Scholarships are Decisive in Bringing New Blood Into Teaching, Finds Research

Teaching and Learning (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

by Tony Harbron, Schools Improvement Net: http://schoolsimprovement.net/scholarships-decisive-bringing-blood-teaching-finds-research/

The TES is reporting that new research suggests scholarships to train to teach shortage subjects have been successful at bringing people into the profession who would not otherwise have considered it.

One in four applicants for scholarships in shortage subjects said the award was the decisive factor in prompting them to train to be a teacher, according to a survey. And one in five said they would not have applied if scholarships had not been available.

Students with a 2:1 or first in physics, maths, computing and chemistry are eligible for scholarships. The awards, offered by the professional bodies in each area, are worth £25,000 for trainees starting in 2015/16.

Smaller bursaries are also available in a range of subjects, which include languages, design and technology and religious education. The scholarships were introduced in 2011 and the research, carried out for the National College of Teaching and Leadership, aimed to examine their impact on graduate recruitment.

And the findings of the survey of all applicants throughout the first three years of the awards - both successful and unsuccessful - suggest they have attracted new recruits into teaching … 

I guess it remains to be seen whether these scholarships are bringing the right people in, but interesting results. Your thoughts? Please share in the comments or via Twitter…