The details below provide information on the financial support you may be eligible to receive during your PGCE course. This information is understood to be up-to-date but these schemes are liable to be amended from time to time. You are advised to refer to: www.tda.gov.uk or contact the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) directly on 0845 6000 991, in order to get the most up-to-date information.
International students are not eligible for any of the funds or support schemes noted below. Students on the first year of the two-year Mathematics programme are not eligible for the statutory support schemes shown below.
All Home/EU PGCE students will be required to pay tuition fees of £3290. Payment will not be “up-front” as you will be eligible to take out a Tuition Fee Loan from the Student Loans Company (SLC). This will need to be repaid after graduation but only once you start earning over £15,000 per year.
Home students should apply to their appropriate regional funding agency for the Tuition Fee Loan at the same time as they apply for other statutory support (see below).
EU students wishing to apply for the Tuition Fee Loan, should contact the European Team at the SLC. Telephone: 0141 243 3570, or email: EU_Team@slc.co.uk.
All Home (not EU) PGCE students are eligible to apply for a Student Maintenance Loan, if required, of up to £4950 to cover their general living costs.
Furthermore, Home students, may be eligible for a means-tested Maintenance Grant of up to £2906. If in assessing you for this, your appropriate regional funding agency calculates your household income as approximately £36,350 or less, you should automatically receive a Birmingham Grant from the University worth £880. This will be paid in two instalments via the SLC.
Applications are assessed by your appropriate regional funding agency and supplementary grants (e.g. Parents Learning Allowance, Childcare Grant, Disabled Students’ Allowances, etc) may also be available for specific types of student.
All Home and EU PGCE students training in England will receive a training bursary from the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA). This will be £9000 for those on Secondary Mathematics, Physics or Chemistry courses, £6000 for those undertaking Secondary Biology, Modern Languages, RE, English or Geography courses and £4000 for those on Secondary History, PE and all courses at Primary level. It will be paid monthly, during your course, from October to June, via the University. You will be asked to complete a bank account details form when you register at the University as payments of the training bursary will be made directly to your bank account. It will not be taxed. (Students starting the two-year Mathematics programme in September 2009 should note that they will be eligible to receive an SKE training bursary of £7200 in their first year, and a full TDA bursary of £9000 in the second year of their course).
To receive the bursary you must complete the bank account details form, which will be given to you by the School of Education when you arrive to start your course. You should return the completed form immediately to the PGCE administrator at the School, who will then pass the form on to the Student Funding Office for processing. Payments will be made to your bank account by the Payroll Section of the Finance Office. If you change your bank account, you must let the Payroll Section know at once.
If you have any queries about the training bursary, please contact the Student Funding Office on 0121 414 7391 or email financialsupport@bham.ac.uk.
Home/EU students who take selected courses may also be eligible to receive a “Golden Hello” of either £5000 (currently for Maths and Science courses) or £2500 (currently for Modern Languages and RE courses). This money will not be paid to you while you are training. You will be eligible to receive it at the start of your second year of teaching in your qualified subject, in a maintained school in England. It will be paid in a lump sum by the school in which you are teaching and will be taxed. Full details on this scheme can be found at www.tda.gov.uk.
The Hockerill Educational Foundation invites applications for grants (usually £500 - £1000 p.a.) to teachers in training who have particular financial difficulties, for example:
Students training to teach Religious Education are their highest priority, but they can also help students in other areas, particularly primary education students. If you think you may be eligible, you should apply now for grants for the next academic year 2010-11. (They cannot make "emergency" grants for the current year). Applications received by 31 March 2010 have priority, but they will consider applications received during April/May if funds are available. The final deadline is 31 May 2010.
Email Hockerhill Educational Foundation at hockerill.trust@ntlworld.com to receive guidelines and an application form.
Additionally, Child Tax Credit continues to be available to students with children (further information on this scheme can be found at: www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/taxcredits).
