NFER warns teacher bursary cuts could reduce trainee numbers by 2,400

The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) has warned that cuts to teacher training bursaries could result in around 2,400 fewer trainees next year, after the Department for Education (DfE) reduced funding for several subjects.

Updated DfE guidance published on 7 October – a day after the Government announced scholarships and bursaries worth up to £31,000 for teachers in chemistry, maths, physics and computing – showed that bursaries for a wider range of subjects have been reduced.

Jack Worth, NFER education workforce lead, said: “The DfE has reduced bursaries for a range of subjects, including four subjects which we forecast to be below their respective initial teacher training targets this year. Geography and biology are down by £21,000 while design and technology and modern foreign languages are down by £6,000. Art, music and religious education are down by £10,000 to zero and English is down by £5,000 to zero.”

He added: “We estimate that these cuts, on their own, could lead to around 2,400 fewer trainees next year, which seems counterproductive for the Government’s 6,500 teacher target.

“While these cuts are obviously bad news for schools, it is also disappointing that the department yesterday announced and promoted £31,000 of tax-free training incentives for teachers while making no mention of the bursary cuts evident in the DfE guidance released this morning.”

The DfE’s earlier announcement had highlighted new funding to boost recruitment in shortage subjects, including additional support for employment-based apprenticeship routes.

The Department for Education (DfE) said the incentives aim to attract “talented” graduates to teach in areas with staff shortages and improve outcomes for pupils across England.

The measures form part of the government’s Plan for Change, which it said had led to improvements in attendance and teacher recruitment. According to the department, pupils recorded more than five million fewer days of absence this year compared with last, while the number of teachers in secondary and special schools rose by over 2,300.

The number of people training to teach physics and computing had also increased by 33% and 42% respectively, while recruitment in languages and maths was up by around 15% on last year.

Responding at the time, Worth said bursaries were “very effective for recruiting more teachers and retaining additional teachers long-term”, and that the measures could help the Government meet its target of 6,500 additional teachers. He also welcomed the inclusion of further education, describing it as a sector that “struggles with recruitment and retention compared to schools”.

The latest guidance marks a shift from that position, with the reduction in bursary values expected to affect trainee supply across several key subjects in the next academic year.