News story: New teachers ready to deliver in the classroom

In the last academic year 23,100 newly qualified teachers joined the 450,000-strong teacher workforce and, in a survey published today (Wednesday 5 September), 91% of respondents say their training has equipped them to deliver high standards for pupils.

The findings published today follow plans to boost teacher development opportunities, including extra support during the early stages of their career. It also builds on the pledge from the Education Secretary, Damian Hinds, to champion the teaching profession and work with school leaders, teaching unions and Ofsted to reduce workload in schools.

Thanks to a hard-working and incredibly talented generation of teachers, alongside the government’s bold reforms, there are now 1.9 million more children in good or outstanding schools than in 2010.

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb:

It has never been a better time to join the teaching profession. This survey demonstrates high levels of satisfaction with teacher training. Despite the challenges of recruiting graduates in a strong economy with fierce competition for graduates in other professions and industries, last year we recruited over 32,000 trainee teachers, up 3% from the previous year. We have recently announced a 3.5% pay rise for teachers in the early part of their careers, and there are ample opportunities for promotion.

Last year 32,710 trainee teachers were recruited – up by 815 (3%) on the previous year. This generation of teachers is better qualified than ever – 98.7% of all teachers have a degree or higher, which has risen by 4.4 percentage points since 2010, and nearly one in five trainees in 2018 has a first-class degree.

Today’s announcement comes after the Education Secretary confirmed an investment of £508 million to fund the deal which means the main pay range for classroom teachers will increase by 3.5 per cent – as part of the government’s biggest pay rise in almost 10 years for around one million public sector workers across Britain.

It also builds on plans to support the profession and put it on a par with other industries, including:

  • the launch of a workload reduction toolkit and the appointment of a workload advisory group to strip away work that does not matter in the classroom; and
  • a pledge to introduce more flexible working practices, including a £5 million fund to help experienced teachers take a sabbatical.


Notice: Advanced Modular Reactor (AMR) Feasibility and Development Project

BEIS is to invest up to £44 million in the Advanced Modular Reactor (AMR) Feasibility and Development (F&D) project. In this context Advanced Modular Reactor (AMRs) are defined as a broad group of advanced nuclear reactors. AMRs differ from conventional reactors, which use pressurised or boiling water for primary cooling. They aim to maximise the amount of off-site factory fabrication and can target:

  • generating low cost electricity
  • increased flexibility in delivering electricity to the grid
  • increased functionality, such as the provision of heat output for domestic or industrial purposes, or facilitating the production of hydrogen
  • alternative applications that may generate additional revenue or economic growth

This project has 2 phases:

  • phase 1: funding (up to £4 million, excluding VAT) to undertake a series of feasibility studies for AMR designs. Contracts are worth up to £300,000 (excluding VAT)
  • phase 2: subject to phase 1 demonstrating clear value for money and government approval, a share of up to £40 million (excluding VAT) could be available for selected projects from phase 1 to undertake development activities. Up to a further £5 million may also be made available to regulators to support this

The following 8 organisations have been awarded contracts to produce feasibility studies as part of phase 1 of the AMR F&D project:

  • Advanced Reactor Concepts LLC
  • DBD Limited
  • Blykalla Reaktorer Stockholm AB (LeadCold)
  • Moltex Energy Limited
  • Tokamak Energy Ltd
  • U-Battery Developments Ltd
  • Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation
  • Westinghouse Electric Company UK

As part of their application, each organisation supplied an abstract summarising their proposal. The claims and opinions expressed in the abstracts are those of the applicant organisation and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of BEIS.



Open consultation: National FCERM strategy: Strategic Environmental Assessment scoping report

The revised flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM) strategy requires a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) under the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations.

The scoping stage of SEA decides the issues we should address and the approach. We will present the outcome in the environmental report. This will be published together with the consultation on the draft FCERM Strategy 2050.

We will consult with interested parties, in particular the statutory SEA consultation bodies.

You can respond to this consultation by email to FCERMstrategy@environment-agency.gov.uk. Alternatively write to our National Customer Contact Centre. Please mark for the attention of the SEA team.

For information about the FCERM Strategy 2050 see the FCERM consultation hub.



News story: Programme: EU-UK Article 50 negotiations Brussels, w/c 3 September 2018

UK and EU flags
  • Principals’ meeting: Michel Barnier, the European Commission’s Chief Negotiator, and Dominic Raab, UK Secretary of State for Exiting the EU.

This meeting will be preceded by meetings at technical level on Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th on the remaining issues of the Withdrawal Agreement and the future relationship.

Published 5 September 2018



Press release: Extended jail sentence handed to waste criminal

John Bruce (aged 46) is already serving 26 months imprisonment for dumping, burying and burning hazardous waste at Ridgeway Park Farm, Throckmorton Airfield, Worcestershire.

On Tuesday 4 September, Bruce pleaded guilty to a charge in relation to operating a regulated facility at Ridgeway Park Farm without an Environmental Permit. Worcester Crown Court handed Bruce a 22 week custodial sentence to run concurrently to his existing 26 month sentence.

The case, brought by the Environment Agency, concerned illegal waste operations at Ridgeway Park Farm in 2016. Bruce had accepted over 60 tonnes of redundant kitchen and bathroom materials onto his site. When Environment Agency officers visited the farm, they saw that in addition to these materials, flat pack furniture and packaging materials were being burnt on site.

In mitigation, the Judge noted that Bruce had pleaded guilty and therefore avoided the need for a full trial.

An Environment Agency officer in charge of the investigation said:

Mr Bruce has shown a blatant disregard for the environment and local community by operating a large scale illegal waste site at his farm. His actions undermine legitimate business also the investment and economic growth that go with it.

The Environment Agency will use all its enforcement powers, where we believe environmental offences have been committed. In cases where we believe monies have been unlawfully gained, we will investigate under the proceeds of crime act and confiscate assets.

The Environment Agency urge people to report waste crime on our Incident Hotline 0800 80 70 60 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.