Latest news: National teaching scholarships

The first round of successful bids to the Government’s new £2million scholarship scheme for teachers has been announced by Ministers. 14/12/2011

The national scholarship fund for teachers, announced earlier in the year, was set up to help existing teachers in England to develop their skills and help them deepen their subject knowledge.

Almost 2,000 teachers applied for the scheme, offering scholarships worth up to £3,500 each. The Department for Education  has confirmed the successful applications:

• 280 scholarships for teachers working in priority subjects and specialisms - English, maths and science;
• 391 scholarships for special educational needs (SEN) teachers.

‘These scholarships have been awarded to teachers who have the potential to make a significant contribution to the country’s intellectual heritage through the acquisition of deeper subject knowledge,’ said Schools Minister Nick Gibb.

Applications in respect of the three priority subjects were received for a wide variety of activities ranging from a Masters in applied linguistics to attendance at a summer school. SEN activity included Masters of Education (MEd) in autism, Master of Arts (MA) in special and inclusive education, and postgraduate diploma in specific learning difficulties dyslexia.

‘This prestigious national scholarship scheme will prove of great value to those teachers who have shown the initiative and commitment to undertake high-level professional development,’ said Ian McNeilly, director of the National Association for the Teaching of English .

The scholarships are awarded where applications are judged to be of sufficient merit. The first round of the scholarship scheme was awarded based on the following criteria: priority subjects/specialism; support from school and level and type of scholarship activity.

The national scholarship fund for teachers is administered by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) . The next round of applications for the scholarship funding is due to open in spring 2012.