Initial Teacher Education priority subject incentives: guidance for students 2021 and previous years
Initial Teacher Education priority subject incentives are grants available to eligible students who undertake a postgraduate ITE programme in Wales that lead to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
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Overview
This guidance supports academic years 2020 to 2021 and 2021 to 2022.
The Initial Teacher Education priority subject incentive scheme is a legal scheme made by the Welsh Ministers. Each academic year will have its own legal scheme. The scheme makes provision for eligible students who undertake a postgraduate initial teacher education (ITE) programme in specified subjects (priority subjects) to access this incentive.
Students undertaking Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) (full-time and part-time) are eligible for this grant providing they meet the criteria.
Students undertaking any Employment Based Teacher Training Scheme including the Salaried PGCE are not eligible for this grant.
Students undertaking training programmes which enable them to teach in the Post Compulsory Education and Training Sector (PGCE PCET) are not covered under this scheme.
Full information on eligibility and conditions are set out in the legal Schemes, which should be read alongside this information. Please see sections relating to the correct academic year to view the relevant legal Scheme.
2021 to 2022 academic year
The Teacher Training Incentive Scheme (2021 WG20-62) (“the Scheme”) was made by the Welsh Ministers in the exercise of their powers on 21 January 2021. A copy of the Scheme should be read alongside this information.
The 2021 Scheme comes into effect on 1 September 2021 for students in Wales who, between 1 September 2021 and 31 August 2022, start ITE programmes leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in specified subjects.
Students must reference the appropriate scheme to the academic year of study to check eligibility. If you have any questions related to previous years please contact ITEIncentives@gov.wales.
Previous schemes
Applying for a grant
ITE priority subject grants are administered by ITE partnerships. If you would like to check your eligibility, apply for a grant or have any queries relating to these grants, please contact your ITE partnership.
ITE partnerships will identify students who meet the eligibility criteria and will provide students with a declaration form to sign at the start of their ITE programme, this will enable the ITE partnerships to pay students their incentives payments.
Grant eligibility
ITE priority subject grants are available to eligible students starting appropriate postgraduate ITE programmes in Wales.
ITE priority subject grants are available for both full-time and part‑time programmes and students must refer to the scheme linked to the year study is undertaken to check their eligibility.
To be eligible for an ITE priority subject grant, a person must:
- meet the degree qualification classifications specified in the 'grant amount and degree qualification classifications' section for the Scheme and academic year of study
- be undertaking training accredited by the Education Workforce Council (EWC) that is run by an ITE partnership and leads to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
- be undertaking training in Wales
- qualify for support under Regulations made under section 22 of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998 currently in force
- not already be a qualified teacher
- not be employed to teach at a school or other institution as a teacher
- not be a participant in training organised under an employment-based teacher training scheme, including the salaried PGCE
- not be undertaking a further education course of any kind
Subject to eligibility, priority subject grants for postgraduate ITE programmes are available for students who:
- are studying wholly or mainly one or more of the subjects or phases listed for the academic year of study
- hold at entry to the postgraduate ITE programme a degree or equivalent qualification awarded by a United Kingdom institution, or an equivalent degree or other qualification awarded by a foreign institution, of a classification specified for the academic year of study
The degree or equivalent qualification specified is not required to be in the same subject as that undertaken on the postgraduate ITE programme listed.
ITE priority subject grants may not be paid to students who have been accepted onto an accredited ITE programme after the intake target for that programme has been reached. Students should seek confirmation from their ITE partnership that they are not affected by this.
Grant amount and degree qualification classifications
The information contained in this section relates to academic year 2021 to 2022 and previous years.
