Teachers: Training

(asked on 16th December 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he made of the potential effect on levels of recruitment of the introduction of initial teacher training bursaries for religious education teachers when developing that policy; and if he will make a statement.


Answered by
Robin Walker Portrait
Robin Walker
This question was answered on 10th January 2022

The department offers bursaries for initial teacher training (ITT) to incentivise applications for ITT courses. The bursaries on offer are reviewed each year to take account of factors including historic recruitment, forecasted economic conditions, and teacher supply need in each subject. This provides flexibility in responding to the need to attract new teachers, meaning money is spent where it is most needed.

In the 2020/21 academic year, the department exceeded the postgraduate ITT target in religious education at 129% of the original target. In the 2021/22 academic year, the equivalent target was extremely close to being met, at 99% of the target. As a result, we have focused the bursaries on subjects where it is hardest to attract sufficient applicants. We will review the need for financial incentives across all subjects again, using the latest available data, before announcing the bursaries for the 2023/24 academic year.

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