the earliest date that a teacher can enter a teaching post for the first time in order to qualify for the package?

A10 – It’sopen to teachers who begin with a school from 1 September 2009. (If you actually start teaching in a new post on or after 1 September 2009 but your contract of employment has an earlier date, this will count as entering a post on or after 1 September 2009).

Q11 - Are NQTs able to receive both the golden hello and the golden handcuff simultaneously?

A11 - Yes providing they meet the requirements for both schemes.

Q12 – Will teachers who qualified in countries outside of England be eligible for the handcuffs?

A12 – Teachers who qualified in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, EC and non EC countries will be eligible if they hold QTS in England and other scheme requirements are met.

Q13 – Will trainee teachers on employment-based schemes such the Graduate Teacher Programme and Teach First be able to receive the package if they stay on in the school after they have qualified?

A13– Yes, provided they are in a post that would otherwise have been advertised as offering the package, the head teacher can decide whether these teachers are offered it after they get QTS.

Q14 – Will I have to contribute to the cost of studying for the MTL?

A14 – No, it is fully-funded by the DCSF.

Q15 – Who will get funded access to the new Masters in Teaching and Learning qualification, and when?

A15 –

From 2009/10 -

NQTs in all schools in the North West region

NQTs in all National Challenge schools and equivalently, intensive secondary Keys to Success/Pathways to Achievement schools in City Challenge areas,

NQTs in all other participating secondary schools who are offered the package.

From 2010/11 -

New Heads of Department who takeup post in National Challenge schools and equivalently, intensive secondary Keys to Success/Pathways to Achievement schools in City Challenge areas, from Sept 2009

New HoDswho takeup post in other participating secondary schools from September 2010 and are offered the package.

NB Teachers who are neither NQTs nor new Heads of Department will not be eligible for early access to MTL.

Q16 -How will teachers know which schools have opted into the scheme and which teaching posts pay the golden handcuffs?

A16 – A list of the participating schools, updated as necessary, will be placed on our webpage Bear in mind that even where schools participate, the head teacher will decide which post and candidates receive the incentive package.

Answers for schools:

Q17 - How will the government support the package?

A17 - The DCSF will:

• Advertise to tell teachers about the launch of the package, its potential benefits for them and to increase interest in vacancies advertised by participating schools.
• Pay half of the cost of the handcuff.
• Pay half of the average extra cost - at a flat rate of £9,000 (£11,000 in London) for each additional AST or ET for 3 years from September 2009.
• Fund and promote a network of teachers from participating schools to share expertise etc.
• Make fully-funded access to the new Masters in Teaching and Learning qualification available to the schools’ NQTs from 2009/10 and their new Heads of Department from 2010/11 (but also see Q15).
• Commission and make available school-based additional training to help all the school staff deal with the particular pressures of working in a challenging school.

Q18 - What will schools need to do if they want to participate?

A18 - They will need to:

• Decide whether they want to participate.
• Decide whether they want to create one or two extra AST or ET posts.
• Inform DCSF of these decisions by 1 April 2009.
• Indicate when advertising vacancies that the package of benefits may be available to successful candidates.
• Decide which teachers filling those vacancies will be offered the full package.
• Fund the balance of the cost of golden handcuffs and of the extra cost of ASTs and ETs.
• Offer all teachers and support staff who want it, the new school-based training structured to help them deal with the problems of working in a challenging school.

Q19 – How long will the package be available?

A19 –The golden handcuff element will initially be available to teachers newly appointed to schools between 1 September 2009 and 1 April 2011 (see A1 a). So, for example, new teachers joining in September 2009 and 2010 will receive golden handcuff payments up to August 2012 and August 2013 respectively. The handcuff is an interim measure while the level of reward paid to teachers working in ‘challenging schools’ is reviewed.

NQTs will be able to start their Masters studies from 2009/10 and new Heads of Department from 2010/11. We would expect the other elements of the package to be made available to the relevant staff in the first year that the school participates.

The funding for additional ASTs or ETs will be available until the end of the academic year 2011/12 - no matter when a school begins to take the offer up.

Q20 – Can my school join the programme after the 1 April 2009 date originally given for expressions of interest?

A20 – Yes if it’s eligible. There is no final date for entry, but some components of the offer are time limited. For instance, funding for additional ASTs or ETs will only be available until the end of the academic year 2011/12, and the Golden Handcuff is only available to teachers joining schools between 1 September 2009 and 1 April 2011.

Q21 - Why have you chosen these schools?

A21 - We want to encourage more, effective teachers to work in secondary schools with higher levels of deprivation (measured by the percentage of pupils getting free school meals) and, in particular, those that are part of the National Challenge and City Challenge Keys to Success/Pathways to Achievement programmes.Schools already have a great deal of discretion over the level of salary they offer individual teachers, offering them this package adds to that.

Q22 - Why isn’t the package open to teachers in other schools?

