Education: Specialist Science Teachers (Hansard, 29 October 2003)

§ Baroness Ashton of Upholland

In September 2000, the Government introduced £6,000 training bursaries for postgraduate trainee teachers and £4,000 golden hellos for those who go on to teach priority subjects, including science, in a maintained school. Since September 2002, these incentives have been reinforced by the repayment of teachers' loans pilot scheme for new teachers of priority subjects. Recruitment to courses of initial teacher training in science accordingly rose by 15 per cent between 1999–2000 and 2002–03. Figures published by the Graduate Teacher Training Registry on 1 October showed that 10 per cent more graduates had been offered and accepted teacher training places in science for 2003–04 than last year. Partly as a result of these increases, the number of unfilled vacancies for science teachers has fallen by 23 per cent in only two years.

The Government will build on these achievements over the coming years. The Teacher Training Agency is currently developing a number of new initiatives to bring more science specialists into the classroom. These include enhancement courses designed to allow prospective teachers of chemistry and physics to bring their subject knowledge up to the required level for entry on to a postgraduate teacher training course.