Call for costed proposals from Further
Education and Training providers for
maths graduate recruitment incentive
awards
Phase Two
October 2014
The Education and Training Foundation is seeking
costed proposals from colleges and independent
training providers for a second phase of a
recruitment incentive scheme; an award of £20,000
to colleges and training providers who recruit one or
more specialist graduate maths teacher(s)
or
£30,000 for those who recruit and will be sharing
their teaching expertise with other institutions.
1|Page
Background
1.
On 5 February 2014 the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the
Department for Education (DfE) announced ‘Up to £20 million will be made available to
encourage the brightest and the best to teach maths in further education’. One of the
schemes is:
‘...a Recruitment Incentive scheme; a bonus payment of £20,000 to colleges and
training providers who recruit a specialist graduate maths teacher or £30,000 for those
who will be sharing their teaching expertise with nearby institutions..’1
For many years businesses have complained that they cannot recruit people with the right
maths and English skills. The current government’s most recent Skills for Life Survey showed
that 24% of the population (8.1 million people) lack basic numeracy, and 15% (5.1 million
people) lack basic literacy. These basic competences are needed for all types of employment
and it is not just those planning on going to university who need to have a firm grasp of maths.
To quote the then Minister for Skills and Enterprise Matthew Hancock:
‘...It does not matter whether you are studying vital skills like carpentry or studying at
University to be a research scientist there is not a job in this country that does not need
Maths and English...’2
In March 2014 the Foundation provided 124 Further Education and Training
providers with maths graduate recruitment incentive awards. Following the sectors
response to this first phase of the project the Foundation has agreed with BIS and the DfE
that additional funds will be allocated to the Foundation Grant allocation. These funds are to
be used to implement a second phase of the recruitment incentive awards to support
providers with graduate recruitment in teaching maths. This is will be implemented with
immediate effect.
What is on offer to both colleges and independent providers
2.
Recruitment incentive awards paid to providers are intended to incentivise colleges and
independent providers to develop innovative solutions to attracting graduate maths teachers
in to FE and training.
The scope of the awards includes attracting appropriately qualified ‘non-teaching’ staff to
specialise in teaching maths, graduates who wish to change career and newly qualified
graduates. To qualify for the award the recruit(s) should be a maths graduate though the
following will be considered:

graduate in a subject with a high proportion of maths content
1
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/millions-unlocked-to-encourage-the-best-to-teach-maths-in-further-education
2
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bursaries-of-up-to-20000-offered-to-teach-maths-english-or-special-educational-needs-sen
2|Page

graduate with a specialist teaching qualification in maths or willing to undertake such
qualification in the first year of appointment

graduate (any subject) with an additional qualification to a minimum of level 3 in
maths
The Foundation is looking to support between 90 and 110 projects. Ultimately, the projects
need to contribute to the government’s main workforce strategy targets for increasing the
number of graduate maths teachers by contributing to improved recruitment and retention
of maths teachers in the FE sector and sustainable improvement in initiatives implemented
or supported by award recipients.
This second phase of the project continues to seek to address the Foundation Operational
Plan activity to ‘recruit new high calibre graduates into the education and training sector to
teach English and maths’. Aligned to this, the project is seeking to produce the following
demonstrable impact:
 a teaching career in the education and training sector becomes a known
destination for maths and maths related graduates.
 a higher level of maths and maths related attainment in the workforce,
demonstrated by increasing the proportion of maths teachers in the education and
training sector who have a degree in maths or a maths related subject.
 these short term impacts lead to longer term impacts on teaching and learner
engagement and future learner results.
 maximise retention of staff recruited through the scheme.
The overall purpose is to provide a recruitment incentive scheme. An award of:
 £20,000 to colleges and training providers who recruit a specialist graduate maths
teacher(s); OR
 £30,000 for those who recruit the above and will be sharing their teaching expertise
with nearby institutions.
The Foundation will be particularly interested in projects that foster and develop groups of
providers working together in partnerships, consortia and networks that would provide
sustainable activity beyond the initial funding, particularly around retention of the newly
supported workforce.
3.
The help we can offer you and criteria for selection
The aim of the award is to incentivise colleges and independent providers to recruit more
maths graduates to teaching posts. The projects are open to both colleges and independent
providers as both face similar challenges in responding to changing maths curriculum
policies and associated problems in attracting the right calibre and number of maths
graduates to teaching posts.
The scheme seeks to:
 encourage and not inhibit innovative ideas;
3|Page


recognise the independence of FE institutions and their freedoms; and
supplement rather than interfere with recruitment and/or HR terms and conditions.
The exact use of the project funds is not predetermined. However, a Foundation Delivery
Partner will ensure funds are used to meet the specific aim of the project i.e. to support
providers to generate a flow into their workforce of the brightest and best graduate teachers
of maths.
Examples of ways in which awards can be used:

