Ethnic Minority Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Incentive guidance for ITE Partnerships (2022 to 2023 academic year)

The Ethnic Minority Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Scheme is available to Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic students studying an accredited postgraduate ITE programme leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

The Welsh Ministers have powers under sections 14 to 17 of the Education Act 2002 to provide financial assistance for the promotion of the recruitment or retention of teachers or non-teaching staff. This grant is in place to encourage individuals from ethnic minority communities to train, enter and remain in the teaching profession and should not form part of a student finance package.

The Ethnic Minority Incentive Scheme is a legal scheme (“the Scheme”) made by the Welsh Ministers in the exercise of their powers and reviewed on an annual basis. This scheme has been available since September 2022 and supports the Welsh Government’s ambition for an Anti-racist Wales and to increase the number of ethnic minority teachers.

The legal Scheme makes provision for the Welsh Government to pay grants by way of incentive to eligible postgraduate ITE students, studying an accredited ITE programme leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Students undertaking a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) (full-time and part-time) with QTS 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.

Students undertaking eligible postgraduate ITE programmes prior to 2022 are not covered under this scheme. This guidance relates to the 2022 to 2023 academic year.

Full information on eligibility and conditions are set out in the legal Scheme, which should be read alongside this information. Students must reference the appropriate scheme linked to the academic year of study to check eligibility and criteria. If you have any questions related to the legal Scheme, please contact ITEIncentives@gov.wales.

2022 to 2023 academic year

Ethnic Minority ITE Incentive Scheme (“the Scheme”) was made by the Welsh Ministers in January 2023. A copy of the Scheme should be read alongside the information on this webpage.

The WG23-a04 Scheme comes into effect on 1 September 2022 for students in Wales who meet the criteria and, between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023, start a postgraduate ITE programme leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

ITE Partnerships are responsible for administering and assessing eligibility of students for the Ethnic Minority ITE incentive grant on behalf of the Welsh Government.

Students can only claim an incentive grant if they:

• meet the eligibility criteria
• are studying on an eligible programme
• have made an application by completing the relevant registration form

If students have any queries in relation to their eligibility, applying for a grant, or have any queries relating to these grants, they should contact their ITE Partnership.

Ethnic Minority ITE grants are administered by Welsh Government and on behalf of the Welsh Government by ITE Partnerships.

ITE Partnerships are responsible for payments made on award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

The Welsh Government are responsible for the final incentive payment following successful completion of induction and award of an Induction certificate.

Welsh Government is responsible for the terms and conditions of the scheme and is the data controller for the personal data collected in relation to the administration of this scheme.

ITE Partnerships’ responsibilities for grant administration

ITE Partnerships are responsible for:

• utilising the incentive scheme to support recruitment into eligible ITE programmes where appropriate
• supporting those who identify as an ethnic minority student around eligibility for the scheme. Students must identify as one of the eligible ethnicities or ethnic groups and it is expected that this will match the records held by the ITE Partnership
• providing eligible students with access to the registration form at the start of the ITE programme
• ensuring students understand the terms of the grant
• collecting all signed registration forms and returning, in a secure manner, all forms to Welsh Government
• completing claim forms in line with QTS award dates (as detailed within their grant offer letter) 
• administering the QTS (July/August (^Footnote1)) grant payments to students
• dealing with student queries in relation to the grant
• informing Welsh Government of any complaint received that is linked to this incentive, regardless of whether they require action by Welsh Government

Full responsibilities for ITE Partnerships are issued annually in individual grant offer letters and contract letters. If ITE Partnerships have a question related to the grant administration process, they should contact ITEIncentives@gov.wales.

The ITE incentive grants available reflect current recruitment priorities within the teaching workforce in Wales and are available to eligible students on eligible postgraduate ITE programmes in Wales.

Ethnic Minority ITE incentive grants are available for both full-time and part‑time Programmes.

ITE Partnerships must refer to the Scheme linked to the year study is undertaken to check students’ eligibility. The legal scheme sets out the statutory requirements.

