Teachers welcomed to Downing Street

A teacher from Hastings was invited to Number 10 Downing Street on Monday (May 21) to meet with the Prime Minister and Education Secretary.
Anna Benford, a teacher at Ark Blacklands Primary Academy in Hastings SUS-180525-160915001Anna Benford, a teacher at Ark Blacklands Primary Academy in Hastings SUS-180525-160915001
Anna Benford, a teacher at Ark Blacklands Primary Academy in Hastings SUS-180525-160915001

One hundred teachers in total were welcomed to Downing Street to celebrate their hard work, talent and commitment to giving every child an excellent education.

One of those in attendance was Anna Benford, a teacher at Ark Blacklands Primary Academy in Hastings.

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Prime Minister Theresa May and Damian Hinds, the Secretary of State for Education, paid tribute to the hard work and dedication of the profession which, alongside the government’s bold reforms, have helped to raise standards – with 1.9 million more children now in good or outstanding schools than in 2010.

There are 15,500 more teachers than in 2010 and the quality of new entrants into the teaching profession is at an all-time high, with almost a fifth of new teachers starting this year holding a first-class degree, according to the Department for Education.

Prime Minister Theresa May said: “We know that the success of every young person, in whatever they go on to do in life, is shaped by the education they receive at school. That’s why I was delighted to welcome a hundred teachers from across the country to Downing Street to celebrate their achievements and to thank them for the vital work they do day-in and day-out.

“We now have nearly two million more children being taught in schools that are good or outstanding compared with 2010, we’ve raised teacher numbers to record levels and we’re working with the profession on a new strategy to drive recruitment and boost retention.”

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Education Secretary Damian Hinds said: “Whenever I ask people about what they most remember from school, they always talk about the teacher who inspired them.

There are no great schools without great teachers and the reception today is a small recognition of the incredible dedication and hard work we see day in, day out, across the teaching profession.”