THE idea of sending fresh-faced teaching graduates into some of East Lancashire's schools has split opinion amongst education leaders.

Teach First, a charity credited for transforming the fortune of schools in the capital, has announced plans to send an increasing amount of top graduates into classrooms in some of the country's most deprived areas while they carry out their teacher training.

A report from the charity said it now plans to work with even more schools to tackle the 'changing landscape of educational inequality' by growing its army of teachers from around 6,000 now to more than 10,000 by 2018 and 17,000 by 2022.

It estimates that 36 per cent of secondary schools and 32 per cent of all primary schools will be eligible to work with Teach First, and said it would provide around half of all new science and maths teachers in schools in low-income communities next year.

However, Ofsted inspection guidelines state: "If a school is judged to require special measures, Ofsted must determine whether the school should be permitted to appoint newly qualified teachers (NQTs).

"In the case of an academy made subject to special measures, the lead inspector will make a recommendation on whether or not the academy may appoint NQTs.

"During monitoring inspections, the lead inspector may review this decision or, in the case of an academy, recommendation in the light of progress made by the school and confirm or revise the permission or recommendation."

In 2010, University of Manchester research found that schools that employed Teach First teachers saw improved GCSE results.

The charity said: "Schools that had partnered with us in four of the previous six years saw their GCSE results improve by a third of a grade, per pupil, per subject, compared to similar schools without our teachers."

David Cameron, Nick Clegg, and Ed Miliband have all praised the charity's work.

Coun Dave Harling, executive member for schools and education at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "It is vital for the success of our schools that young, newly qualified graduates see teaching as a viable career option when contemplating their futures.

“However, parachuting highly qualified graduates into under achieving schools in deprived areas is not a panacea for improving education.

“The best way to train graduates to become good teachers is by providing them with long term placements in our schools, working alongside these excellent teachers, and supporting them adequately along the way.

“As such I do not welcome the news that the Teach First charity will be expanding its current operation.”

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), added: "Many teachers have committed to working with children and young people from the toughest backgrounds.

"They do this despite the fact that the current punitive Ofsted inspection regime, alongside ever changing arbitrary targets from government, could well see their school closed or put into special measures regardless of the good work they are doing.

"This is an unacceptable state of affairs. Teachers need to be convinced that working in such schools enhances, not undermines, their careers. This will only be achieved when a fairer inspection and accountability system is in place."