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2mo ago

England Refocuses Teacher Training Incentives With £31,000 for STEM as Some Bursaries Are Cut

Ministers say the refocused incentives aim to lift STEM recruitment after a modest uptick in trainee numbers.

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Most schools have taken at least one measure to reduce spending in the last year, a new survey shows

Overview

  • New tax-free bursaries and scholarships worth up to £31,000 will be available for trainees in shortage STEM subjects across university, school-based and further education routes.
  • For the first time, Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship funding matches other training incentives, with schools able to claim up to £29,000 to train apprentices in maths, chemistry, physics and computing, and £20,000 in modern foreign languages.
  • Several non-STEM incentives are reduced or removed for 2026/27, including the scrapping of bursaries for English, music, art and design, and religious education, cuts to biology and geography bursaries from £26,000 to £5,000, and the removal of the £31,000 maths scholarship.
  • The Department for Education reports a 33% rise in physics trainees and a 42% rise in computing, while NFER projects secondary recruitment could reach about 85% of target for 2025/26 after achieving 62% last year.
  • Sector leaders welcome extra support for STEM recruitment but warn that retention will depend on improvements to pay, workload and inspection pressures.