§ Clive EffordTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assistance is given to schools in areas where the cost of housing has been identified as a barrier to recruiting staff, with particular reference to(a) newly qualified teachers, (b) experienced staff and (c) senior managers. [173897]
§ Mr. MilibandThe overall school and LEA funding system recognises the higher costs of recruiting and retaining staff in some areas by giving these LEAs, including inner London LEAs like Greenwich, additional resource through an Area Cost Adjustment.
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Capital allocations to Liverpool LEA £000 Type Funding type 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 Additional NDS Grant (615) Grant — — — — Assistance with AMPs Grant — — 66 — Basic L C Vap Grant — — — — Basic Need Supported Borrowing 4,957 6,832 5,954 4,968 City Learning Centres Grant — — 800 2,663 Class Size initiative Grant — 85 224 236 Condition Grant — — — — Devolved Formula Grant — — — 3,528 Teachers in London, the South East and Eastern regions will now be potentially eligible for assistance with housing costs through the new Key Worker Living Scheme.
Teachers are able to apply for this new scheme which builds on the foundations laid by the Starter Homes Initiative which since September 2001 has been helping key workers to buy homes in areas where high house prices undermine recruitment and retention.
We have identified the need to assist those potential future leaders who wish to remain in London but may have otherwise chosen to leave as a result of prohibitive housing costs. Over the next two years we will be aiming to assist 1,000 of these teachers by offering equity loans of up to £100,000 to help them purchase property within travelling distance of their schools. In addition, there will also be another strand to the scheme which will make available equity loans of up to £50,000 to qualifying experienced teachers. Finally, newly qualified teachers will not be excluded and will be eligible to receive support through the Shared Ownership and Intermediate Renting strands of the new scheme.
The statutory pay arrangements for teachers give significant discretion to schools to award recruitment and retention incentives and benefits to any grade of teacher where they consider the circumstance justify it.