Funding for training in Wales
There are many sources of funding available both during and after your training.
Sometimes the amount of funding you receive depends on the subject you are training to teach and when you start your course.
If you are training to teach in Wales you may be eligible for:
Priority subjects
The priority subjects in Wales for courses commencing in September 2010 will be:
First tier highest recruitment priority
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Information and communications technology (ICT)
- Design and technology
- Welsh
Second tier priority
- Music
- Religious education (RE)
- Modern foreign languages (MfL)
- Biology
- Combined/general science
- English
- Geography
Undergraduate funding
Undergraduates training to be secondary teachers may be eligible for a grant during their school-based placement. These grants amount to £1,200 for undergraduate students on initial teacher training (ITT) courses in Wales who are training to teach secondary priority subjects. Further information is available from ITT providers.
Postgraduate funding
All eligible postgraduate trainee teachers are entitled to a tax-free bursary while they train, the value of this depends on the subject you are training to teach and when you start your course. The eligible subjects and the value of the training grants available for 2010/11 are set out below.
Depending on your individual circumstances and when you start your studies as a postgraduate student you might also be entitled to student finance – visit the Student Finance Wales website for full details of available funding and how you can apply.
Hardship awards and other grants
Hardship awards are available where unforeseen difficulties arise that may prevent you from remaining on a course. Local authorities can provide small hardship grants and there is also extra help available for students with special circumstances. Additional financial help is available, including childcare grants and an allowance for any extra costs directly associated with a disability. For more information on financial support, visit Student Finance Wales.
The Welsh medium improvement supplement
Trainees taking secondary ITT postgraduate courses from September 2010 and training through the medium of Welsh may be eligible for the £1,500 Welsh medium improvement supplement (£1,800 for trainees taking mathematics, chemistry and physics courses). This is aimed at trainees who need extra support to raise confidence in their ability to teach effectively in Welsh.
Decisions on eligibility for the supplement are made by individual ITT providers involved in the scheme. You can get more information on which courses qualify for this supplement from the ITT providers.
Employment-based funding
Trainee teachers on the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) receive a salary from their school. This will be at least equal to the minimum point on the unqualified teacher pay scale, but your school may choose to pay you more.
For programmes starting in September 2010 in Wales, state-maintained schools supporting a trainee on the GTP are eligible to receive a grant of £14,500 towards the cost of the trainee’s salary and an additional grant of £4,500 to cover training costs.
All information on the GTP programmes starting in September 2010 can be found at www.educationcymru.org.
Training grants
Trainees on postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) ITT courses in Wales may qualify for a tax-free bursary known as a training grant. The value of the training grant depends on what subject you train to teach and when you start your course. The training grant is paid directly to you by your ITT provider in monthly instalments across the duration of your course.
The training grants available in Wales for eligible trainees on postgraduate ITT courses starting in September 2010 are as follows:
| Subject |
Training grant 2010/11 |
| Mathematics, physics, chemistry, D&T, ICT, Welsh |
First tier grant rate £9,000 |
| Music, RE, MFL, biology, combined/general science, English, geography |
Second tier grant rate £6,000 |
| Other secondary subjects |
Third tier grant rate £4,000 |
|
Primary
|
Third tier grant rate £4,000 |
Teaching grants in Wales
When you complete your ITT and induction year, you may also be eligible to receive a taxable teaching grant, similar to the golden hellos available in England.
Eligible trainees who go on to complete at least four months as a qualified teacher in a maintained school in Wales or England in a designated secondary priority subject, following the successful completion of their induction period, may receive an additional teaching grant.
When payable, the applicable teaching grants for courses commencing from September 2010 in Wales are as follows:
| Subject you train in and go on to teach |
Teaching grant amount |
| Mathematics |
£5,000 |
| Physics |
£5,000 |
| Chemistry |
£5,000 |
| ICT |
£2,500 |
| D&T |
£2,500 |
| Welsh |
£2.500 |
Teaching grants are not available in Wales for any other subjects.
Reciprocal Arrangements
There is a reciprocal agreement between Wales and England under which each country makes available its teaching grant (or golden hello) to teachers whether they qualified in one country or the other.
Eligible teachers must meet the Welsh Assembly Government’s eligibility criteria, and only for subjects which are a designated for teaching grants in Wales.
This means that there will be some differences in the subjects which qualify for a golden hello in England compared with those which qualify for a teaching grant in Wales.
