Trainee teachers get £9,000 bursaries

GRADUATES are to be offered bigger Government grants to train as science and maths teachers under moves announced today to fill staff vacancies in schools.

But to the dismay of unions, ministers confirmed that trainee teachers will have to pay student top-up fees of up to £3,000 a year from 2006.

The announcements came in a package of measures designed to encourage more high-quality graduates to consider a career in the classroom. Trainee maths and science teachers will continue to receive 'golden hellos' worth £5,000 payable once they are established in work and higher bursaries worth £9,000.

The reforms, proposed by the Teacher Training Agency (TTA), also include new golden hellos worth £2,500 for religious education and music teachers. But teachers' leaders warned that forcing trainees to pay tuition fees could cause problems recruiting new staff.

The Government also announced it will scrap its scheme for paying back teachers' student loans, arguing that a three year pilot showed it had little impact in attracting graduates.

Steve Sinnott, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, warned that making trainees pay top-up tuition fees could be damaging.

'Newly-qualified teachers do not earn a lot of money and they are going to be saddled with debt which is very high in relation to their potential earnings,' he said. 'The fundamental problem still remains the inadequacy of teachers' salaries.'

Schools minister Jacqui Smith backed the TTA's reforms, which officials said built on existing incentives that had seen teacher vacancies in England cut by 50%.All students taking a post-graduate certificate in education (PGCE) will still be entitled to £6,000 bursaries. They will also be eligible for a £1,200 non-means tested grant to help with tuition fees.

Ms Smith said: 'The new package will further target funds on those students who will teach shortage subjects. Bursaries and golden hellos have helped to ensure that there are now more teachers in our schools than at any time since 1981 and teacher vacancies have fallen progressively since 2001.

'Teaching our next generation is an immensely important job and that is why it is essential that we continue to recruit our most gifted graduates and trainees into the profession, particularly in shortage subjects such as maths and science. I am confident that this competitive raft of financial incentives will enable us to continue to do so.'