Programme eligibility

An eligible programme is an accredited full or part-time, primary or secondary postgraduate ITE programme in Wales leading to QTS.

Student eligibility

 To be eligible for an Ethnic Minority ITE incentive grant, a student must: 

• have undertaken an eligible programme in Wales, which commenced on or after 1 September but prior to 31 August of the year of study
• qualify for financial support under Regulations made under section 22 of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998 currently in force
• not already be a qualified teacher on commencement of study towards QTS
• not be employed to teach at a school or other institution as a teacher on entry to an eligible postgraduate ITE programme
• not be a participant in training organised under an employment-based teacher training scheme including the Salaried PGCE
• identify and declare to their ITE Partnership as an ethnic minority student under one of the following ethnicities or ethnic groups:

Asian:

• Bangladeshi or Bangladeshi British
• Chinese or Chinese British
• Indian or Indian British
• Pakistani or Pakistani British
• Any other Asian background

Black, Black British, Caribbean or African:

• Black - African or African British
• Black - Caribbean or Caribbean British
• Any other Black background

Mixed or multiple ethnic groups:

• White or White British and Asian or Asian British
• White or White British and Black African or Black African British
• White or White British and Black Caribbean or Black Caribbean British
• Any other Mixed or Multiple ethnic background

White:

• White - Gypsy or Irish Traveller
• White - Roma

Other ethnic group:

• Arab

To be eligible for the QTS payment instalment a student must:

• meet the eligibility requirements for the Ethnic Minority ITE scheme 
• have successfully completed an eligible ITE programme and been awarded QTS in accordance with the School Teachers' Qualifications (Wales) Regulations 2012

To be eligible for the final payment instalment at the completion of Induction, a newly qualified teacher (NQT) must:

• have met the eligibility requirements for the grant and have received the QTS incentive payment
• have successfully completed Induction and been awarded an Induction Certificate within three years of award of QTS, in a maintained school in Wales as required under the Education (Induction Arrangements for School Teachers) (Wales) Regulations 2015

Eligible students for this incentive scheme are also entitled to claim other teacher training incentives providing they meet the eligibility criteria of those schemes that relate to the relevant academic year of study.

Under this scheme an incentive grant of £5,000 is available to all students who meet the eligibility and programme criteria. 

When and what payments should be made to students and NQTs

ITE Partnerships are responsible for the QTS payment, made on award of QTS.

The Welsh Government is responsible for the final incentive payment, made on award of Induction.

ITE Partnerships and the Welsh Government are responsible for setting the exact dates of payments to students. (Details to assist setting these dates are provided within individual grant offer letters).

The incentive payments totalling £5,000 will be made in 2 instalments at the following points at the end of a student’s ITE programme and early career:

• £2,500 in July/August on successful completion of their PGCE and award of QTS (where a student is assessed by a resubmission exam board, payments will be made prior to 31^st December)
• £2,500 on successful completion of Induction in Wales

QTS payment 

The QTS payment should only be made to those eligible students who have completed an eligible postgraduate ITE programme in Wales leading to QTS (on award of QTS). If a student fails to achieve QTS, payment should not be made.

If any student has withdrawn or deferred (or suspended) a programme prior to being awarded QTS, payment should not be made. Please refer to the relevant section of this information for further details.

Final incentive payment 

The final incentive payment should only be made to those eligible NQTs who have successfully completed their induction period and been awarded an Induction certificate, within 3 years of achieving their QTS.

If any NQT fails to successfully complete Induction within 3 years of achieving their QTS or has not received the QTS payment under this incentive scheme, payment should not be made. 

How the payment will be paid to ITE Partnerships

ITE Partnerships must submit individual registration forms for each eligible student to the Welsh Government at the start of each academic year. The registration form contains information that the Welsh Government requires to administer and evaluate the scheme. ITE Partnerships must share all registration forms with Welsh Government in a secure manner, as determined by Welsh Government officials. The registration form asks students to confirm that they have read and understood the information contained on the student guidance web pages. If this confirmation is not received by Welsh Government, grant payments cannot be made.

