The academic year for our secondary teacher training programmes begin with enrolment on campus.

Lectures begin with an introduction to the team and their responsibilities as well as signposting to important services. September will continue as a teaching block and will see an introduction to the dedicated Library Service Team, Student Services Team, professional associations including national teaching unions, members of Birmingham’s Catholic Partnership and your Students Union.

The end of the first week will culminate is a chilled get together of secondary trainees across all subject areas to catch-up with each other and share any thoughts over a barbeque as provided by our excellent Catering Manager, Ahron, here at Newman University.

Teacher training courses are a full-time commitment. When you are on placement you will be expected to attend all day Monday to Friday.

For on campus activities students are split into groups at enrolment. For some activities these will be subject specific groups, other will be mixed subjects. Required attendance will be Monday to Friday 9am-4pm.

Full details of your individual academic timetable will be available on mynewman after you have completed online enrolment and set up your student login.

We will be sharing further subject specific reading with you in September however if you wish to start reading now we would like to suggest the following:

Learning to Teach in the Secondary School – A Companion to School Experience Edited By Susan Capel, Marilyn Leask, Sarah Younie (2019)

PGCE / School Direct (tuition fee) Training Bursary 2024-2025

The Department for Education has set out guidelines to which ITT providers are obliged to comply. To receive a PGCE / School Direct (tuition fee) training bursary, a trainee must attend an eligible course and also be personally eligible.

Applicants may be eligible for a bursary if they have a 1st, 2.1 or 2.2, or if they hold a Masters or PhD.

During the online enrolment process you will be asked to sign a declaration to confirm that you have read, understand, and comply with these criteria.

You will also be required to provide your bank account details. Payment of the training bursary will be made by BACS into your nominated bank account no later than the 5th of each month, commencing October 2024 to July 2025 inclusive whilst you are enrolled and actively engaging with the course.

Please note: you will also be required to provide your photo ID during induction week. Failure to provide photo ID may result in a delay in bursary payment.

To receive a Training Bursary, a trainee must attend an eligible ITT course and be personally eligible.

Eligible Course

To be eligible to receive a bursary, the trainee must be recruited to a qualifying postgraduate or undergraduate ITT course in England. A qualifying course must:

• lead, upon successful completion, to a recommendation, on behalf of the trainee, to DfE for the award of QTS;
• be delivered by an institution accredited by DfE as an ITT provider
• have been granted permission to recruit from DfE

Personally Eligible

To be personally eligible for a training bursary, trainees must:

• be eligible to receive student support (not applicable to languages and physics)
• hold a UK first degree or equivalent
• be taking a qualifying postgraduate or undergraduate ITT course in England
• be notified in writing by their ITT provider of their eligibility for the course
• comply with the terms and conditions of the bursary scheme; including:
  • promptly informing the ITT provider of any changes in bank account and address details
  • promptly informing the ITT provider of their intention to withdraw / suspend from the course
  • signing a declaration of understanding to the effect that they expect to seek a teaching post in England on successful completion of their course.
  • not be in possession of, or eligible for QTS
  • not be undertaking paid teaching work which contributes to their training when in receipt of the bursary
  • not be simultaneously undertaking any other ITT course, training scheme or programme that leads to QTS

Eligibility for UK student support

In languages and physics, trainees starting courses in the 2024 to 2025 academic year will not need to be eligible for student finance to be eligible for a postgraduate bursary or scholarship. For all other subjects and routes, trainees are only eligible for a bursary or scholarship if they are entitled to support under the student finance criteria.

If you are applying for an Initial Teacher Training course in a subject eligible to receive a Department for Education (DfE) funded bursary, you must meet the eligibility criteria defined by one of the following funding bodies, depending on the UK country in which you normally reside:

• Student Finance England (SFE)
• Student Finance Wales (SFW)
• The Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) or
• Student Finance Northern Ireland (SFNI)

Demonstration of eligibility will be required by evidence of an approved student loan application. This evidence is required even if you choose not to draw down the loan from the funder. DfE funded bursaries will not be paid to you without this evidence.

Further information can be found at the following website:

• Bursaries and scholarships

Payments

Bursaries and scholarships are available to trainees on tuition fee-based teacher training courses in England that lead to the award of qualified teacher status (QTS).

Receiving a bursary or scholarship depends on:

• highest relevant academic award
• ITT subject

The bursary awards are not taxable; however they may be treated as capital income for the purposes of assessing income for trainees in receipt of state benefits, as with student maintenance loans.

Bursary / scholarship awards are paid in ten equal monthly instalments from October 2024 to July 2025 for full time ITT students.

Part time ITT students will receive the applicable bursary split equally over the 2 years of the course payable in ten equal monthly instalments October to July each year.

To receive the bursary / scholarship payments, the trainee must:

• Be actively engaged on the ITT programme

Trainees must be present on the course on the first day of the month following their start date to be eligible to receive the first payment, and on the first of each subsequent month throughout the ITT programme to receive subsequent instalments.

Training bursary funding will not be paid as part of maternity or paternity pay arrangements or during a period of unauthorised absence.

In the event of absence through sickness only one further payment following the first day of absence will be made. After this, the absence will be treated as a period of deferral and payments will stop with immediate effect.

Eligible trainees who withdraw / suspend from a course will be entitled to be paid the training bursary for each month up to, and including, the month in which they formally withdrew / suspended.

Failure to attend school placements and / or university or to communicate reasons for non-attendance may result in the suspension of bursary payments.

Annex A: List of subjects eligible for a bursary 2024/2025

• Art and design
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Computing
• Design & Technology
• English
• Geography
• Languages (including ancient languages)
• Mathematics
• Music
• Physics
• Religious education

This list is exhaustive; DfE will not provide bursaries for any subject that does not feature in this list.