Labour conference: Plan to refund tuition fees for teachers in deprived areas

In his keynote speech to his party’s annual conference, Stephen Twigg said the proposals, part of Labour’s “new deal for teachers” were still in the early stages and exactly how much compensation would be offered to trainees had yet to be agreed.

He added that decisions on the details would be made following a pilot of the scheme, which could happen before the general election at secondary schools within Labour-led local authorities.?

“This government wants to reduce salaries for teachers in poorer areas. How ridiculous,” he said. “Instead I want to look at ideas like helping pay back your tuition fees, if you go to teach in a poorer area. Funding should be more flexible, so a teacher can do a master's degree if they want.”

“With the student debt, we want to pilot the effectiveness of this because potentially if it’s successful, it will require us to switch funding from other parts of the budget.”

Twigg meanwhile told delegates that his party would increase the number of teachers by doubling recruits to Teach First courses from 1,000 to 2,000 per year, arguing that the target could be met entirely using the existing teacher-training budget.

“Teach First has an intensive and short training program and the cost of that is less than other teacher training,” he said.

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, urged Twigg to consult with teachers on the proposals.

“We are hopeful that given his desire to see teaching acknowledged as an elite profession, as it is in the most enlightened countries of the world, he will liaise with teachers as a matter of course on all key issues,” he said.

Among other proposals, Twigg said he wanted to raise teaching standards by establishing a National College for Teaching Excellence and pledged that Labour would block profit-making schools.