Prior to QTS instalment dates, ITE Partnerships must complete and submit a claim form to the Welsh Government to ensure appropriate funds are released. ITE Partnerships will be informed of the submission dates via the grant agreement letter.

Registration forms and claim forms will be issued to ITE Partnerships directly and all forms must be shared with Welsh Government in a secure manner as determined by Welsh Government Officials. If you are an ITE Partnership and have any questions related to the payment process, please contact ITEIncentives@gov.wales.

How the induction payment will be paid to students

Students should contact ITEIncentives@gov.wales for information about the process and to obtain the correct forms. 

The Welsh Government require the below documentation for the induction payment to be made:

• submission of Induction claim forms (A1 and A2) issued by Welsh Government
• copy of Induction certificate issued by the Education Workforce Council
• confirmation of eligibility (to be completed by the induction school)

Induction claim forms

A1: Please return this claim form directly to Welsh Government (at ITEIncentives@gov.wales). 

A2: On completion of sections A to D of the induction claim form. Please share the form and an electronic copy of your induction certificate with the Head Teacher, Head Teacher, Deputy Head or Head of Department, of the school where induction was completed. 

The above documentation should be submitted on your behalf by the Head teacher, Deputy Head teacher or Head of Department who signed the declaration, on behalf of the school where your induction was undertaken.

If a student defers (suspends) their studies prior to achieving QTS, they will not be eligible to receive the QTS payment. However, if a student resumes their studies and achieves QTS, they will be entitled to receive the QTS payment. Under these circumstances payment will be made following completion of an eligible postgraduate ITE programme in Wales leading to QTS (on award of QTS) and in line with these conditions.

Where a student resumes an ITE programme in a different academic year to when they initially started or deferred, payments will continue to be made at the same rate (if any) which applied in the academic year the student’s studies initially started or deferred, unless the Welsh Government agrees otherwise in writing. 

Where a student resumes an ITE programme in a different academic year they will need to complete a Deferment and Resumption Form. Deferment and Resumption Forms must be completed by the student and submitted securely with the appropriate claim form by the ITE Partnership to the Welsh Government at ITEIncentives@gov.wales to ensure appropriate funds are released.

Deferment and Resumption Forms are available from Welsh Government. Completed forms will be shared with ITE Partnerships and Welsh Government.

The Welsh Government has powers to recover incentive grants paid, in whole or in part. It has discretion about whether to exercise those powers and will consider all cases on their merits.

These powers may be exercised by the Welsh Government where:

1. 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
2. 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

When applying for the Ethnic Minority ITE Incentive the Welsh Government asks students for information about their ethnicity. This is done to establish a student’s eligibility for the scheme; to understand the overall diversity of the student cohort; and to attempt to estimate the diversity of the future workforce. Students are asked to choose from a list of ethnic groups which mirror those used by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), to ensure a consistent approach to understanding ethnic diversity within higher education in Wales.

The information on the incentive Registration Form, claim forms and Deferment and Resumption Forms will be shared with ITE partnerships and Welsh Government.

Information which a student submits as part of their claim under the Ethnic Minority ITE Incentive scheme, is subject to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the “FOIA”), the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (the “EIR”) the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018 (the “DPA”).

Students also acknowledge that the Welsh Government is responsible for determining in our absolute discretion whether:

1. 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
2. any information is exempt from disclosure under the FOIA or the EIR
3. to undertake checks for the purposes of preventing fraud and money laundering, and to verify your identity. These checks are required to process personal data about you to third party fraud prevention agencies

Welsh Government is the data controller for the personal information collected in relation to the administration of this scheme. Any personal data we collect will be managed in accordance with our 'Privacy Notice (PN00001019)' and our ‘Privacy notice: Welsh Government Grants’.

(1) Where a student is assessed by a resubmission exam board, ITE Partnerships should submit updated claim information to Welsh Government for those individuals who are successfully awarded QTS to enable payments to be made before 31^st December.