Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will provide additional support for people studying for a languages PGCE who will not qualify for the higher bursary available to those starting in September this year.

The Department is providing a £15,000 tax free bursary for language trainees who have started initial teacher training (ITT) courses in the 2022/23 academic year. The Department reviews bursaries each year before deciding the amount for trainees starting ITT the following academic year. This review assesses several factors, including historic recruitment, forecast economic conditions, and teacher supply need in each subject.

The final bursary amount is communicated to candidates considering ITT, so that they are aware before they apply to, and start their ITT course. As the bursaries are designed to incentivise applications to specific ITT courses, they cannot be awarded retrospectively to trainees who were not eligible when they applied.