Mira's Story

Meet Mira, 28, from Cambridge in the East of England. She wanted to become a teacher in a subject facing critical shortages, but found her path blocked when the Department for Education reduced training bursaries for her region. Despite Cambridge being in the 9th deprivation decile, Westminster set national recruitment targets that ignored regional disparities. The classrooms were there, qualified graduates like Mira were ready to teach, but HM Treasury's spending rules forced departments to compete for fixed pots of money. This episode explores how central government choices create artificial scarcity in education, leaving communities without the teachers they desperately need. Disclosure: This programme advocates for monetary sovereignty and challenges conventional fiscal constraints.