Guidance

Funding: initial teacher training (ITT), academic year 2023 to 2024

Updated 10 October 2024

Applies to England

1. Overview

The Department for Education (DfE) is responsible for:

• managing grant funding associated with initial teacher training (ITT)
• monitoring the public cost of student loans accessed by trainees

This guidance refers to ITT funding for the academic year 2023 to 2024. For the academic year 2022 to 2023 read Funding: initial teacher training (ITT), academic year 2022 to 2023

2. Postgraduate bursaries and scholarships

Bursaries and scholarships are available to trainees on tuition fee-based teacher training courses in England that lead to the award of qualified teacher status (QTS).

Receiving a bursary or scholarship depends on:

• highest relevant academic award
• ITT subject

In languages and physics, trainees starting courses in the academic year 2023 to 2024 will not need to be eligible for student finance to be eligible for a bursary or scholarship. In all other subjects, trainees are only eligible for a bursary or scholarship if they are entitled to support under the student finance criteria.

Non-UK trainees should read Train to teach in England: non-UK applicants. Applicants with a degree from outside the UK can contact Get into Teaching or their chosen training provider for further advice.

For 2023 to 2024, we are offering bursaries of:

• £27,000 in chemistry, computing, mathematics and physics
• £25,000 in geography and languages (including ancient languages)
• £20,000 in biology and design and technology
• £15,000 in English

Applicants may be eligible for a bursary if they have a 1st, 2:1, 2:2, PhD or master’s.

We are offering scholarships of:

• £29,000 in chemistry, computing, mathematics and physics
• £27,000 in French, German and Spanish (no other languages)

Scholarships are usually available to applicants with a 1st, 2:1, master’s or PhD, though in exceptional circumstances they may be awarded to a graduate with a 2:2 and significant relevant experience.

Scholarships also come with a package of additional benefits from the relevant scholarship body:

• tax free scholarship
• membership to the professional body
• subject specialist events and webinars held by professional bodies
• online and face-to-face workshops across the country
• subject specialist mentors and coaching
• community of scholars (ex-scholars, teachers, subject leaders)
• access to classroom resources
• continuing professional development (CPD) and networking events during ITT year and alumni

Scholarships are applied for separately to ITT and only awarded to high calibre students who pass a robust application and interview process in one of the specialist subject areas. Scholarships are awarded instead of a bursary.

Scholarship applicants should apply to the relevant scholarship body. Details are available on Get Into Teaching.

Further guidance on postgraduate bursaries and scholarships is available in the initial teacher training (ITT) bursary: funding manual.

3. Undergraduate bursary

Undergraduates may be eligible for a bursary of £9,000 if:

• they’re studying a QTS course in secondary mathematics or physics
• they’re studying an opt-in QTS course in secondary undergraduate mathematics, physics, computing or languages
• their course starts in the academic year 2023 to 2024

They will receive the bursary in the final year of their course.

If an eligible trainee is on a 4-year undergraduate course that leads to QTS and a master’s degree, they will receive a £9,000 bursary in both the third and fourth years of their course.

Further guidance on undergraduate bursaries is available in the initial teacher training (ITT) bursary: funding manual.

4. Undergraduate veteran teaching bursary

Undergraduate veterans may be eligible for a £40,000 training bursary if:

• they’ve left full time employment with the British Army, Royal Air Force or Royal Navy
• they left no more than 5 years before the start of their course
• they enrol on an eligible QTS course in secondary biology, chemistry, computing, languages, mathematics or physics
• their course starts in the academic year 2023 to 2024

Trainees will receive £20,000 in each of the last 2 years of their course, in equal monthly instalments.

Further guidance on the undergraduate veteran teaching bursary is available in the initial teacher training (ITT) bursary: funding manual.

5. School Direct (salaried) route

For trainees on a School Direct (salaried) training route, we give grants to School Direct lead schools to contribute to the trainee’s salary and training costs.

The same grant amount is available regardless of the location of the lead school. Grants are paid on a per trainee basis. For 2023 to 2024 we are offering grants of:

• £27,000 for chemistry, computing, mathematics and physics trainees
• £25,000 for geography and languages (including ancient languages)
• £20,000 for biology and design and technology
• £15,000 for English

School Direct (salaried) trainees are not eligible for bursaries or scholarships.

Further guidance about School Direct (salaried) funding is available in the School Direct (salaried) funding manual.

6. Postgraduate teaching apprenticeships

For the postgraduate teaching apprenticeship training route, we give grants to School Direct lead schools to contribute to the training and trainee salary costs. This grant contributes to the apprentice’s salary and is in addition to funding available from the Education and Skills Funding Agency, which is for training and assessment costs only.

The same grant amount is available regardless of the location of the lead school. Grants are paid on a per trainee basis. For 2023 to 2024 we are offering grants of:

• £18,000 for chemistry, computing, mathematics and physics trainees
• £16,000 for geography and languages (including ancient languages)
• £11,000 for biology and design and technology
• £6,000 for English

Further guidance about postgraduate teaching apprenticeship funding is available in the postgraduate teaching apprenticeship funding manual.

7. Subject knowledge enhancement (SKE)

We are committed to supporting ITT recruitment and helping candidates gain the depth of subject knowledge they need before starting ITT training, particularly in hard-to recruit priority subjects. SKE courses are fully funded for eligible candidates and delivered by 41 SKE providers. Eligible candidates could also receive a SKE bursary which is £175 for academic year 2022 to 2023.

For more information on the SKE package of support for the academic year 2022 to 2023, refer to subject knowledge enhancement: an introduction.

8. Early years ITT

We allocate and fund early years ITT places each academic year. Early years ITT leads to the award of early years teacher status (EYTS).

We provide training bursaries, training grants or employer incentives to attract high-quality graduates to become early years teachers. This funding can only be used to deliver training programmes to support trainees in meeting the early years teachers’ standards.

Guidance about early years ITT funding for academic year 2023 to 2024 is available.

9. Grant funding agreements

The grant funding agreement is between the ITT provider or lead school and DfE. It sets out how you should treat the grant funding, along with the relevant funding manuals and DfE grant funding agreement: terms and conditions.

ITT providers and lead schools will need to complete and return the relevant grant funding agreement if:

• they are a new ITT provider or lead school for School Direct in the academic year 2023 to 2024
• they did not receive grant funding in the academic year 2022 to 2023, such as training bursary, School Direct (salaried), postgraduate teaching apprenticeship or early years ITT

We will contact the relevant ITT providers and lead schools before the start of academic year 2023 to 2024.

We will need to receive and accept the grant funding agreement before we release any grant funding. If you need more information, email [email protected].

10. Contact us

For funding and audit grant return queries including early years.

ITT funding team

Email [email protected]

Subject knowledge enhancement team

Email [email protected]

Early years ITT policy team

Email [email protected]