People are being flown in from Shanghai to take up maths teaching jobs in England.

An arrangement set up by the Department of Education will see up to 60 maths teachers arrive in UK schools. Shanghai was recently found to be the home of the world's best education system and officials in England hope the move can raise standards here.

The Shanghai teachers will provide masterclasses across 30 "maths hubs", which will form the basis of a new network of centres of excellence. Bidding to be involved in this network began yesterday (March 12th), but the new teachers and hubs - groups of schools - will only begin to operate in the autumn. 

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, children from poorer families in Shanghai have better maths skills than middle class children in the UK.

Education minister Elizabeth Truss, who has recently visited Shanghai, defended the decision, stating: "We have some brilliant maths teachers in this country but what I saw in Shanghai - and other Chinese cities - has only strengthened my belief that we can learn from them.

"They have a can-do attitude to maths - and I want us to match that, and their performance."

She stressed school performance in maths is closely related to the economic health of a whole country and this plan could help give British youngsters the abilities they need to "succeed in the global race".

Christine Blower, leader of the National Union of Teachers, warned Shanghai was an anomaly and not representative of the rest of China, stating the city is home to the wealthiest and most highly-educated Chinese pupils.

As somebody who is looking for a secondary maths teaching job in London or elsewhere in the UK, what do you think about this? Is there value in bringing in outside help, or is it a kick in the teeth for newly-qualified British teachers?

Please tell us your thoughts on the subject.