National Teaching Service pilot gets underway

Press release: Department for Education, National College for Teaching and Leadership and The Rt Hon Nicky Morgan MP

Talented teachers and middle leaders are being invited to apply to join the National Teaching Service (NTS) and work in schools across the North West that are struggling to attract and retain the professionals they need, Nicky Morgan announced today (29 January 2016).

Extending opportunity to every child is a key part of the government’s mission to spread educational excellence everywhere and this includes ensuring that all schools can recruit great teachers. In November 2015 Nicky Morgan announced the creation of the National Teaching Service which, by 2020, will see 1,500 of the country’s top teaching talent matched to the schools that need them the most.

An initial pilot scheme has been launched in the North West, which aims to enlist up to a 100 teachers to work in eligible primary and secondary schools across the region from September 2016.

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said:

I want every child to have access to an excellent education but too many young people are not being given the chance to reach their potential because of where they live.

The National Teaching Service will match some of our best teachers and middle leaders to schools that need them most, and is a fantastic opportunity for individuals to take on a new challenge and further their careers.

We have already received hundreds of expressions of interest and I want to encourage even more top teachers and middle leaders to apply and be part of our mission to extend opportunity to young people across the North West from September 2016.

To support teachers in their new roles a package of incentives is being offered including:

help with relocation, temporary accommodation or commuting costs
access to prestigious leadership development programmes – including the teaching leaders programmes for primary leaders or the national professional qualifications for middle and senior leadership
high-quality leadership development and training delivered by a local Teaching School Alliance
access to high-quality coaches and mentors