Latest news: Physics scholarships continue

Education Secretary Michael Gove has announced the continuation of a £2million-a-year partnership between the Department for Education and the Institute of Physics (IOP). 11/09/2012

The partnership is part of a sustained effort to overcome the shortage of specialist physics teachers. There have been 115 trainee teachers recruited this year through the scheme.

‘We are starting to see the root causes of our physics teacher shortage being addressed. By raising the status of the profession, we’re bringing highly sought after physics graduates and career-changers, all with an incredible aptitude to teach, into the classroom,’ said Mr Gove.

The £20,000 scholarships - available to graduates with a 2:1 or first class degree intending to do a mainstream physics, or physics with maths, initial teacher training course - have contributed to another year of record high physics teacher recruitment.

The Institute of Physics (IOP)  has also published a summary of trends in physics education and has reported that, 'While there is no magic bullet to remedy the chronic shortage of physics teachers, the situation is starting to improve as steps have been taken by both the IOP and the Department for Education '.

With a need to recruit 1,000 new specialist physics teachers every year for more than a decade to address the imbalance between the number of specialist biology, chemistry and physic teachers in science departments across England, there is still a long way to go.

With the shortage due to persist for at least ten years another government-funded programme called the Stimulating Physics Network continues to work with non-specialist physics teachers to ensure they have the knowledge, enthusiasm and confidence to successfully teach physics.