Guidance

Initial teacher training bursaries funding manual: 2020 to 2021 academic year

Updated 28 November 2024

Applies to England

What is a training bursary?

A training bursary is a financial incentive to attract high quality graduates into the teaching profession. The bursary amount varies according to the subject in which they train to teach.

Training bursary award and eligibility includes:

• an overview of the financial incentives
• eligibility criteria for trainees

Training bursaries are awarded to trainees based on the classification of their first degree, but are also available to trainees who hold other relevant academic qualifications, such as:

• master’s
• doctoral degrees
• medical degrees
• overseas degrees

Further information about training bursaries is provided in:

Training bursary award and eligibility

Eligible ITT subjects set out the training bursary rates for courses starting in the 2020 to 2021 academic year.

Training bursary awards are fixed for the duration of the trainee’s ITT programme and are not affected by the length of training.

We’ll publish further information regarding future training bursaries at the appropriate time.

You must not make assumptions about the value or scope of training bursary awards in future years based on the information provided in this document.

Eligibility

The training bursary awarded is dependent on the:

• subject that a trainee trains to teach – not the subject of their degree or academic qualification
• grade of their highest academic qualification

Example If a trainee with a first class degree in English trains to teach physics, they will be eligible for a 26,000 physics bursary. If they train to teach English, they will be eligible for a £12,000 English bursary.

This should not change your selection or recruitment process, including making judgements about the suitability of the degree to the subject of training.

Trainees who begin courses with evidence of their degree and/or GCSE standard equivalence pending will not be eligible for training bursary funding, and no payments must be paid during this period. On providing evidence for the degree and/or GCSE standard equivalence, the training bursary payments can be backdated to the start of the course.

Trainees who start a course before 30 November without that evidence in place have until 30 November to provide it. In the event that they do not, the provider must remove them from the course and record them as a withdrawal.

We will use the 2020 to 2021 assurance exercise to ensure that funding has not been provided in respect of trainees who started courses but left on or before 30 November because they were unable to provide this evidence.

Eligible ITT subjects

Qualifications and awards

Bursaries are available to trainees who hold a:

• first class degree
• 2:1 degree
• 2:2 degree
• scholarship
• master’s degree
• doctoral degree

There is no bursary available for those with a third class degree or other award.

Scholarships and training bursaries are available in the below subjects.

Subject	Scholarship	Bursary
Physics	£28,000	£26,000
Secondary mathematics	£28,000	£26,000
Computing	£28,000	£26,000
Languages	£28,000	£26,000
Chemistry	£28,000	£26,000
Geography	£17,000	£15,000

Trainees cannot receive both the scholarship and training bursary.

Bursaries are also available in the below subjects.

Subject	Bursary
Classics	£26,000
Biology	£26,000
Design and technology	£15,000
English	£12,000
History	£9,000
RE	£9,000
Music	£9,000
Art and Design	£9,000
Business Studies	£9,000
Primary with mathematics	£6,000

Applicants with a degree from outside the UK should refer to the overseas degree equivalency section of this manual.

Engineering and food technology trainees receive a bursary under the design and technology heading.

A full breakdown of eligible subjects can be found in Annex A: list of subjects eligible for a bursary. No other ITT courses will attract a training bursary, regardless of a trainee’s degree class. Details of which academic qualifications are linked to the relevant training bursary levels are given in Annex B: assessing UK academic qualifications.

Primary with mathematics

The Primary with mathematics bursary is available only to trainees who hold:

• a degree classification of 2:2 or above
• at least a grade B in mathematics A level or equivalent

Trainees who do not meet this requirement will not attract a bursary.

It’s your responsibility to determine A level equivalency. We will not determine the equivalency of other qualifications to A levels in individual cases.

You must keep an audit trail of how you assess equivalency. In determining equivalency you may:

• use internal colleagues, such as your mathematics department
• consult external organisations, such as the awarding body of the equivalent qualification.
• conduct a review of the course content or transcripts of the other qualification

We reserve the right to request this information for assurance purposes and to ensure the robustness of your processes.

Undergraduate bursary

A training bursary for final year undergraduates of £9,000 is available for trainees on courses in secondary mathematics and physics that lead to qualified teacher status (QTS).

The bursary is:

• available to undergraduate trainees who enrol on a QTS course beginning in the 2020 to 2021 academic year
• payable in the final year of their course

The same £9,000 training bursary is available to trainees on an opt-in secondary undergraduate mathematics, physics, computing or languages course that leads to QTS.

Trainees who are on an undergraduate course which leads to the award of QTS and also leads to the award of a Master’s degree receive a £9,000 bursary in both the penultimate and final years of their course. This means that the trainee will have received a total of £18,000 by the point of completion.

Early-career payments

Secondary mathematics, physics, chemistry and languages trainees who start an eligible postgraduate ITT programme in academic year 2020 to 2021 will receive three additional early-career payments of £2,000 each (£3,000 if teaching in specified areas of England) in their second, third and fourth year of teaching, if they have taught in a state-funded school in England since completing their teacher training course. These amounts are after tax, so teachers will receive the full amount as stated.

For more information please refer to the early-career payments guidance for teachers and schools.

Troops to Teachers undergraduate bursary

A training bursary worth £40,000 is available for undergraduate veterans who have left full time employment from the:

• British Army
• Royal Air Force
• Royal Navy

They must have left no more than 5 years before the start of their course.

The bursary will be paid in equal monthly instalments in each of the final 2 years of the course, with £20,000 payable in each year. The ITT provider should confirm the actual payment schedule with the trainee.

The bursary is available to undergraduate trainees who enrol on an eligible ITT course that leads to QTS in secondary biology, physics, chemistry, computing, mathematics or languages, beginning in the 2020 to 2021 academic year.

Trainees cannot receive both the Troops to Teachers bursary and any other training bursary.

Maths and Physics Chairs

The Maths and Physics Chairs programme provides the opportunity for postdoctoral researchers to train and teach in state-funded schools in England.

The programme was originally limited to those only wishing to teach maths and physics. However, the programme is now open to participants in all other Ebacc subjects.

In their first year participants on the programme train as teachers in their host school on either a School Direct (salaried) course or School Direct (fee-funded) course.

Participants opting for the School Direct (fee funded) course on the Maths and Physics Chairs programme have the same requirements for data reporting and the funding levels as identified in this document.

Participants opting for the School Direct (fee-funded) course on the Maths and Physics Chairs programme will receive whichever is the highest out of the scholarship or bursary for the subject which they are training to teach in.

Eligibility for training bursaries

For a trainee to be eligible to receive a bursary, you must make sure that, from the first day of training, the trainee meets and continues to meet the criteria set out below.

To be eligible, a trainee must:

• be eligible to receive student support
• hold a UK first degree or equivalent
• be taking a qualifying postgraduate or undergraduate ITT course in England
• be notified in writing by their ITT provider of their eligibility for the course
• comply with the terms and conditions of the bursary scheme
• not be in possession of, or eligible for QTS
• not be undertaking paid teaching work when in receipt of the bursary
• not be simultaneously undertaking any other ITT course, training scheme or programme that leads to QTS

The points above should be read in conjunction with the corresponding paragraphs below which give further guidance.

Eligibility for UK student support

To receive a training bursary the trainee must meet one or more of the definitions for being an ‘eligible’ student to receive grants and loans towards tuition fees or living costs as set out in the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011, part two (eligibility).

This includes meeting the requirement to be ‘Home or EU status’ for the purpose of assessment of fees. For further information on this requirement you should contact Student Loans Company.

Trainees from the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey may not meet one of the definitions above. However, they may still be eligible for support from their respective home education departments and, where this is the case, they will still be eligible for a training bursary on the basis that they meet all other criteria.

EU students starting a higher education course in England during the 2020 to 2021 academic year may continue to apply for financial support and home fee status for the duration of their course. They will remain eligible to apply for undergraduate and postgraduate support during the 2020 to 2021 academic year.

International students can contact the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) for advice on student support and other issues around studying in the UK.

UK first degree

You should use the trainee’s highest academic qualification to determine eligibility for a training bursary. You should be confident that a trainee’s academic qualification has the same level of breadth and depth that would be expected of a UK first degree with at least second class honours.

This criteria does not apply for undergraduate bursaries.

Qualifying ITT course in England

To be eligible to receive a bursary, the trainee must be recruited to a qualifying postgraduate or undergraduate ITT course in England.

A qualifying course must:

• lead, upon successful completion, to a recommendation to us for the award of QTS
• be delivered by an institution accredited by us as an ITT provider (which may be in partnership with a lead school for School Direct (tuition fee) courses)
• have been granted permission to recruit from us, in accordance with the Initial Teacher Training allocations methodology: 2020 to 2021 - lead schools and ITT providers will only attract funding for trainees in the subjects identified in Annex A: list of subjects eligible for a bursary

Courses that enable a trainee to be recommended for the award of Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS), or solely an academic award such as a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) without QTS, are not eligible for training bursary or scholarship funding.

Combination courses

The course content must be 50% or more of the bursary subject awarded.

For example:

• a course with content of 50% or more in mathematics and the remainder PE would receive the mathematics bursary

• a course with content of more than 50% PE would not be eligible for a bursary as there is no bursary award for this subject

Courses with equal content of 2 subjects will be awarded the bursary for the subject which attracts the highest bursary rate.

For example:

• a course with content of 50% English and 50% RE would be awarded the higher English bursary

• a course with content of 50% English and 50% drama would be awarded an English bursary even though there is no bursary award for drama

Determination and notification of eligibility

You must determine whether a trainee is eligible to receive a bursary and inform them in writing if this is the case. More information on bursary eligibility is available in the admissions section.

You should make sure that trainees are informed of whether they’re eligible for a bursary in good time before the start of their ITT course. An individual is only eligible for a bursary when this is confirmed in writing by their ITT provider. We cannot provide written confirmation to trainees.

Trainee requirements

We expect that trainees who accept a place with you and are eligible to receive a bursary will:

• inform you of any changes in their bank account details and address
• promptly inform you if they intend to withdraw from the course
• sign a declaration of understanding with you to the effect that they expect to seek a teaching post in England on successful completion of their course

You should also make it clear how you intend to pay the trainee. Bursary and scholarship payments contains more details on payment patterns.

Possession of, or eligibility for, QTS

Individuals who hold QTS on the first day of their ITT course are not eligible for a training bursary. Separate continuing professional development (CPD) may be appropriate for those who already hold QTS.

Under current reciprocal arrangements, qualified teachers from countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland may be able to receive QTS following application to us. Teachers who qualified in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA can also apply to us to be awarded QTS.

You must advise applicants in both of these categories to apply to us where potential equivalency is identified during the recruitment process, for example during application or interview stage. Teachers who are successful in their application and receive QTS will not be eligible for a bursary. You can continue the bursary assessment of those trainees that are unsuccessful in their application to us.

Potential trainees who may already be eligible to receive QTS under the conditions described above should email qts.enquiries@education.gov.uk or visit Qualified teacher status (QTS): qualify to teach in England for more information.

Individuals who hold QTLS status and are members of the Society for Education and Training (SET), formerly the Education and Training Foundation (ETF), are recognised as qualified teachers in maintained schools in England. They must continue to maintain their registration with SET for this recognition to be valid. They will still be able to apply for an ITT place and in turn receive a bursary. However, they must meet all the criteria specified in eligibility for training bursaries.

Individuals who hold Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) are also still able to apply for an ITT place and in turn receive a bursary. However, they must meet all the criteria specified in eligibility for training bursaries to be eligible.

Paid teaching work

Trainees receiving bursary payments must not receive a salary or other payment for any type of teaching work which contributes to their training whilst undertaking their ITT course.

Trainees are deemed to be employed as a teacher if they are employed under a contract of employment or services with one or more local authority, governing body or institution to:

• be the head teacher or principal of one or more schools or institutions
• carry out one or more of a range of specified activities at one or more schools or institutions

This definition of a teacher can include people employed by a local authority to teach as a supply teacher in schools maintained by that authority, but does not include people employed by private teacher supply agencies or private tutors.

The definition of a teacher includes “unqualified” teachers who meet one or more of the descriptions set out in paragraphs 2 and 4 to 9 of schedule 2 in the Education (Specified Work and Registration) (England) Regulations 2003 (no 1663).

Under this definition, teachers are permitted to carry out ‘specified activity’, including:

• delivering lessons
• assessing the development, progress and attainment of pupils

Please refer to these regulations for the full definition of ‘specified activity’.

Undertaking other ITT courses, training schemes or programmes that leads to QTS

To be eligible for a training bursary, trainees must not simultaneously undertake any other:

• ITT course
• training scheme
• programme leading to QTS

Admissions

You must make sure that those responsible for making decisions on bursary eligibility are familiar with, or have access to, advice on the range of qualifications generally regarded as equivalent to a first degree in the UK. This may include:

• overseas qualifications
• professional or vocational qualifications
• qualifications no longer available but held by mature applicants

You should be aware of the range of degrees awarded by UK institutions. In all cases, you’re responsible for deciding whether an individual’s highest relevant academic qualification meets the bursary eligibility criteria. This includes determining whether a particular qualification demonstrates the breadth and type of academic engagement that would be expected from a bachelor, masters or doctoral degree.

You must keep an audit trail of how you assess equivalency. In determining equivalency you may:

• use internal colleagues, such as those in the relevant subject department
• consult external organisations, such as the awarding body of the equivalent qualification.
• conduct a review of the course content or transcripts of the other qualification

We reserve the right to request this information for assurance purposes and to ensure the robustness of your processes.

Where ITT providers lack the institutional experience to assess the validity of academic qualifications they should refer to the Framework for Higher Education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (PDF, 245KB).

Further guidance about how to assess the equivalency of UK qualifications is provided in Annex B: assessing UK academic qualifications.

Teaching outside of England after the award of QTS

ITT providers should seek assurances from trainees in receipt of a bursary that they understand they will be expected to seek a teaching post in England upon successful completion of their course.

We’ll collect data on trainees who are not domiciled in England and are accessing bursaries. We reserve the right to request further information from ITT providers with high levels of trainees who are domiciled outside of England.

Further information about assessing the equivalency of overseas qualifications is provided in Annex C: accessing overseas qualifications.

Scholarships programme

Scholarships

We work with subject associations to provide a limited number of scholarships worth:

• £28,000 for trainees on secondary mathematics, physics, computing, chemistry and languages courses
• £17,000 in geography courses

More information about these scholarships is available on the Get into Teaching website.

A scholarship award replaces a trainee’s bursary eligibility. Trainees who apply for but do not gain a scholarship may be eligible for a training bursary. Trainees cannot receive both the scholarship and training bursary.

We’re responsible for administering scholarship payments to you. These payments will be made via the standard training bursary funding process.

The relevant professional body will assess the applicant’s eligibility and inform them if they have been recommended for the scholarship. They should use their discretion when considering degree classification and subject knowledge. Further details can be found on the websites of the relevant organisations.

The applicant must secure an eligible physics, secondary mathematics, chemistry, computing, geography or languages ITT tuition fee based (provider-led or School Direct tuition fee) programme place by 1 September 2020 for the scholarship award to be valid.

An applicant will lose their scholarship entitlement if they are unable to secure a place on an eligible course by this date.

Courses that enable a trainee to be recommended for the award of QTLS, or a solely academic award such as PGCE without QTS, upon successful completion are not eligible for training bursary or scholarship funding.

It’s not necessary for applicants to secure an eligible ITT place before applying for a scholarship. They may apply for the scholarship at any time before applying for or starting an ITT place.

Trainees are responsible for informing their ITT provider (and providing evidence) that they have been recommended for a scholarship.

You must make sure that each trainee in receipt of a scholarship is identified appropriately within the Database of Trainee Teachers and Providers (DTTP).

You remain responsible for selecting trainees for courses regardless of their recommendation for a scholarship.

Recommendation for a scholarship does not override or take priority over the eligibility criteria as set out in eligibility for training bursaries. Trainees must meet all the eligibility criteria to receive the scholarship funding.

Trainees are advised to visit the Get into Teaching website for more information about scholarship awards.

Bursary and scholarship payments

You’re responsible for the management and administration of bursary payments, including:

• assessment of eligibility
• awarding the bursary to the trainee
• drawing up terms and conditions relating to receipt of the bursary

If a trainee is found to be ineligible for the bursary, we’ll recover any bursary payments made by you. You must make all reasonable efforts to recover bursary payments from your trainee.

If you pay the Student Loans Company (SLC) to administer the bursary you remain responsible and accountable for the management of this funding.

You should make bursary and scholarship payments to trainees throughout the academic year as detailed in Annex D: value and timing for training bursary payments.

These payments are not taxable. However, as with student maintenance loans, they may be treated as capital income for the purposes of assessing income for trainees in receipt of state benefits. We advise you to refer trainees to their local benefits office to determine their eligibility for state benefits.

Payment eligibility

Trainees will be entitled to receive the first bursary payment if they are actively engaged on the ITT programme on the first day of the month following their start date.

Example A trainee commencing their course in September 2020 will be entitled to their first payment if they are actively completing the programme on 1 October. They’ll be entitled to the second payment if they are on the programme on 1 November respectively. This is regardless of the provider’s individual payment date.

If a trainee completes their course before the end of the academic year they may receive the full balance of the bursary in the month that they complete the course.

Training bursary funding must not be paid:

• as part of maternity or paternity pay arrangements
• during a period of unauthorised absence

In the event that a trainee is absent through sickness you may only make one further payment following the first day of absence. After this, the absence should be treated as a period of deferral and payments must stop with immediate effect.

These principles also apply for trainees who start their postgraduate or undergraduate courses later in the academic year. For example, if a trainee commences their course in January 2021, they will be entitled to their first payment if they are actively completing the programme on 1 February.

This payments must not start before the trainee commences the course.

You must maintain an audit trail of all payments made to trainees and any decisions around payment structures.

We maintain the right to request this information at any time for assurance purposes.

Withdrawals and deferrals

Eligible trainees who withdraw or defer from a course will be entitled to payment for each month up to, and including, the month in which they formally withdraw.

Example If a trainee starts their programme in September 2020 and withdraws or defers in January 2021, they’ll be entitled to 4 payments in total as they were active on the course on:

• 1 October 2020
• 1 November 2020
• 1 December 2020
• 1 January 2021

Withdrawal or deferral information should reflect the dates given to Student Finance England for student support purposes.

In the event of withdrawal or deferral, you must:

• suspend all bursary payments to the trainee immediately
• make sure that their records are updated in the DTTP, detailing the formal withdrawal date

We’ll clawback any overpayments made to you after the trainee has withdrawn or deferred and will not reimburse you for any payments made to trainees in error.

We expect you to recover any bursary overpayments from trainees.

Returning trainees

Returning trainees who defer and then re-join their original course, or take any advanced standing or credit to a new ITT course, will only be eligible to receive the remaining bursary award up to the value which was available in the year that they started their original course. A bespoke payment schedule may be agreed for the remaining amount between you and the trainee.

Where the length of the course is increased the bursary instalments can be amended to reflect the longer timeframe. The total bursary amount, however, is fixed and cannot be increased.

If a trainee leaves one ITT course and joins a new one with no transfer of standing or credit from their previous course, and they are being charged a new tuition fee, this is viewed as a separate route to QTS. They’ll be entitled to receive a new bursary, subject to the eligibility criteria and rates set in this guidance.

If the trainee has received their full bursary entitlement during a previous ITT programme this may impact their eligibility to receive bursary funding while completing a new programme in academic year 2020 to 2021. Please contact the Funding Team at ITT.Funding@education.gov.uk for further advice.

Subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) bursaries

Information about SKE funding can be found in Funding: initial teacher training (ITT), academic year 2020 to 2021.

Monitoring, assurance and data requirements

Monitoring and assurance

We have a responsibility to make sure that public funds and assets generated from applicable ITT places are properly managed in line with the grant funding agreements held by ITT providers.

You’ll be required to demonstrate that you have administered all bursary funding in accordance with your grant funding agreements, including:

• selecting and recruiting the highest quality candidates to programmes of ITT
• designing and delivering high quality programmes of ITT
• rigorously assessing trainees against all of the relevant standards for QTS, and only support the recommendation of those trainees that have been deemed to have met them
• demonstrating propriety and adequate controls in your financial management and comply with relevant financial reporting or governance requirements
• complying with our data requirements and requests as stipulated in all our guidance
• passing on 100% of the training bursary funding issued to you under your grant funding agreement to the trainee in order to support them to achieve their aims

You must hold full records of all trainees in receipt of bursaries, including evidence of trainees’ academic qualifications achieved prior to starting their ITT.

Trainees must hold the highest eligible qualification on which their assessment was based, prior to starting the course. We reserve the right to request this evidence at any point during the academic year from you, for the purpose of quality monitoring and funding assurance. This may include copies of original documentation provided by trainees, including qualification certificates.

We also expect to see evidence of:

• payments you’ve made to trainees
• evidence of trainee attendance or 120 days training
• confirmation of any dates you have made reference to

It’s advisable that the previous three years’ worth of records are kept after the cohort have finished.

We’ll use annual and interim census data collections and the Annex G process to seek rigorous assurance of all bursary payments. Your accounting officer will be required to verify these data sets.

We’ll issue more detailed guidance regarding the Annex G process at the end of academic year 2020 to 2021.

We’ll review the allocated training bursary funding that you receive and reconcile this amount with the trainee records submitted at each census point. Funding will be adjusted at these points to meet the actual amount required. Where funding that you have received is more than the amount that you were entitled to we will recover the excess by invoicing you or offsetting this amount against any future payments.

Remember to make sure that all trainee records on the DTTP are complete. This includes amending the records of trainees who:

• withdraw or defer from their ITT programme
• start later in academic year 2020 to 2021
• return from earlier academic years

We reserve the right to delay or withhold payments if data is inaccurate or incomplete.

We’ll carry out a reconciliation exercise between the bursaries allocated and the actual trainee records as confirmed by the HESA and SCITT data collection exercises. In the event of any variances, particularly with regard to unclassified degrees, we reserve the right to ask you for explanations of the variances and to seek further information. We will not reimburse you for any bursaries paid to ineligible trainees.

You’ll be asked to complete an Annex G in accordance with published guidance, containing: income, expenditure and trainee data. This has to be independently audited and countersigned by the accounting officer (Annex F: assurance and audit process).

We’ll use this information to reconcile the funding that you have received with your declared expenditure, taking into account the effect of withdrawn and deferred trainees. Prior to the Annex G we’ll request an interim return to provide an indicative training bursary expenditure figure so that we know what is likely to be spent on the programme.

We’ll write to you regarding the interim indicative return and we will issue more detailed guidance regarding the Annex G at the end of academic year 2020 to 2021 so that you’re able to comply with the grant funding agreement requirements.

Failure to fully comply with the monitoring and assurance requirements in ITT allocations and funding may result in non-compliance, which could lead to the withdrawal of your accreditation.

Data requirements and reporting

You must submit relevant data to us, including:

• the data required to complete the ITT census return in October 2020
• applications
• recruitment and employment outcomes

Failure to comply with requests for data may result in non-compliance, which could lead to the withdrawal of your accreditation.

Data requirements for schools

Lead schools are required to give accurate data to their partner ITT provider about the schools in which each trainee is undertaking training. This must include the dates of the training periods so that this can be uploaded onto the DTTP.

HEI providers

Trainee data will be collected via the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) ITT collection. You’re required to submit trainee-level data. Trainees will have teacher training course codes which will be confirmed in due course.

Providers with School Direct trainees are required to identify the lead school and up to five placement schools for each trainee.

Details of the process are available in the DTTP guidance document. Further information on this is sent out before the start of each new academic year.

Non-HEI providers

Non-HEI ITT providers need to submit trainee-level data.

Provider-led or School Direct trainees can be identified by selecting the appropriate route options on the trainee form. For School Direct trainees, ITT providers will be required to identify the lead school and up to 5 schools where the trainee will be undertaking their training during their ITT course.

Full details of the process are available in the DTTP guidance document. Further information on this is sent out before the start of each new academic year.

Any queries regarding the submission of trainee-level data should be directed to the Data Team at becomingateacher@digital.education.gov.uk.

ITT allocations and funding

The Initial teacher training allocations methodology: 2020 to 2021 is now available.

Annex A: list of subjects eligible for a bursary

We’ll provide bursaries for the following ITT programmes:

• primary with mathematics
• art and design
• biology
• business studies
• chemistry
• classics
• computing
• design and technology - including engineering and food technology
• English
• geography
• history
• secondary mathematics
• modern foreign languages
• music
• physics
• RE

Funding will not be provided for any subjects that are not included in this list.

Annex B: assessing UK academic qualifications

Honours and ordinary bachelor’s degrees

The Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (FHEQ) states that someone who holds a bachelor’s degree with honours will have developed an understanding of a complex body of knowledge, some of it at the current boundaries of an academic discipline.

In addition, holders of this award will be able to evaluate evidence, arguments and assumptions to reach sound judgements and communicate them effectively.

Honours degree holders will usually have completed an independent dissertation or thesis relating to the subject in which they are specialising in and will have undertaken considerably fewer contact hours than an ordinary degree. The length of study for a full-time bachelor’s degree with honours usually equates to 3 years – longer for the part-time equivalent. Honours degrees require 360 credits for completion.

Ordinary bachelor’s degrees are largely a taught degree programme with less specialisation or independent study involved. The outcome can sometimes be a license to train in a particular subject, such as accounting. A trainee may sometimes be transferred from an honours programme onto an ordinary degree programme if they’ve not achieved the required grades throughout the programme to graduate with honours.

Open degrees from the Open University awarded without honours would fall into this category and would not be eligible for bursaries in their own right. Trainees may be able to study a further 60 credit module to convert these degrees to honours, but this may not necessarily uplift the trainee’s final classification to the level necessary for bursary eligibility. Trainees in this position are advised to contact the Open University for advice.

Medical first degrees

First degrees in medicine, which are qualifying awards in professional terms, are not classified. Although usually entitled ‘bachelor’, they are at level 7 (master’s level) on the FHEQ. However, this will apply only to degrees that are 5 years in length.

You may consider 5-year degrees in medicine, dentistry, veterinary science and surgery as equivalent to a 2:1 degree for the award of a bursary. A first or distinction in an integrated master’s medical degree can be considered equivalent to a first class degree for the purpose of awarding a bursary.

There are also medical bachelor’s degrees which may be awarded as exit awards to students who satisfy the criteria specified but fail to meet the criteria for progression to the fourth or fifth year of the qualifying medical degree.

These qualifications are often called Bachelor’s of Medical Science (B Med Sci). You can consider these degrees as equivalent to a 2:2 degree for the purpose of awarding a bursary.

A number of award titles may be used in both categories of award. We advise you to check individual cases with the relevant awarding bodies before making a decision about awarding bursaries.

List of eligible academic qualifications

You can determine what bursary award trainees will get, based on their highest academic qualification.

If a trainee has a:

• doctoral degree or a medical master’s degree (distinction) they’re eligible for a first class degree bursary
• master’s degree they’re eligible for a 2:1 honours degree bursary
• other degree award they’re eligible for an other degree award bursary
• ordinary degrees, aegrotat and no first degree they are not eligible for a bursary

Honorary doctoral degrees are not recognised.

Masters degrees do not include those granted on application by the University of Oxford or Cambridge. ITT providers cannot consider aegrotats, non-honours or ordinary degrees as suitable equivalency for a bursary award. Aegrotats are degrees awarded if a trainee was unable to sit their final exams due to illness and are not eligible for the bursary.

Trainees who do not hold a first degree or equivalent at a grade relevant to the training bursary rates for their ITT subject will not be eligible for a bursary in principle, unless they have an eligible relevant higher academic qualification.

You cannot consider a postgraduate certificate (PGCert) or diploma (PGDip) as a suitable equivalency for a bursary award.

If a trainee is ineligible for a bursary award but feels that there are extenuating circumstances which impacted their final result, this must be raised with the awarding body of the qualification. ITT providers must not apply any discretion in these cases.

Doctoral and master’s qualifications

Doctoral and master’s level qualifications may include other UK qualifications deemed by you to have the same level of academic breadth and depth.

If you use a higher academic award, such as a doctoral or master’s, to award a bursary to a trainee you must seek confirmation that the qualification was completed before the start of the ITT course.

If the outcome is not yet known, the bursary award must be made based on the highest relevant academic award on the date the training course started. If the trainee successfully gains the higher award a retrospective uplift can be applied. Please contact ITT.funding@education.gov.uk for further guidance in these circumstances. Master’s degrees

The FHEQ describes master’s degrees as separate from other postgraduate qualifications in their increased intensity, complexity and density of study. Master’s degrees are awarded after the completion of taught courses, programme of research or a mixture of both and the FHEQ‘s descriptor for master’s degrees states that they typically include planned intellectual progression that often includes a synoptic/research or scholarly activity.

The level of study associated with a master’s degree should typically equate to one calendar year full-time.

These do not include the Master of Arts (MA) which are granted, on application by Oxford University and the University of Cambridge to graduates with a Bachelor of Arts (BA). Master’s degrees which are offered as part of a trainee’s route to QTS will not count for the purposes of assessing eligibility.

Integrated master’s degrees

Integrated master’s degrees are undergraduate programmes extended by one year to enable students to reach master’s level. Providing they have reached a suitable standard of achievement after 3 years of bachelor’s-level study, students can study for a fourth year for a master’s degree where the academic level of work in the fourth year is at master’s rather than at bachelor level.

These programmes are normally found in science and engineering academic disciplines and the usual degree awarded is MEng (Master of Engineering) or a named integrated master’s degree such as MPhys (Master of Physics) or MChem (Master of Chemistry). Completed integrated master’s degrees are equivalent to level 7 (master’s degree) on the FHEQ and trainees who have achieved a distinction are eligible to receive a bursary.

Trainees who took an integrated master’s but did not have a degree classification or pass/merit distinction can be considered for a bursary but you will be required to demonstrate that the trainee is of high quality. Trainees that did not complete the final year can be awarded a bursary based on their final degree classification on exit and the subject in which they train to teach.

Doctoral degrees

The FHEQ’s descriptor of doctoral degrees sets out that they are awarded for the creation and interpretation, construction and/or exposition of knowledge which extends the forefront of a discipline, usually through original research.

Professional doctoral programmes that may include a research component, but which have a substantial taught element, lead usually to awards which include the name of the discipline in their title. Common examples include:

• Doctor of Education (Ed.D)
• Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy)
• Doctor of Business Admin (DBA)

The titles PhD and DPhil are commonly used for doctoral degrees awarded on the basis of original research. The level of study associated with a doctoral degree should typically equate to 3 calendar years full-time for a research-based doctoral degree although it may take up to 5 years of full-time study for a professional doctoral degree.

Honorary doctorates are not eligible academic qualifications and are not accepted by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) as academic qualifications.

Annex C: assessing overseas qualifications

Overseas degree equivalency

We have introduced an overseas qualification service, available through Get into Teaching, the service includes:

• an initial verbal check to advise candidates on what their qualifications are equivalent to (guidance only)
• a written NARIC statement of comparability, paid for on behalf of the candidate (if required) and only available once a candidate has applied to ITT

The verbal check is a candidate-based advice service, the aim is to provide guidance on a candidate’s eligibility prior to applying. Final decisions on candidate eligibility still lie with you before the start of ITT.

When selecting trainees with overseas degrees you should make sure that they comply with the ITT criteria. A Statement of Comparability can be obtained from the National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom (UK NARIC) which confirms whether or not the trainee’s degree is comparable to UK British Bachelor, Master’s or Doctorate level.

However, the Statement of Comparability cannot be used to establish the classification of the trainee’s degree, you must make a professional assessment to determine eligibility.

You must hold full records of all trainees in receipt of bursaries, including any qualifications or training they referenced in their application which was achieved before starting their ITT.

Decisions on eligibility must be based solely on the content of the qualification itself and must not include any unrelated additional qualifications or experience.

We reserve the right to request these details from you at any point during the academic year for the purpose of monitoring the robustness of your processes.

