BLACKPOOL PUPILS TO BENEFIT FROM MORE SPECIALIST TEACHERS IN CLASSROOMS
Blackpool pupils will soon see more specialist teachers in their classrooms thanks to new tax-free training incentives worth up to £31,000. It’s a big investment from the Labour government to recruit and retain great teachers where they’re needed most – including right here in Blackpool.
The government is offering bursaries and scholarships to help people train to teach in key subjects like maths, chemistry, physics, computing and special educational needs. Schools will also now be able to get up to £29,000 to cover the cost of training apprentices in those subjects, meaning apprentices pay nothing for their training, earn a salary and move straight into a qualified teacher role once they finish.
These measures will raise standards in every classroom so every child in Blackpool can get the best start. The challenge is clear. The average Attainment 8 score for pupils here – a measure of their achievement across eight secondary school subjects – was 34.9 last year compared to 46.4 nationally. Only 45.1% of students achieved grades 9 to 4 in English and maths GCSEs, against 65.4% nationally. That’s one of the biggest gaps in the country.
Too many lessons in key subjects are being taught by teachers without specialist qualifications. Last year, more than one in ten maths lessons in England were taught by non-specialists. In physics, just 72% of lessons were led by teachers with the right subject knowledge. That matters, because the quality of teaching in these subjects shapes how confident our young people feel about science, technology and maths – skills that open the doors to their futures.
Labour’s plan is already starting to make a difference. The North West saw one of the biggest rises in teacher numbers anywhere in the country last year. Secondary schools gained 278 full-time teachers and special schools added 127. Across the region, 349 new postgraduate trainees started in key shortage subjects. Attendance is up too, with over five million fewer days lost compared to last year. This is what progress looks like when you put education first.
We’ve also shortened the Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship from 12 months to nine. It’s now aligned with the school year, getting new teachers into classrooms sooner and helping schools plan ahead. There’s a new degree-level teaching apprenticeship route too, so people in our communities can train and qualify locally without taking on debt.
I’ve visited schools right across Blackpool South and I’ve heard the same thing from headteachers again and again – it’s tough to attract and keep teachers. People want to teach here, but they need the right support and fair pay to stay. That’s what this government is putting in place.
With Simon Eccles, headteacher, at St Mary’s where I was inspired by great teachers
Because the reality is, this town can’t afford to keep losing ground. We’ve got brilliant children with massive potential. But if they don’t have expert teachers in front of them, they’re being denied the opportunities they deserve.
For me, this is personal. I grew up here. I’m raising my family here. My son will go to school in Blackpool and I want him and every child to have access to teachers who inspire, challenge and believe in them.
Two teachers at St Mary’s did that for me. Stephen Conway and Ken Winstanley changed my life. They saw past my learning disability and believed I could do more. That belief set me on the path to becoming your MP. Every child deserves that kind of support.
That’s why I’m proud that Labour is doing what the Conservatives never did – investing in the teachers who will lift up our children and our town. While other parties talk about cutting state school budgets to hand tax breaks back to private schools, we’re backing the teachers and pupils who need it most.
When our children succeed, the whole town succeeds. Getting more brilliant, specialist teachers into our classrooms isn’t just an education policy – it’s how we change lives and build a better Blackpool for everyone.
