Extra cash incentives announced for teacher trainees

New teachers are to be offered extra cash incentives to encourage them to stay in the classroom.

Those training to teach chemistry, physics and modern foreign languages from 2020/21 are to be given £6,000 over four years, the Department for Education (DfE) said.

Trainees working in areas most in need of teachers in these subjects will be handed up to £9,000.

The money is on top of bursaries worth around £26,000 which they already get during their training.

It is the first time that teacher recruits in these subjects have been offered the extra incentive.

Those training to study maths have been handed similar incentives for the last two years.

In addition, the DfE has announced that bursaries worth £9,000 are to be made available for the first time to trainees in art and design and business studies.

The move is part of efforts to encourage teachers to stay in the classroom.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “I want both the brightest and the best talent to be drawn to the teaching profession and for schools to compete with the biggest employers in the labour market.

“The bursaries we are announcing today, along with the 2.75% pay rise for all teachers and school leaders this academic year, will do just that, while ensuring that those who stay in the classroom will benefit most.”

Government figures published last month showed that around one in five of all teacher trainees eligible for a bursary (across 15 subjects including primary education) were not teaching in a state school 16 months after qualifying.