University Welcomes Government Announcement on Teacher Training Bursaries

The University of Worcester has welcomed news from the Government of additional bursaries for trainee teachers.

Robin Walker MP, Minister of State in the Department for Education and Worcester City MP, announced yesterday that new trainee teachers can get bursaries of up to £24,000 and existing teachers in all state schools can access free courses to develop their skills.

The University of Worcester is one of the country’s leading providers of teacher education, with more than seven decades of experience in training outstanding professionals to work in education settings locally, nationally and internationally. Founded in 1946 as a post-war emergency teacher training college, the University is now among England’s 15 largest initial teacher education providers, and second largest in the West Midlands. Annually, over 600 trainees choose the University of Worcester due to the long-standing reputation of its PGCE and Undergraduate routes. 

Speaking about the Government announcement, Catriona Robinson, Acting Head of the University’s School of Education, said: “We are delighted to hear this most positive news from Government. Our region, and country as a whole, requires more high-quality trained teachers as they are critical to children’s lives, from the earliest years. At the University of Worcester, we are committed to educating those professionals to work in our schools, early years settings and colleges, knowing they will go on to make a positive contribution, teaching with confidence and competence in order to inspire children and young people to achieve the very best that they can.

“We work closely and productively in partnership with more than 500 schools and education providers across the region, in the common goal to ensure that the education of children is the best it can be. This announcement has the potential to increase the numbers of highly qualified trainee teachers entering the teaching profession which is especially welcome as these individuals will play an important part in the levelling up agenda to address the educational disruption our children and young people are facing.”

Mr Walker’s announcement says that graduates applying to train as teachers in high-demand subjects will receive thousands of pounds in tax-free cash bursaries under Government plans to recruit and retain world-class teachers.

This follows an announcement by the Prime Minister last week that teachers of maths, physics, chemistry and computing in the first five years of their careers will receive salary boosts of up to £3,000 – to support the recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in these subjects.

In his statement, Schools Minister, Mr Walker said: “Great teachers can transform young people’s lives, and I want this country to recruit and retain the most talented, committed teachers who support students to thrive and achieve their potential.”

He added: “Quality, face to face teaching is the single most important factor in supporting our young people to recover from the impact of the pandemic, and this investment provides a fantastic opportunity to attract and develop the world-leading teachers and school leaders who will guide, care for and educate our children for years to come.”

Ms Robinson added: “We couldn’t agree more with Mr Walker’s comments about the importance of good teachers and we hope that this new announcement will inspire even more people, who have the passion and ability to teach, to come forward.”