The Government has announced today, 12 October 2021, that new trainee teachers can get bursaries of up to £24,000. Existing teachers in all state schools can also access free courses to develop their skills, under Government plans to recruit and retain world-class teachers.
A total of £129 million will be available for trainee teachers from 2022/23. This includes increased bursaries of £15,000 for Languages, Geography and Design and Technology, and £10,000 for Biology. This is in addition to the existing £24,000 bursary or £26,000 scholarship for Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Computing.
The Prime Minister announced last week that teachers of Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Computing in the first five years of their careers, will receive salary boosts of up to £3,000. This is to support the recruitment and retention of teachers in these specialist subjects.
Existing teachers and school leaders will also be able to access free qualifications including managing behaviour, developing other teachers and being a great headteacher. This forms part of the Government’s commitment to providing 500,000 teacher training opportunities across all levels of the profession during this Parliament.
The National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) aim to help teachers develop and progress in their careers, and help ensure they have the skills needed to support young people catch up following the impact of the pandemic. NPQs are trusted qualifications accredited by the Department for Education, for those employed at state-funded schools and 16-19 organisations.
The Government has committed to invest £184 million to provide 150,000 high-quality NPQs across the next three years. The £184 million for the training forms part of the Government’s £3 billion education recovery programme, which also includes an expanded tutoring offer to support pupils to catch up.
Applications for teacher training open today (Tuesday 12 October) through the Department’s new Apply service.