The government has announced new financial incentives worth up to £31,000 tax-free for trainee teachers in maths, physics, chemistry and computing, in an effort to tackle long-standing recruitment challenges in England’s schools.
From next year, bursaries and scholarships will be available to those training through both school-based and university routes, with the Department for Education hoping to attract more people with science and engineering backgrounds into the classroom.
Trainees in further education will also be eligible for up to £31,000 in shortage subjects, £10,000 for English, and £15,000 for those training to work with children who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
For the first time, Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeships will receive the same level of funding as other training routes, with schools able to claim up to £29,000 to train apprentices in maths, chemistry, physics, and computing.
These subjects have faced persistent teacher shortages in recent years.
Recruitment data shows the Department for Education filled just 62% of its target for secondary trainees last year, though projections from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) suggest this could rise to 85% for 2025/26.
Jack Worth, education workforce Lead at NFER, said bursaries play a crucial role in boosting recruitment.
“Our research has shown bursaries are very effective for recruiting more teachers and retaining additional teachers long-term, particularly in shortage subjects such as physics and maths,” he said.
“This announcement could go a long way towards helping the government meet its pledge to recruit and retain 6,500 additional teachers.”
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Teaching is ‘highly stressful’
But while the new incentives may bring more trainees into the profession, teachers say retention remains the real challenge.
Amanda, a science coordinator at a secondary school in north London, told Sky News: “The tax-free incentive is certainly a massive pull factor to attract teacher trainees with science or engineering backgrounds, but to keep them, that’s a very different story.
“Although we have many teacher training routes to cater for different preferences, that doesn’t change the fact that teaching is a highly stressful vocation.
“And expectations have increased massively over the last ten years; many social and economic issues have fallen on teachers’ shoulders.
“Of course we should care about children’s wellbeing, but the government needs to acknowledge that our roles have become much more demanding without the equivalent investment.”
Amanda added: “Workload and working hours have consistently been a major issue, and with less funding and rising costs, it’s becoming harder for schools to retain teachers, especially those from science or engineering backgrounds.”
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The Institute of Physics has warned that one in four secondary schools still has no specialist physics teacher, underlining the scale of the problem.
The Department for Education says there’s progress and has reported a 33% rise in people training to teach physics and a 42% increase in computing trainees this year.
Yet, as teachers like Amanda point out, financial incentives may help bring people in, but culture, workload, and pay are what will keep them there.
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Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the government is “determined to bring more brilliant teachers into classrooms”.
She said: “We need talented people with the passion and drive to inspire the next generation, making school a place pupils want to be, boosting outcomes and transforming lives.
“Inspirational teachers changed my life and change the lives of millions of children every day.
“This government is determined to have more brilliant teachers, in more schools, improving the life chances of more young people.”
