Institutions charging the maximum tuition fee for postgraduate Initial Teacher Training (ITT) will be required to offer the minimum bursary of £300 to those students from the lowest income backgrounds according to Sir Martin Harris, Director of the Office for Fair Access (OFFA); and some access agreements may now need to change to reflect this.
This follows a recent review of funding and financial incentives for postgraduate students by the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) and an announcement from the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) which confirmed that variable tuition fees will apply all eligible candidates starting on accredited postgraduate ITT courses during the academic year beginning September 2006, regardless of whether they start immediately following a degree, or at a later stage.
All students starting courses from September 2006 will be eligible for a new means tested £2,700 maintenance grant. For trainee teachers the first £1,200* will not be means tested. The next £1,500 is dependent on household income. Students will not have to pay the fees up front as they can take out a loan, which does not need to be repaid until they are earning over £15,000.
Sir Martin Harris, Director of OFFA, said:
‘In light of these changes, we are concerned that the poorest students should not be put off applying to teacher training courses because of the cost. Therefore institutions charging the maximum fee will be required to offer the minimum bursary of £300 to the poorest students. Poorest students in this context are those eligible for the full £1,500 means tested element of the Higher Education Maintenance Grant.
‘Institutions may also choose to go beyond the minimum bursary requirements and include postgraduate ITT students in the wider package of support that is on offer under their access agreements. It is for institutions to decide whether to include postgraduate students in their bursary schemes based on the totality of their support.
‘While generous support is offered through the TTA bursaries ** these are intended as a specific incentive to encourage graduates into the teaching profession. I believe that teaching is an attractive career prospect for those from under-represented groups and that these incentives play an important part in the widening participation agenda. I therefore consider it appropriate for the minimum level of bursary to be applicable to the poorest postgraduate ITT students.’
Any institution that stated in its access agreement that it would decide its own policy regarding postgraduate students after the TTA review will now need to review and amend their agreement. This may be as simple as removing any reference to the fact that the policy for postgraduate students is undecided. Amended agreements should be submitted as soon as possible, but no later than Friday 2 September 2005.
Notes
1. *This represents the standard fee which, prior to 2006, postgraduate students had paid by the Government on a non-means tested basis.
2. **From September 2006, UK-based, EU trainee teachers will also be eligible for the following financial incentives from the Teacher Training Agency (TTA):
- maths and science postgraduate trainees will receive a bursary of £9,000 and a golden hello of £5,000;
- other priority secondary postgraduate trainees will receive a bursary of £9,000 and a golden hello of £2,500; and
- non-priority and primary postgraduate trainees will continue to receive a £6,000 bursary only.
For further information visit the TDA web site
3. For further information on other forms of student support visit http://www.aimhigher.ac.uk
4. Photographs of Sir Martin Harris, Director of OFFA, are available upon request. Contact the OFFA press office on tel. 0117 931 7272 or email press@offa.org.uk