Launch of scholarship scheme to find physics teachers

The £2m-a-year partnership between the Department for Education and the Institute of Physics (IOP) will support graduates who have earned a 2:1 or first class degree and are starting a mainstream physics, or physics with maths, Initial Teacher Training (ITT) course.

The IOP will hand-pick candidates demonstrating “exceptional subject knowledge, enthusiasm for the study of physics, and outstanding potential to teach”.

IOP research shows that around 1,000 new specialist physics teachers in England are needed every year for the next 15 years to plug the gap to ensure the subject is taught by specialist teachers across the country.

Last year around 275 fewer trainees were recruited to physics ITT courses than were needed.

The scholarship comes as part of the Government’s implementation plan for its ITT strategy, published yesterday.

The plan also calls for more specialist teachers in primary schools and tougher literacy and numeracy tests which all trainee teachers need to pass.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said: “If we want to have an education system that ranks with the best in the world, we must attract outstanding people into the profession, and we must give them outstanding training.

“The scholarship scheme launched with the IOP will help make sure we have excellent physics teachers in this country with deep subject knowledge.

“They will help raise the status of the teaching profession and also make a huge difference in the lives of children.”

Professor Peter Main, the IOP’s director of education and science, said: “These scholarships will help the institute realise its aims of welcoming a greater number of physics teachers into the broader community of physicists and of increasing the spread of subject expertise in education.

“They will help us to develop excellent teachers from excellent graduates.“

The IOP started recruitment for the scholarships yesterday.

Ministers aim to expand the model physics scholarships to other specialist subjects from 2013/14 onwards.

It is hoped other organisations will come forward who are interested in attracting and selecting trainees for the award of outstanding teacher training scholarships.