§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will give special assistance to schools in Essex which are encountering difficulty in filling teaching staff vacancies. [75471]
§ Mr. MilibandEssex has benefited from the full range of Government measures introduced since 1997 to improve teacher recruitment—Training Salaries, Golden Hellos, extra pay flexibilities, an enhanced Graduate Teacher Programme, and funding for Recruitment Strategy Managers within local education authorities. In 2001–02 Essex schools received £1,867,000 from the Recruitment and Retention Fund, and in 2002–03 this was increased to £2,120,000. Essex schools will also benefit, from April 2003, from the increased spending on education announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review.