Golden Handcuff

New incentive package to encourage teachers to work in schools in challenging circumstances

Following the publication of the New Opportunities White Paper, the DCSF has launched a package of incentives to encourage more teachers to work in secondary schools in challenging circumstances. Schools already invited to participate and offer the package include:

National Challenge schools and equivalently, intensive Keys to Success/Pathways to Achievement (KtS/PtA) schools in City Challenge areas, where the leadership is rated good or better by Ofsted, or where it is judged by external advisers to now be effective and to have good capacity to improve to this level.
Academies and maintained secondary schools in England where 30 per cent or more of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and where the leadership is rated good or better by Ofsted, or where it is judged by external advisers to now be effective and to have good capacity to improve to this level.

The offer to teachers includes:

a Golden Handcuff of £10 000 if teachers stay in the school for three years (i.e. £2000 after completing one year, another £2000 after completing two and the final £6000 after completing three. Part-time teachers receive a pro rate amount proportionate to the time they work. The Golden Handcuff is an interim measure available to teachers joining schools between 1 September 2009 and 1 April 2011.
for newly-qualified teachers there is early, fully-funded access to the new Masters in Teaching and Learning qualification from 2009/10;
access to a government-funded network of teachers from participating schools which will offer experience sharing, discussion groups, subject specific activities etc;
new school-based training specially structured to help school staff to deal with the particular problems and pressures of working in a challenging school where many pupils have additional needs;
experienced teachers, who meet the appropriate professional standards, may be able to apply for new Advanced Skills Teacher and Excellent Teachers posts that participating schools may be offering.

You should bear in mind that not all schools invited to participate may choose to do so, and even a participating school may not offer the package to all new entrants. This is discretionary. When the information is available, the DCSF will publish and update a list of participating schools.

The offer to eligible schools includes:

The DCSF will pay half the cost of the golden handcuffs awarded to teachers joining schools between 1 September 2009 and 1 April 2011.
The DCSF will fully fund early access to the new Masters in Teaching and Learning qualification for newly-qualified teachers, from 2009/10 and for new heads of department from 2010/11.
The DCSF will provide and fund a network for teachers from participating schools which will offer experience sharing, discussion groups, subject specific activities etc.
The DCSF and TDA will provide new school-based training specially structured to help school staff to deal with the particular problems and pressures of working in a challenging school where many pupils have additional needs.
The DCSF will pay half of the average extra cost — at a flat rate of £9000 (£11 000 in London) — for each additional AST or ET for three years from September 2009.

Note: Eligible schools were originally asked to express their interest before 1 April 2009, but they can still do so after this date. Some components of the offer are time limited. For instance, funding for additional ASTs or ETs will only be available until the end of the academic year 2011/12, and the Golden Handcuff is only available to teachers joining schools in 2009/10 and 2010/11. There is further information on the funding process under sections 37 and 38 of the Question and Answer section below.

You can find further details here: