Guidance

Funding: initial teacher training (ITT), academic year 2014 to 15

Guidance for schools and ITT providers on funding available through bursaries, scholarships and subject knowledge enhancement programmes, for the academic year 2014 to 2015.

This guidance was withdrawn on

Further information is available in our initial teacher training collection.

Applies to England

This guide refers to ITT funding for the academic year 2014 to 2015. For the academic year 2015 to 2016 please see Funding: initial teacher training (ITT), academic year 2015 to 2016.

Overview

The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) allocates and funds teacher training places.

We provide financial incentives, such as training bursaries and scholarships, to help schools and initial teacher training providers attract high-quality graduates to the teaching profession. We do this in line with the needs of the sector and national targets set by the Department for Education.

Information in this guide relates to trainees starting their training in the academic year 2014 to 2015.

Tuition fee routes

The following scholarships and bursaries are available to trainee teachers.

Scholarships

  Maths or physics Computing Chemistry
Trainee with 2:1 or first £25,000 £25,000 £25,000

A limited number of scholarships are available for trainees. These are awarded by the relevant subject association through a competitive process. Trainees must have a 2:1 or first-class honours degree to apply.

Trainees awarded a scholarship cannot receive a bursary. However, trainees who are not awarded a scholarship will continue to be eligible for a standard bursary.

Bursaries

  Maths or physics Computing Chemistry Languages Other priority secondary and primary Primary maths specialist
Trainee with first £20,000 £20,000 £20,000 £20,000 £9,000 £11,000
Trainee with 2:1 £20,000 £20,000 £15,000 £15,000 £4,000 £11,000
Trainee with 2:2 £15,000 £15,000 £12,000 £12,000 n/a £6,000
Trainee with relevant degree and A Level maths or physics (grade B minimum) £9,000 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Bursaries of up to £20,000 are awarded to trainees in physics, maths, computing, chemistry and languages. Trainees must have at least a 2:2. Other relevant academic qualifications such as Masters, PhDs, overseas and medical degrees are also eligible.

Bursaries of £9,000 are available for trainees in maths and physics who have a relevant degree and an A Level (minimum B grade or equivilent) in either subject.

Bursaries of up to £9,000 are available for primary trainees and other priority secondary subjects (English, history, biology, geography, music, design and technology). Trainees must have a first or 2:1.

Bursaries of up to £12,000 are available for primary maths specialist trainees with a minimum of B at maths A Level. Those who do not meet this requirement will receive the normal primary bursary for their degree class.

School Direct trainees receive a 25% increase on these bursaries or scholarships if they spend more than 50% of their training in a school where more than 35% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.

School Direct salaried route

NCTL provides the following training and salary grants to School Direct lead schools to cover training costs for salaried trainees to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). Amounts vary on a regional basis. Find out which areas are covered by the definitions for inner London, outer London and London fringe.

High priority subjects: physics, maths, computing, chemistry and languages

Funding per place (by region) Amount
National £19,000
Inner London £23,900
Outer London £22,600
London fringe £20,200

Other priority subjects: English, history, biology, geography, music, design and technology

Funding per place (by region) Amount
National £14,000
Inner London £17,600
Outer London £16,600
London fringe £14,900

Primary (non-specialist)

Funding per place (by region) Amount
National £14,000
Inner London £17,600
Outer London £16,600
London fringe £14,900

Primary maths specialist

Funding per place (by region) Amount
National £16,000
Inner London £19,600
Outer London £18,600
London fringe £16,900

This funding only applies to trainees with at least a B at maths A Level and who are on primary maths specialist courses.

Additional qualifications such as a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) are not funded.

School Direct trainees on the salaried route are not eligible for bursaries or scholarships.

A £2,000 incentive payment is also available for schools recruiting and employing eligible graduate service leavers. This payment is funded directly by NCTL as part of the Troops to Teachers programme.

All recipients of School Direct salaried funding must complete all highlighted sections in the Grant funding agreement: terms and conditions. You must agree to the Grant funding agreement for training bursaries (MS Word Document, 89.7 KB). Your accounting officer should sign Annex A of the grant offer letter and return it to gfa.nctl@education.gov.uk. This document must be received and accepted by NCTL before any funding is released.

