The offer of £10,000 "golden handcuffs" payments to the best teachers who were prepared to work at the worst performing secondary schools was a key part of the Government's New Opportunities White Paper on social mobility

The deal forms a major plank of the proposals, alongside an extension of free nursery and childcare places to 15% of the most disadvantaged families with two-year-olds.

Launching the White Paper, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he wanted to ensure that everyone was able to take advantage of the eventual economic recovery when it comes.

Mr Brown was setting out ambitious plans to improve the chances of the most disadvantaged in society, saying Britain must start preparing for the eventual economic upturn.

The White Paper follows research indicating that children in Britain are less likely than those in other developed countries to move up the social ladder and get better jobs than their parents.

While the Prime Minister acknowledged that the coming months would be "tough", he said the global economy would return to growth in the years ahead, creating up to one billion skilled jobs worldwide.

"During this global economic downturn we must continue to invest in people so they have a fair chance to achieve their potential," he said.

Cabinet Office Minister Liam Byrne said it was essential that help was available at every stage of people's lives if class barriers were to be broken down effectively.

Other measures in the White Paper - which brings together a number of recent Government announcements - includes a guarantee that vulnerable mothers will have access to a dedicated family nurse to help them through pregnancy and the first two years of childhood.

And a total of 35,000 new apprenticeship places will be created to ensure that all qualified young people have the right to an apprenticeship by 2013.