The £770 million grant will enable an extra £60 million to be spent on programmes to secure an effective school workforce, help increase its skills levels and enable schools to modernise.

In announcing the grant, Education Secretary Alan Johnson acknowledged the agency’s achievements over the past 12 months.

He added:

"The TDA has a crucial role in driving forward the Government's aim to raise standards and close the social gap in education.

"The extra money announced today recognises the hard work and achievements of the TDA over the past year and will ensure that its key modernisation work continues, benefiting more pupils, staff and schools."

TDA Chief Executive Graham Holley said:

“This grant ensures that we shall be able to fully support the drive to modernise schools as well as allocate more money towards recruiting teachers in key areas and improving their training.

“There is a great deal of important work to do in conjunction with training providers, local authorities, trades unions and other organisations. The Government’s grant demonstrates Ministers’ confidence in the TDA to deliver that work.”

Among the TDA’s key allocations for the financial year 2007-08 are:

• £590 million on funding and improving initial teacher training (ITT), representing an above inflation five per cent increase for training providers, expansion of initiatives to train physics and chemistry teachers, and opportunities for undergraduates to gain experience of school teaching. [There will also be a review of financial incentives for trainee teachers.]

   

• £64 million to continue to support the development of the extended services in schools, developing and training parent support advisors (PSAs), and the national rollout of Targeted Youth Support. The money also includes £19 million for local authorities to be spent on modernising the school workforce.

   

• £32.5 million to help support staff improve their knowledge and skills, including programmes to train and assess specialisms and new roles, support staff training and delivery and funding for training and qualifications.

   

• £29 million to help teachers improve their own knowledge and skills, including subsidising master levels courses, helping former teachers to return to the classroom, and taking forward national priorities for continuing professional development; a further £14 million will be spent on work on performance management and related issues.

The TDA’s administration costs will be held at three per cent of its budget despite its expanded remit. The money includes initial costs for its proposed re-location to Manchester by 2010.

Notes for editors

Download the Secretary of State’s letter, setting out programme objectives in greater detail, in the right column.

The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) was established under the Education Act 2005, through the merger of the Teacher Training Agency and National Remodelling Team. Its responsibilities relate to England only.

The TDA’s principal aim is to secure an effective school workforce that raises educational standards, provides every child with the opportunity to develop their potential and thereby improves children’s life chances.

Its strategic approach to achieving this is designed to benefit schools in three key areas:

1. Securing the supply of the school workforce through promotion of the teaching profession and quality assurance for initial teacher training. This will help schools to be able to recruit sufficient good quality teachers to their workforce.
   
   
2. Supporting the development of the school workforce through creation and promotion of professional and occupational standards, support of performance management arrangements and stimulation of a sufficient supply of high-quality in-service training. This will help schools to increase the skill level of their workforce.
   
   
3. Supporting the ongoing modernisation of the school workforce, the wider education sector and children’s and young people’s services. This will help schools to be proficient in managing the process of change required for modernisation.

Full details are set out in its corporate plan for 2007-2010, available at:
http://www.tda.gov.uk/about/planspoliciesreports/plans/corpplan200710.aspx?keywords=corporate+plan

Media enquiries

TDA media relations team tel: 020 7023 8080
Out of hours: 07771 934629
E-mail: mediarelations@tda.gov.uk

Teaching enquiries

People interested in becoming a teacher should visit www.teach.gov.uk or contact the Teaching Information Line (tel: 0845 6000 991 – 992 for Welsh speakers; minicom: 01245 454343).

General TDA enquiries

Tel: 0870 4960 123