Ely teacher among 100 invited to No 10, Downing Street

Prime Minister Theresa May addressing teachers inside Downing Street (Image: © MoD/Crown Copyright. The material may be used for current news purposes only. It may not be used, reproduced or transmitted)

Rachel Clarke, of Ely St. Mary’s Church of England Junior School, attended the reception on Monday May 21.

Teachers from schools across the country attended the evening reception which was hosted by the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Education.

Both Theresa May and Damian Hinds commended the hard work and dedication of the profession 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 almost a fifth of new teachers starting this year hold a first-class degree.

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 over 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.

“Teachers are key to making Britain the great meritocracy it can and should be, and I am committed to working with them so that every child has the best possible start in life.”

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.

“We now have the most remarkably talented generation of teachers, and it was a pleasure to recognise the commitment and hard work of just some of the 457,000 teachers we have working in classrooms across the country to raise standards for pupils.”