How to apply for funding to provide teaching internships to potential teachers in mathematics, physics, and computing.

Applies to England

Schools can now apply for funding to provide teaching internships for summer 2022.

Overview

Grants are available for school-led partnerships to design and provide teaching internships targeted at undergraduates studying a STEM-related degree.

This year a pilot programme to deliver additional internships in modern foreign languages is available to schools in the north-east region. School-led partnerships in the north-east region who wish to participate in the pilot for modern foreign languages can do so via the same application process.

The aim of the internship programme is to enable undergraduates studying for a degree in STEM-related subjects the opportunity to experience teaching maths, physics, computing or modern foreign languages before they commit to it as a career. This programme is part of the Get into Teaching service, supporting prospective teachers through their journey into the profession.

To reduce duplication, schools in close proximity are encouraged to work together to submit an application with one lead school responsible for the administration and grant relationship with the Department for Education (DfE).

Funding is for the 2022 cohort only.

Who can apply

The programme is school-led. Only school-led partnerships can apply for funding. School partnerships can choose to collaborate with an accredited Initial Teacher Training (ITT) provider to develop and deliver their programme.

The partnership lead should submit the application as they will have overall responsibility for the budget. However, they should work in collaboration with partners to develop the proposal.

DfE welcome applications from school-led partnerships across England, however especially welcomes applications from schools in geographic areas where there have previously been gaps in provision, including:

  • Bristol
  • Cornwall
  • Cumbria and north Lancashire
  • Devon
  • East Anglia
  • London
  • Merseyside
  • Oxfordshire

Applications must be for a minimum of 5 participants.

Programme recruitment

The programme will typically take place towards the end of the academic year, and internships should last for 3 weeks.

The programme should offer interns a structure of activities to gain a deep experience of teaching. This may include:

  • a combination of teaching, running subject-related projects, offering intensive support for children who are struggling, helping with experiments and laboratory work
  • structured training, shadowing and lesson observation followed by a chance to jointly plan and deliver lessons
  • access to one-to-one mentors who are good or outstanding classroom teachers in their specialism
  • opportunities to network with qualified subject specialists

Programme design is expected to include measures to support and encourage interns to apply for teacher training. This may include:

  • continued contact with their mentor post programme
  • support for the intern to make an application for ITT
  • guarantee of an interview for any ITT places that they apply to your partnership
  • keep in touch events for interns after the programme is complete

All interns should be encouraged to access additional support from the Get into Teaching service, including teacher training advisers.

Funding

For the minimum cohort size of 5 interns the grant funding would equate to a maximum of £8,300.

The funding is for £1,600 overall for each intern completing a 3-week internship. Of this £1,600:

  • £900 (£300 per week) will be provided to the intern
  • up to £700 (£200 per week + £100) will go directly to the school to cover coordination costs, including recruitment of interns – this cannot include marketing costs

Additional funding of £300 per provider is available for support to interns after the programme is complete. As part of the grant bidding process, schools will be asked to bid for up to £300 to deliver this support.

Funding will be paid through a grant funding agreement which will need to be agreed and signed by all successful bidders.

The funding does not cover costs or expenses incurred in preparing your bid.

The grant funding will be provided on the strict understanding that none of the funding is to be used for advertising, marketing, communications, and consultancy or for any costs associated with maintenance, technical development or updating of existing websites or for the development or creation of new websites.

If you are successful in your application, you will start the programme in early 2022. The grant will be available until 31 March 2023.

Assurance and value for money

All successful applicants will be required to submit a certificate of expenditure, which is outlined in annex G of the grant funding agreement at the end of the grant cycle as an assurance of expenditure.

Payments will be staged and subject to assurance that programmes are developed, and recruitment is progressing to support viable programmes.

Funding will not be provided for participants interested in teaching subjects other than:

  • mathematics
  • physics
  • computing
  • modern foreign languages for applicable schools

Reporting and evaluation

You must submit documentation to specific dates indicated in the templates provided as set out in the grant offer letter to receive payment.

You must also comply with all obligations and requests from DfE relating to participant data including retention of evidence confirming identities. A standard data set of management information expected to be collected from applicants will be issued upon successful award of any grant funding.

Apply

Complete the application form (MS Word Document, 82.6KB) and submit it to [email protected].

The application round will close Friday 3 December 2021.

Contact

DfE will be hosting webinars to answer any questions you may have about the programme on:

  • Thursday 11 November 12 to 1pm
  • Friday 12 November 10 to 11am
  • Monday 22 November 4 to 5pm

If you would like to join a webinar or have any questions about the programme, email [email protected].

Published 8 November 2021 Contents