Davey wins training salaries for local student teachers

22.5.01

Local Lib Dem candidate, Edward Davey, has helped persuade the Government to give trainee grants to local student teachers who unfairly missed out last year.

Part-time PGCE students due to start courses in April or May 2000 were told by the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) that they would be entitled to the £6,000 grant announced by the Government in March 2000. After they started their courses the DfEE has since made it clear that the grant was only ever intended for those students commencing courses from September 2000.

Mr Davey challenged Mr Blunkett to give the students their grants after being approached by affected constituents living in Kingston & Surbiton. His Lib Dem colleague Simon Hughes, who supported his campaign, was recently notified that the Government had now agreed to paying the promised training salaries.

Edward Davey said:

"This was a clear cut case. The TTA misled students and their colleges about these training salaries.

"We are desperate for teachers locally and the Government's delay over this decision has meant we have lost some potential teachers because they couldn't afford to finish their courses.

"The decision to pay the promised salaries is better late than never but this type of mistake must never be allowed to happen again"