Chris Webb: It was incredible teachers from St Mary’s who inspired me to become Blackpool South MP
A Blackpool MP has opened up about his journey to become an MP saying he success was down to a “couple of incredible teachers from St Mary’s who believed in me”.
Blackpool South MP Chris Webb shared an insight into his education as talented people in the town with the potential to become brilliant teachers are to be offered bursaries and scholarships worth up to £31,000 to train to teach in subjects including chemistry, maths, physics, and computing.
The package will build on the progress already made to deliver on the government's pledge to recruit and retain 6,500 additional teachers, after the North West recorded one of the biggest increases in teacher numbers in the country over the last year
In the North West in 2024/25, schools have seen one of the strongest improvements nationwide, with special school teachers up by 127 and the number of full-time secondary teachers rising by 278 – the second-biggest increase in the country.
However, the attainment gap in Blackpool is among the highest in the county.
The average Attainment 8 score for Blackpool pupils – a measure of their average achievement across eight secondary school subjects – was 34.9 in 2022/23 compared to 46.4 nationally. In 2022/23, 45.1% of students in Blackpool achieved grades 9 to 4 in English and maths GCSE, compared to 65.4% nationally.
Chris Webb said:“I’ve visited schools right across Blackpool South and heard directly from headteachers and leadership teams about the challenges they face in attracting and retaining staff. We know how vital great teachers are and how they can change the course of a child’s life.
“It was a couple of incredible teachers from St Mary’s who believed in me, supported me with my learning disability and inspired me to get on the path that led me to becoming MP for our town.
“We need more teachers with that belief and ambition for our children in our schools, and that’s exactly what this government is doing.
“While the Tories and Reform have one education policy – cutting state school budgets to restore private schools’ tax breaks – Labour is focused on supporting every child in Blackpool to achieve and thrive.
“It’s essential that our children get the best possible education and that means supporting our teachers every step of the way. I’m proud that our Labour government is delivering the investment, incentives and ambition to get more expert teachers into classrooms here in Blackpool and across the country.”
Across the North West, there were 349 new postgraduate trainees in key shortage subjects including chemistry, computing, mathematics and physics.
Bursaries for teacher trainees in further education will also be available, with £31,000 for those teaching in key shortage STEM subjects, £15,000 for SEND-specialist trainees and £10,000 for those training to teach English.
The Labour government is also offering schools up to £29,000 to cover the cost of training apprentices in mathematics, chemistry, physics, computing and modern foreign languages, meaning apprentices pay nothing for their training and will earn a salary while they are training before moving on to a qualified teacher salary.
The Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship, another popular route into teaching, has also seen a 58 per cent growth over the past few years, offering a brilliant way for people to gain the hands-on skills and experience they need in the classroom from day one to become expert teachers and build a successful career in teaching.
Getting more exceptional teachers in front of every classroom with a passion to inspire the next generation will drive high standards in schools and boost outcomes for every young person, so no child is left behind.
Recent national data shows that more than one in ten maths lessons in the last year was taught by a non-specialist teacher, whilst only 72.2 per cent of physics lessons were taught by a teacher with a relevant post A-level qualification. Funding announced today will make sure that children and young people have high-quality, specialist teachers in these key shortage subjects.
Bridget Phillipson, Education Secretary, said: “Inspirational teachers changed my life and change the lives of millions of children every day – this government is determined that we have more brilliant teachers, in more schools, improving the life chances of more children and young people.
“Through our Plan for Change we’ve already begun to move the dial, with more teachers in our schools this year than last, and big increases in people accepting teaching training places in subjects including chemistry, physics, and maths.
“But there is more to do, and we need talented people with the passion and drive to inspire the next generation - working their magic, making school a place pupils want to be, boosting outcomes and transforming the lives of our young people.”