Grant funding agreements

If you are a new ITT provider or lead school for School Direct in academic year 2014 to 15 and have not received training bursary or School Direct (salaried) grant funding before, you will need to complete a grant funding agreement. This is an agreement between you, as ITT provider/lead school and NCTL, and it stipulates how you should treat the grant funding.

Subject knowledge enhancement (SKE)

If you have places to fill in maths, physics, computing, chemistry, languages, design and technology, biology or geography you can request SKE funding to support your recruitment.

SKE courses can be offered to potential trainees to bring their subject knowledge up to the level required to begin training to teach their chosen subject. Courses can vary from an 8-week refresher course up to a 36-week programme, depending on the individual needs of the applicant.

NCTL provides School Direct lead schools and ITT providers with funding for SKE courses up to the following maximum rates:

Weeks of full-time (or equivalent) study Maximum rate
8–11 £1,910
12–15 £2,810
16–19 £3,705
20–23 £4,605
24–27 £5,500
28–31 £6,115
32–35 £6,725
36 £7,340

For more information see our guide: Subject knowledge enhancement: an introduction.

For more information about the pre-ITT SKE programmes and SKE training bursaries read the: Subject knowledge enhancement operations (SKE) manual 2015 to 2016.

To claim funding, please use the subject knowledge enhancement: funding request form.

To ensure payments are made promptly, the deadline for receipt of the SKE funding request form is the third Friday of the month before the programme start date. We aim to issue:

  • programme funding in full in the next monthly payment run after receipt and acceptance of the form
  • training bursary funding in the next monthly payment run after the start date of the programme

Any claim forms received after the third Friday of the month before the programme start date will be processed in the following monthly payment run.

All recipients of SKE funding must complete all highlighted sections in the Grant offer letter for SKE (MS Word Document, 89.8 KB). Your accounting officer should sign Annex A of the grant offer letter and return it with the SKE request form to the ITT funding team at itt.funding@education.gov.uk. This document must be received and accepted by NCTL before any funding is released. This action only needs to be taken once for 2013 to 2014, upon submission of the first SKE request form.

Courses

If you would like to add your SKE courses to our SKE course directory, please download the SKE directory form.

Allocated funds

Providers are allocated funds which include the postgraduate ITT training bursaries and SKE financial support referenced above. You are responsible for passing on bursary funding to trainees.

More information and guidance on the bursaries can be found in the training bursary guide for 2014 to 2015.

You can use the ITT funding extranet to view your current training allocations, payment profile and a detailed breakdown of the funding you receive.

Financial requirements for providers

ITT providers who receive NCTL funding must submit independently audited accounts each year.

The financial statements must confirm that funds provided by NCTL were used only in accordance with the provision of the Education Act 1994 (as amended by the Education Act 2005 Act), the financial memorandum and all other terms and conditions that NCTL has set. All ITT providers are ultimately responsible to NCTL for the proper stewardship of the funds paid to them.

Specific requirements set out in the financial memorandum are that providers shall:

  • keep proper accounting records and prepare accounts that are consistent with NCTL requirements
  • submit a copy of their accounts to NCTL
  • provide NCTL with information on the number of students registered at the institution and on other courses funded either wholly or in part by NCTL

Previous incentive schemes: Golden Hello

This scheme is now closed to all trainees starting their ITT in, or after, the academic year 2011 to 2012. Trainees who started their ITT course before 1 August 2011 can still receive the incentive. Local authorities and academies with eligible trainees can claim reimbursement for the Golden Hello Scheme.

Contact us

Funding team

For funding and audit grant return queries including early years

Subject knowledge enhancement

Updates to this page

Published 16 April 2014
Last updated 3 July 2014 + show all updates
  1. Grant funding agreement section added.

  2. Updated SKE funding request form and added SKE grant offer letter.

  3. Added a link to 'Subject knowledge enhancement operations (SKE) manual 2013 to 2014'.

  4. First published.

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