Ingrid's Story

Ingrid is 26 and wanted to become a teacher in Cities of London and Westminster, but found her path blocked by central government funding decisions. Despite critical teacher shortages in London schools, the Department for Education reduced training bursaries for key subjects while setting national recruitment targets that ignore regional disparities. HM Treasury's spending rules force departments to compete for fixed pots, as though the government that creates the currency must first find it somewhere. The classrooms were there, qualified graduates ready to teach were there, but the political will to connect them was missing. This episode explores how Westminster's choices leave education sector workers stranded. Content note: discusses education policy and government funding decisions.