ITE priority subject grants range from £3,000 to £20,000 dependent on subject or phase and qualification levels. Part time students would receive the same amount over the duration of their programme. Please refer to the correct Scheme for the academic year of study.
| Incentive grant amount | Subject | Degree qualification classification |
|---|---|---|
| £20,000 | Postgraduate secondary courses in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, Welsh or computer science (biology is only a classified priority subject from the 2021/2022 academic year) | 1st and/or PhD/Masters |
| £15,000 | Postgraduate secondary courses in modern foreign languages | 1st and/or PhD/Masters |
| £10,000 | Postgraduate secondary courses in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, Welsh or computer science (biology is only a classified priority subject from the 2021/2022 academic year) | 2.1 |
| £6,000 | Postgraduate secondary courses in modern foreign languages | 2.1 |
| £6,000 |
Postgraduate secondary courses in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, Welsh or computer science (biology is only a classified priority subject from the 2021/2022 academic year) |
2.2 |
| £3,000 | Postgraduate secondary courses in design & technology, English, history, religious education, art, physical education, music, drama, business studies, outdoor studies, general science or geography | 1st and/or PhD/Masters |
The degree or equivalent qualification classification specified above is not required to be in the same subject as that undertaken on the postgraduate ITE programme.
For the purposes of the qualification classification, honorary degrees of any sort are not recognised as academic qualifications.
Grant amount and degree qualification classifications to teach in the primary sector 2021 to 2022 and previous years
Students undertaking a postgraduate primary programmes may be entitled to an additional £3,000 supplement in order to support subject specialisms in primary school core subjects.
Students who hold a degree subject specialism in English, Welsh, Mathematics, or core science in addition to the degree classification specified will be eligible to receive this supplement.
|
Incentive grant amount |
Subject or Phase |
Degree qualification classification |
|---|---|---|
|
£3,000 |
Postgraduate primary courses |
1st and/or PhD/Masters |
|
Additional Supplement of £3,000 |
Postgraduate primary courses where the prior degree achieved has a subject specialism of English, Welsh, Mathematics or core science |
1st and/or PhD/Masters |
For the purposes of the qualification classification, honorary degrees of any sort are not recognised as academic qualifications.
Grant payments
When payments should be made
This information relates to academic year 2021 to 2022 and previous years.
Full time programmes; priority subject grants will be paid termly in three instalments between October and June of the academic year of study.
Part time programmes; priority subject grants will be paid termly in 6 instalments over the two academic years of study.
Payments will be made in or around the last week of each month a payment is due. ITE partnerships will decide the exact dates of payments.
Payments should only be made to those students who are attending the ITE programme on the date of payment. If any student has withdrawn or deferred (suspended) a programme prior to the payment date, payment should not be made.
What grants should be paid
|
Incentive grant amount |
Autumn payment to be paid in December |
Spring payment to be paid in March |
Summer and final payment to be paid in June |
|---|---|---|---|
|
£20,000 |
£5,000 |
£5,000 |
£10,000 |
|
£15,000 |
£3,750 |
£3,750 |
£7,500 |
|
£10,000 |
£2,500 |
£2,500 |
£5,000 |
|
£6,000 |
£1,500 |
£1,500 |
£3,000 |
|
£3,000 |
£750 |
£750 |
£1,500 |
|
Incentive grant amount |
Autumn payment to be paid in December |
Spring payment to be paid in March |
Summer payment to be paid in June |
|---|---|---|---|
|
£10,000 |
£2,500 |
£2,500 |
£5,000 |
|
£7,500 |
£1,875 |
£1,875 |
£3,750 |
|
£5,000 |
£1,250 |
£1,250 |
£2,500 |
|
£3,000 |
£750 |
£750 |
£1,500 |
|
£1,500 |
£375 |
£375 |
£750 |
|
Incentive grant amount |
Autumn payment to be paid in December |
Spring payment to be paid in March |
Summer and final payment to be paid in June |
|---|---|---|---|
|
£10,000 |
£2,500 |
£2,500 |
£5,000 |
|
£7,500 |
£1,875 |
£1,875 |
£3,750 |
|
£5,000 |
£1,250 |
£1,250 |
£2,500 |
|
£3,000 |
£750 |
£750 |
£1,500 |
|
£1,500 |
£375 |
£375 |
£750 |
These payments are pro rata of the full-time incentive grant payments.
If a student has received an incentive grant in full or part under any previous scheme, the instalments of this incentive grant will be reduced by the amount of previous payments received.
This also applies to grants received under any arrangements applying in England which the Welsh Ministers are satisfied correspond to those made in respect of incentive grants in pursuance of this Scheme.