This may include:

• copies of original documentation provided by trainees, including qualification certificates
• correspondence related to the decision making process, for example, advice from internal colleagues or external organisations such as awarding bodies

Many overseas qualifications sit either above or below British bachelor (honours) and British bachelor degree standard. ITT providers may wish to get a statement of comparability from UK NARIC to verify the actual degree itself before making any judgements about bursary eligibility.

If an overseas qualification is not equivalent to at least a second class honours degree it will be considered equivalent to an ordinary or third class degree.

Unless you consider, in your own assessment, that the degree should be equivalent to at least a second class honours degree and you are able to provide evidence which supports your assessment.

Equivalent grading

Where the trainee’s first degree can be compared to British Bachelor (Honours) and British bachelor degree standard but there is no actual grading of the degree available, ITT providers may award a bursary providing they are satisfied that the trainee’s degree is of the same depth and breadth as the bursary award would indicate.

ITT providers are advised to seek a transcript of the trainee’s degree or further evidence of the trainee’s achievement, as we reserve the right to request this information to ensure the robustness of your processes.

Equivalent master’s and doctoral degrees

Trainees who hold overseas master’s and doctoral degrees may be assessed for eligibility. ITT providers should obtain a Statement of Comparability from NARIC if necessary.

Where a trainee’s degree can be compared to UK master’s or doctorate level, these degrees should be treated as equivalent and the appropriate bursary award should be awarded for the eligible ITT subjects.

You should use your professional judgement in determining any bursary awards for overseas master’s or doctoral degrees which are not equivalent to a UK master’s or doctoral degree.

In exceptional cases, trainees who hold overseas bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees that all sit below British bachelor honours degree standard, may be awarded a bursary if the ITT provider is able to provide a strong case backed up by a full audit trail for bursary eligibility.

Annex D: value and timing of training bursary payments

Payments for full-time courses

Bursary awards should be paid in a minimum of 10 equal monthly instalments over the duration of the course.

Bursary award	Value of monthly instalments (for 10 month payment structure)
£6,000	£600
£9,000	£900
£12,000	£1,200
£15,000	£1,500
£17,000	£1,700
£26,000	£2,600
£28,000	£2,800

Payments for part-time or modular courses

Trainees on part-time or modular courses may agree a flexible monthly payment plan which covers the duration of the part-time programme in order to avoid financial hardship to the trainee. However, you must make sure that the bursary payments reflect the proportion of the course that the trainee has completed at any point.

As part-time courses will span more than one academic year, you may award the bursary beyond the academic year 2020 to 2021. You are reminded that any bursary payments made after 31 July of the academic year will be included as expenditure for the following academic year, for example 2021 to 2022.

Scholarships

The payment of scholarships should mirror the patterns for bursary awards of equivalent value on full-time and part-time courses as appropriate.  

Annex E: training bursary funding cycle

Key dates in the bursary funding cycle

June to July 2020

SCITTs in their first year of delivery should submit grant funding agreements (GFAs) to us.

August 2020

UCAS acceptance data is incorporated into the training bursary model. This allows us to make payments to you from September 2020. We’ll write to you about funding amounts for September to November 2020 based on this.

The DTTP is available for you to see bursary summaries and payment profiles.

September to October 2020

The first 3 payments will be made if you have a GFA in place. This will be based on your UCAS acceptance data.

November 2020

Your DTTP data is incorporated into the training bursary model to confirm payments from December 2020.

This is based on:

• your trainee registration returns in the HEI and SCITT DTTP along the provider-led and School Direct (tuition fee) routes
• returns submitted on or before the census closure date

We’ll write to you about funding amounts from December 2020 based on your DTTP data.

December 2020

The fourth payment will be made if you have a GFA in place, based on your DTTP data.

The DTTP is available for you to see bursary summaries and payment profiles.

January 2021

The fifth payment will be made if you have a GFA in place, based on your DTTP data.

The DTTP is available for you to see your bursary summaries and payment profiles.

February to July 2021

Your DTTP data will be updated in the training bursary model in February 2021 to include any changes that you have submitted since the census was published.

The sixth payment will be made (if you have a GFA in place) based on your DTTP data. Any subsequent changes to your DTTP data will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The DTTP is available for you to see your bursary summaries and payment profiles.

Annex F: assurance and audit process

Key events in the bursary funding cycle

June to July 2021

We’ll send indicative Annex G documents to you in June 2021.

These should be returned by 31 July 2021.

September to December 2021

We’ll send final Annex G documents to you at the end of the academic year. We’ll pre-populate this with the amount of funding you have received. The completed document will help you to provide us with the necessary assurance for both the amount received and the purpose for which it was used. Further guidance on this process will be sent to you at the same time.

These should be returned by 31 December 2021.

January to March 2021

Recoveries and reimbursements will be completed through:

• the payment profile
• other method, such as invoice