Bonuses for STEM teachers working in the most disadvantaged schools

The Department for Education has announced that STEM teachers working in disadvantaged schools can receive £3,000 tax-free payments per year over next three years.

Maths, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in their first five years of teaching will be able to claim up to £9,000 over three years in tax-free bonuses from September, if they work in disadvantaged schools.

The Levelling Up Premium, expected to be worth £60 million over the three years, is intended to improve pupil outcomes across the country by helping to retain specialist teachers working in disadvantaged areas. High quality STEM teaching, delivered by teachers specifically trained in these subjects, will also more effectively support pupils who fell behind during the covid pandemic.

The Levelling Up Premium will help raise school standards in the near term, and also boost employment and opportunities for pupils in the future by enabling them to fill skills gaps and secure higher wage jobs, in turn benefitting the broader economy.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said: "The quality of pupils’ education in crucial subjects like maths and science should not be dependent on where they live, and teachers shouldn’t feel that they must leave their local area for a better paid job.

"Our Levelling Up Premium will help give children and young people the best specialist teaching in maths, physics, chemistry and computing, while supporting jobs in low-income areas, helping to level up education for all and grow the economy."

Teachers working in the 55 local authorities designated as Education Investment Areas (EIA) will be able to claim the maximum bonus of £3,000 per year, if they also work in one of the 30% most disadvantaged schools in the country, determined by the number of pupils eligible for the pupil premium.

This builds on the Schools White Paper, which aims to radically raise education standards across the country and places a significant emphasis on supporting teachers through training and salary investment, to make sure that every child can be taught by an excellent teacher.

The Levelling Up Premium is also the latest step towards delivering the government’s numeracy ambitions set out in the Schools White Paper. Strengthening the maths teaching in the most deprived schools will support schools in achieving the ambition for the average GCSE grade to rise from 4.5 to 5 by 2030.