Mandy Morgan, head of design technology at Mill Hill county high in north-west London, was approved by the Government’s private consultants as the first advanced skills teacher.

Ms Morgan will get an extra Pounds 5,000 a year for two years from September. In March, during an interview on education action zones she told The TES: “I’d rather see money spent on materials than my salary.”

A further 11 advanced skills teachers have now been appointed. They are aged between 35 and 45 and have an average of 15 years’ experience in a variety of subjects.

The Government hopes 100 ASTs will be appointed by early next term, but the interview process - including an assessor’s visit - will be suspended over the summer.

As a technology college, Mill Hill county was invited to bid for an AST by the Department for Education and Employment in June. Both Ms Morgan and her headteacher, Alan Davison, were interviewed by private education consultants.

Dr Davison said he hoped to influence the new grade. “We believe there is a lot in the idea - particulary in the idea of school-based advisors rather than advisors based in the local authority.”

The school hopes the post will rotate - Mr Davison said he had six candidates, and although the idea was to encourage good teachers to remain in the classroom, Ms Morgan is not thought to have given up headship or deputy headship ambitions.

She will step down from her head of department post, and spend two days a week working with other teachers in her school, plus half a day every fortnight with staff in schools in Barnet education authority - the authority Mill Hill left acrimoniously in 1993.

Working with teachers in other schools was a condition of the Government funding.

The school expects to receive about Pounds 18,000 a year to cover Ms Morgan’s pay rise, supply cover and a new head of department.