Boris Johnson announces £3,000 'levelling up premium' for teachers in disadvantaged areas

Boris Johnson has announced a new “levelling up premium” worth up to £3,000 to encourage talented maths and science teachers to work in areas of the country where they are needed most.

The Prime Minister said there is “absolutely no reason” why pupils should be unable to do “basic mathematics” by the end of primary school.

Speaking at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, Mr Johnson highlighted Brampton Manor Academy, a state school in Newham, east London, as proof of “unleashing potential and levelling up”.

This year, 55 teenagers at Brampton Manor got the grades needed to study at Oxbridge – more than the offers made to Eton College pupils.

The majority of students at the inner city state school are from ethnic minority backgrounds, in receipt of free school meals (FSMs), or will be the first in their family to attend university.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives to deliver his keynote speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester.
Jacob King

Mr Johnson said: “We can do it. There is absolutely no reason why the kids of this country should lag behind and why so many should be unable to read or write or do basic mathematics at 11.

“To level up, on top of the extra £14 billion we’re putting into education, on top of the increase that means every teacher starts with a salary of £30,000, we’re announcing today a levelling up premium of up to £3,000 to send the best maths and science teachers to the places that need them most.”

The Prime Minister added that the Government is investing in skills as part of its levelling up agenda.

He said: “We all know that some of the most brilliant and imaginative and creative people in Britain – some of the best paid people in Britain – did not go to university.

“And to level up you need to give people the options, the skills that are right for them, and to make the most of those skills and knowledge you need urgently to plug all the other gaps in the infrastructure that are still holding people and communities back.”

On the “levelling up premium”, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “There are challenges in recruiting enough maths and science teachers in general and this can be particularly acute for schools in disadvantaged areas.

“So, on the face of it, this sounds like a good idea and we look forward to seeing more details of how this scheme will work.

“But there is a pressing need to look more widely at the challenges around recruiting and retaining enough teachers in the profession in general as teacher shortages have been a problem for many years.

“One of the problems is that the real value of salaries has fallen over the course of the past decade as a result of the Government’s austerity agenda. Its decision to freeze pay this year has made matters worse.”