It will be for the institution to decide the exact nature of this use, examples could
include supporting local recruitment activity or payment of any initial (local) market
premium to attract maths graduates During phase one of the award project some
examples of what the award has been used for include:
o advertising internally to teaching and non-teaching staff; using local press and
local contacts
o reviewing and challenging the usual person specification criteria in order to
encourage applications from a wider field of expertise and experience.
o enhanced salary packages
o the provision of additional support through mentoring and training; and
o reduced contact hours.
All award holders have acknowledged the need/benefit of providing a structured
teacher professional development scheme.
4.

Awards could be used to facilitate stronger links with graduate trainees whilst still
undertaking initial teacher education (ITE). This could be through enhanced links
between FE institutions and higher education institution (HEI) ITE providers to
improve or create more structured placement opportunities; and possibly facilitate
early offers of an sector teaching post, before the student finishes their course;

Awards will also be made to institutions that support the Commission on Adult
Vocational Teaching and Learning’s (CAVTL) recommendation to create a cadre of
specialist maths teachers3. For example, this could be to recruit a well-qualified
graduate specialist, or to recruit a maths teacher(s) to free up the more experienced
specialist staff whom the institution would be prepared to make available to support
maths quality improvement in other local providers. Bids which are deemed to
adequately support the CAVTL recommendation will be awarded with a project fund
valued at £30,000 in recognition of wider activity to support improvement of maths
teaching in an area.
What we need from you
Please note that recipients of an award must be able to demonstrate that the funds were used
to help facilitate the recruitment of graduate maths teachers in their institution and be able
to confirm the number recruited and dates.
3
http://repository.excellencegateway.org.uk/fedora/objects/eg:5937/datastreams/DOC/content
4|Page
All institutions receiving an award must commit to report back to the Foundation, via the
Delivery Partner on the use and impact of the payment. This should include, where relevant
and valuable, the creation of guidance on effective recruitment, retention and use of maths
specialists.
The bids for the awards may be submitted in partnership with other providers or as a
consortium with a ‘lead partner’ with the bonus payment for individual providers being
aggregated across the consortium/partnership.
The award may be linked to and used in conjunction with other schemes e.g. FE Bursary
scheme; a subject knowledge enhancement programme; and the Golden Hello scheme. Plans
for linking should be stated in the application for the award.
The provider will need to communicate via the Foundation’s Delivery Partner, who will:

confirm the authenticity of all bids

make a payment of 70% of the agreed award to the provider

help successful providers work up examples of effective practice;

give providers and partnerships any necessary advice and guidance to project manage
the awards

validate and authorise the final payment (30%) of the award- please note this final
payment is subject to receipt of funding in April 2015.
5.
How you can apply for an award
Please complete the pro forma provided at Appendix 1.
Please send your completed pro forma to Imke.Djouadj@etfoundation.co.uk, Facilitator,
Professional Standards & Workforce Development by 5.00 pm 15 December 2014. If
you have any queries, please email these with your phone number to Imke.
6.
What will happen next?
Please note that the awards are not an entitlement.
The resource allocated to the scheme is limited; the funds currently available for the awards
are fixed and will only support the allocation of a payment for 90 to 110 submissions
dependant on the mix of £20,000 and £30,000 payments.
Priority will be given to those who have not received an award during phase one though the
scheme remains open to all colleges and independent training providers.
Remaining funds will be allocated on a first come first served basis to valid and approved
applicants.
5|Page
Appendix 1
Pro-forma
Application for a recruitment incentive award of £20,000 to recruit a specialist
graduate maths teacher(s)
or
£30,000 for those who will be sharing their teaching expertise with nearby
institutions.
1. Your organisation:
Name and type of organisation
Address
Contact person (name, email address, phone number)
2. Award applied for?
(£20,000 or £30,000)
3. Details of any partnership or collaborative arrangements
(which partners would be involved and in what roles; which will be the lead organisation
through which the payment will be channelled)?
4. Your anticipated activity and planned outcomes
(up to a maximum of 800 words, please include word count)
5. Equality and diversity – what steps will you take to ensure that awards are
distributed fairly and in line with relevant legislation?
(This is an important element of the project and will be taken into account when the awards
are distributed. Up to a maximum of 500 words)
6. Impact - what longer term impacts you would plan to achieve by accessing
the maths recruitment incentive award?
(Refer to the four bullets, paragraph two, page three of the Costed Proposal document. Up
to a maximum of 500 words, please include word count)
6|Page