A22 - The broad aim is to encourage more teachers to work in the most challenging secondary schools, which often struggle to recruit teachers to fill their vacancies. Funding for the initiative is limited and we want to target it towards supporting existing priority schools such as those in the National and City Challenges.

Q23 - Will schools that become intensive Pathways toAchievement/Keys to Success schools at a later date be eligible for the package? Will schools that move out the PtA/KtS programme still be eligible?

A23 - Schools that become intensive Pathways to Achievement/Keys to Success schools at a later date will be eligible from the day they join. Schools that move out the PtA/KtS programme will still continue to be eligible.

Q24 -Why include National and City Challenge schools, aren’t they already receiving a lot of help?

A24 - These are some of our highest priority secondary schools and, as attainment at 16 is the single biggest determinant of future social mobility, it’s important to do more to help these schools to improve.

Q25 -How willNational Challenge Advisers (NCAs) and City Challenge Advisers (CCAs) be involved in the decision making process?

A25 - When an eligible school applies to be part of the programme, their National Challenge Adviser (if the school is in the National Challenge) or City Challenge Adviser (if the school is in the City Challenge) will be part of the decision-making process. They will identify whether their school(s) could benefit from being part of the programme and will be aware of how the proposals will link to the school's priorities, and advise on how best to manage the implications locally. Where schools do not meet the Ofsted leadership criteria, they will be able to recommend schools to join the programme (see Q28 below)

Q26 – How will School Improvement Partners be involved?

A26 – They will discuss with head teachers whether the school would benefit from participating and will be aware of how this will link with the school’s priorities.

Q27 - How will Academy Advisers be involved?

A27 –Academy Advisers will be involved in similar ways to National Challenge and City Challenge Advisers (see A25 above). They would also be able to recommend schools join the programme where schools do not meet the Ofsted leadership criterionbut there has been a change in leadership and the school now meets the leadership standard.

Academies usually receive a section 8 Ofsted inspection in their second year and a section 5 in the third year after opening. Academy Advisers will be able to recommend an academy for inclusion in the programme before they have received an inspection if the new Principal was previously judged to be good or outstanding in his or her last inspection report and the adviser judges the new academy leadership is of this standard.

Q28 -What are you basing your assessment of the strength of a school’s leadership on? Why are you allowing external advisers to recommend additional schools to join the programme that do not meet the Ofsted leadership criteria?

A28 -Normally the leadership and management rating from the school’s most recent Ofsted report or latest monitoring visit letter. However, we recognise that in some cases, significant changes and improvements will have taken place in schools since their last Ofsted inspection (which in some cases may be 2 or 3 years ago). We want to ensure that schools that now have more effective leadership are not excluded from the programme. Adviser recommendations will also take into account the appropriateness of the programme to meet the needs identified in the school.

Q29–If a school’s FSM level changes will it become/remain eligible for this programme?

A29 –DCSF collects annual data from schools on FSM levels and this is published in late April each year. At this time we will identify schools that have moved above the 30% threshold and invite them to join the programme - provided they have good or better leadership according to Ofsted.

Where a school is already in the programme and its FSM status have moved below the threshold, it can remain in the programme until such time as it falls two clear points below it (28%). This avoids a possible situation where schools move in and out of the programme each year because they are very close to the threshold.

Q30 – If a school’s leadership rating changes will it remain eligible for this programme?

A30 -Where Ofsted finds that the leadership of a school already in the programme has gone down to ‘satisfactory’ we propose, it will be able to remain on it for the balance of the three year period from when it first joined, unless the Adviser suggests otherwise. Where the leadership falls to ‘inadequate’ or a school enters Special Measures, it will have to leave the programme at the end of that academic year; though we will continue to part-fund any ASTs already agreed for the balance of the three years, and any handcuff payments originally offered to teachers.

Q31 - When will we have more details about how the programme will work?

A31- We will make more details of the scheme terms and conditions and the process for claiming incentives available as soon as we can. Details will be available at:

Q32 – Can participating schools start recruiting now?

A32 – Yes, provided they inform DCSF that they will be participating in the package and will be creating extra ASTs/ETs. They should inform us via the mailbox

Answers about ASTs and ETs

Q33 – Why have more ASTs and ETs?

A33 –To strengthen pedagogic leadership and excellent classroom practice in these schools, and boost capacity for coaching and mentoring. We know that ASTs really benefit schools, particularly those with significant numbers of new and inexperienced staff.

Q34 - What difference does it make to a teacher to become an AST or ET?

A34 - Becoming an AST or an ET widens a classroom teacher’s route for career advancement. Both schemes are aimed at the very best classroom practitioners, but ET would suit those who do not wish to pursue either the AST and leadership routes.

ASTs have to meet additional criteria to demonstrate that they can provide a strategic approach to improving teaching and learning, because they normally have to undertake outreach activity with a range of schools in a variety of circumstances. ASTs are not obliged to undertake outreach work as part of this scheme. Excellent Teachers always work in their own schools. ETs need to length, breadth and depth of experience and, like ASTs, to have pedagogic excellence and coaching and mentoring skills of a high order.