Government U-turn on teacher training bursaries excludes music

As the recruitment and retention of teachers plateaus in the wake of the pandemic, the Department for Education (DfE) has announced it will reinstate bursaries removed last year for select subjects.

The government plans to spend £300 million to attract new teachers to the profession, with £129 million available for certain trainee teachers starting in 2022/23. 

Music is not included in the bursary scheme, despite the 2019 report Music Education: State of the Nation from the ISM finding that the number of secondary music teachers decreased by 1,000 from 2010 – 2017, and that the number teaching at A Level dropped by 23 per cent. The report suggests that the decline can be reversed by creating financial incentives for music teacher training programmes, as there are now for other subjects. 

ISM chief executive Deborah Annetts said: 'The new ministerial team at the Department for Education, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the government’s commitment to a levelling up agenda should bring a greater respect for the work of music teachers and appreciation of the benefits students get from high quality music education.

'Unfortunately, to exempt music from the teaching bursaries not only denies students of brilliant music teachers of the future but also sends the message that music is not valued as highly as other subjects on the curriculum.

'When the number of music teachers are falling the government should be putting in every effort to recruit and train more. We implore the government to think again for the good of the education system.'

Increased bursaries of £15,000 for languages, geography and design and technology have been put in place for the coming academic year, as well as a £10,000 sum announced for biology. This adds to the existing £24,000 bursary or £26,000 scholarship available for maths, physics, chemistry and computing. 

An announcement last week by the Prime Minister also stated that the teachers of maths, physics, chemistry and computing in their first five years of their careers will receive salary boosts of up to £3,000, in an attempt to increase the retention and recruitment of specialist teachers in STEM subjects. 

In an official government press release, schools minister Robin Walker said: 'Great teachers can transform young people’s lives, and I want this country to recruit and retain the most talented, committed teachers who support students to thrive and achieve their potential.

'Quality, face to face teaching is the single most important factor in supporting our young people to recover from the impact of the pandemic, and this investment provides a fantastic opportunity to attract and develop the world-leading teachers and school leaders who will guide, care for and educate our children for years to come.'

For more information on the bursary scheme, look here.