The government has announced that 100 "exceptional middle leaders" are to take up posts in some of the most challenging schools in England to boost standards across the board, raise the quality of education and transform teaching and subject leadership.

Schools minister David Laws is asking talented individuals that fit this description – heads of department, subject or year group leaders – with a track record in delivering outstanding results to consider this opportunity.

Applicants can apply for the scheme via the Future Leaders Trust, whereby, on selection, they will spend a full academic year in an underperforming school, utilising their expertise to turn things around.

"We know that strong leadership and high-quality teaching are vital to improving pupil outcomes," said Mr Laws."That is why we launched the Talented Leaders initiative last year, placing 'outstanding' headteachers into struggling schools.

"Today we are announcing a new programme to do the same with ‘outstanding’ heads of department and subject leaders. This new programme will allow schools facing some of the greatest challenges to benefit from the skills, expertise and knowledge of an exceptional middle leader who can drive improvements and raise standards."

The MP concluded by saying that the government is keen to persuade the most talented middle managers in education to relocate – temporarily or permanently – to schools that need a fresh, new outlook, as well as the expert counsel of individuals who have a proven track record.

Heath Monk, chief executive officer of the Future Leaders Trust, added that the programme is all about providing youngsters with the kind of quality education that will help them get the best start to life as possible.

"We needed to find exceptional school leaders who will commit to relocating to a new school for three years and I’m happy to say that we have done that," he continued, referencing the strong start to the first round of the scheme.

"They are skilled and passionate about seeing their students succeed. It has also meant finding the schools that need more support and we’ve been working alongside local authorities and academy trusts to identify them.

"We are now matching our Talented Leaders participants with these schools, and it’s great to see that our first Talented Leaders programme head has already been appointed."

At the end of 2014, Sir Michael Wilshaw, chief inspector of Ofsted, said that more is needed to be done to ensure that talented teachers take up posts in schools that are most in need of outstanding individuals.

He stated, in Ofsted's annual report, that one of the things that has him especially concerned is the shortfall of people joining the teaching profession. While a lot has been done to attract new recruits – characterised by a "rising quality" – the numbers are lacking.

"This is a pressing issue," he said. "More teachers will be needed to match the substantial increase in the number of school-aged children expected over the next ten years.

"We also face a major challenge getting the best teachers into the right schools. Good and outstanding schools with the opportunity to cherry pick the best trainees may further exacerbate the stark differences in local and regional performance."