'Schools need practical help, not just platitudes'

SCHOOLS in Somerset are crying out for help but instead of tailored tools, they're getting template solutions, according to a local MP.

- LEWIS CLARKE

Adam Dance has taken the government to task, accusing ministers of offering platitudes instead of practical support for struggling rural classrooms.

Adam Dance, Liberal Democrat MP for Yeovil, has demanded targeted action from the government to tackle teacher shortages in Somerset, warning that schools in his constituency are facing recruitment and retention difficulties that national programmes are failing to address.

The call comes after a parliamentary response from Catherine McKinnell, minister of state for education, to a written question Dance submitted on support for local schools. McKinnell outlined several measures intended to improve teacher recruitment and retention across the country, including bursaries of up to £29,000 for trainees, teacher pay rises, and financial incentives for early career teachers in key subjects working in disadvantaged areas.