Stoke-on-Trent to pay off maths teacher tuition fees, BBC reports

Stoke-on-Trent has announced it will help to pay of the tuition fees of maths teachers who come to work in the city, as part of a move to radically improve maths standards in schools, the BBC has said.

The project, named the Maths Excellence Partnership, is aimed at improving the chances for young people in the city, where many of its traditional industries have declined. Local MP and former Shadow Education Secretary Tristram Hunt is leading the initiative, working with local schools, the council and employers.

The programme is set to cost £1 million in funding and is aimed at attracting bright young maths graduates to the city, which is currently struggling with academic underachievement.

The move follows a review by Ofsted which criticised the Stoke for having among the lowest GCSE results in England, which Hunt described as ‘pretty devastating’. Hunt has set a target of at least 70 per cent of pupils to achieve a good grade at GCSE maths in the next three years, compared to 59 per cent at present.

The city is offering a £2,000 relocation fee for both graduates and established teachers, in addition to £2,000 per year for three years towards paying off tuition fees for new teachers.

Hunt explained that the city had a ‘history of a very successful economy, which was highly skilled, but did not always place a great emphasis on formal schooling and qualifications.’

He added: ”We're battling against some of the legacies of that.”