How the payment will be paid
Eligible students will receive the grant payments from their ITE partnerships.
For those eligible to the additional primary supplement, payments will be made alongside the main incentive grant payable.
All eligible students undertaking a postgraduate ITE programme are required to sign a declaration form to enable incentive grants to be paid. ITE partnerships will provide students with the forms, usually at the start of their programme. This declaration will be shared with the Welsh Government. The declaration form asks students to confirm that they have read and understood the information contained on these webpages. If this confirmation is not received grant payment cannot be made.
Deferment (suspension), withdrawal and resumptions
This information relates to academic year 2021 to 2022 and previous years.
If a student defers (suspends) their studies during a term, they will not be eligible to receive that termly payment. However, if a student resumes their studies within the same academic year, they will be entitled to receive the missed terms payment, up to the maximum amount of the incentive. Under these circumstances payment will be made on completion of and in addition to the following terms payment.
Where a student resumes an ITE programme in a different academic year to when they initially started or deferred, payments will be continue to be made at the same rate (if any) which applied in the academic year the student’s studies initially started, unless the Welsh Ministers agree otherwise in writing.
Students who withdraw from a programme before its completion and are eligible for an incentive grant, will only be entitled to the termly payment(s), where they have completed the term in full.
Recovery of incentive grants
The Welsh Ministers have powers to recover incentive grants paid, in whole or in part. They have discretion about whether to exercise those powers and will consider all cases on their merits.
These powers may be exercised by the Welsh Ministers where:
- after receiving any instalment of an incentive grant, the recipient fails to meet any eligibility criteria adopted by the Welsh Government and set out in the schedule or information guide in relation to a subsequent instalment; or
- the recipient has provided in, or in connection with, his or her application for an incentive grant, information which is false or materially misleading; or there is firm evidence that the recipient had never intended to complete the programme or, having completed it, to enter teaching.
Data Protection and Freedom of Information
Information which students submit as part of their claim under the The Initial Teacher Education priority subject incentive scheme, is subject to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the “FOIA”), the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (the “EIR”) the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018 (the “DPA”).
Students also acknowledge that the Welsh Government is responsible for determining in our absolute discretion whether:
- to disclose any information which we have obtained under or in connection with the Funding to the extent that we are required to disclose such information to a person making a disclosure request under the FOIA or the EIR and/or
- any information is exempt from disclosure under the FOIA or the EIR
- to undertake checks for the purposes of preventing fraud and money laundering, and to verify your identity. These checks are require to process personal data about you to third party fraud prevention agencies
Welsh Government is the data controller for the personal information it receives. Any personal data we collect will be managed in accordance with our privacy notice (PN00000374) and our 'Privacy notice: Welsh Government grants'.
Frequently asked questions
Is the incentive grant taxable?
Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is a non-ministerial department of the UK Government responsible for the collection of taxes. Incentive grants are not normally taxable for full-time students, however, students should seek advice from HMRC on their individual circumstances.
What will be the effect of the incentive grant on other student support?
An incentive grant is not considered part of your income for student finance provisions based on household income. Therefore they should not be included when working out your taxable unearned income, however students should seek advice from their student finance provider on their individual circumstances.
What will be the effect of the incentive grant on benefits?
The Department for Work and Pensions is a UK Government department responsible for welfare and pension policy, you should seek advice from them on your individual circumstances.
Will the incentive grant trigger student loan repayments?
No, not if you are undertaking a full time programme. However, if you are undertaking a part-time programme, your liability will depend on whether you are also earning a salary (through work not related to ITE) that is high enough to trigger student loan repayments.
Loan repayments may be triggered when you have completed your programme, gained QTS and are earning a salary as a teacher.
Will I be entitled to the Iaith Athrawon Yfory incentive grant?
Eligibility to the incentive grants under this scheme does not impact your eligibility for the Iaith Athrawon Yfory incentive grant. It is possible to receive grant funding under both incentive schemes. Further information on our Iaith Athrawon Yfory incentive scheme page.
Further questions?
If you are a student and have a question related to or not covered, please contact your ITE partnership in the first instance.