Overview

• The Department for Education announced bursaries and scholarships worth up to £31,000 for those training to teach STEM subjects, with awards continuing into 2026/27.
• Further education trainees can receive £31,000 in key STEM areas, £15,000 for special educational needs and disabilities specialism, and £10,000 for English.
• Schools will be able to claim up to £29,000 to train apprentices in maths, chemistry, physics and computing, and £20,000 for modern foreign languages.
• For the first time, Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship funding will match initial teacher training incentives across all subjects.
• Government figures show trainee numbers up 33% in physics and 42% in computing, while unions welcome the funding but warn that pay, workload and inspection pressures still undermine recruitment and retention.