New £40,000 bursaries for ex-military personnel

The bursaries will provide veterans of all three services – British Army, Royal Navy and the RAF – with greater flexibility. Once they leave the service they will be able to train as teachers, while still receiving financial support.

The Troops to Teachers (TtT) Programme has enabled the University of Brighton to train 106 veterans – with a further 96 trainees currently studying to gain qualified teacher status. The University of Brighton is exceptionally well-placed to continue to offer a route into teaching for these skilful and accomplished career changers.

The University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Chris Pole, said: “We are delighted that non-graduate, ex-service personnel will continue to be offered the opportunity to train to teach.

“They offer unique expertise and skills that are especially valued by the pupils they teach as well as the profession more broadly.”

Professor Chris Pole

University of Brighton Troops to Teachers who graduated in February 2018

Lorraine Harrison, the University’s TtT contract manager, said: “We were involved with TtT from the outset and have led the design, development and delivery of the Programme ever since. Five successive cohorts have been recruited; cohort four will complete the Programme in July 2018; cohort five will complete their studies in July 2019.

“Outcomes are consistently strong and TtT graduates have proved themselves to be highly effective practitioners who are quickly able to assume leadership roles during their early careers.

“We are delighted to have played such a prominent role in the TtT Programme. It has enabled us to develop an innovative national ITT programme, in collaboration with a wide range of partners.

“The bursary means that trainees will receive similar levels of support to previous TtT trainees.”

University of Brighton’s trainee Colin Grimes, a former Aerospace Systems Manager in the RAF who is now a Year 4 teacher in Northumberland, welcomed the news: 

“Studying for a degree in education while being supported financially opened up exciting new career choices for me. Without this kind of support many candidates would not have access to career opportunities of this kind.

“So it’s great news that ex-military personnel will now be offered even more opportunities to train for a valuable and stimulating second career while still being able to support their families.”

From 2019 the Troops to Teachers programme will cease and the University of Brighton will deliver a new undergraduate ITT programme that will be open to service-leavers.

And from September this year, other universities nationwide may offer the new incentive to veterans who have left full-time employment in the services in the last five years, or anyone leaving before training begins.

The bursaries will help ex-servicemen and women – who have spent their careers honing the discipline, motivation and unique skills needed to become great teachers – make the transition to the classroom where they can share their expertise with the next generation.

The programme has been developed as part of the Department for Education’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant – the nation’s promise to those who serve or who have served – and will be offered on priority undergraduate courses in biology, chemistry, computing, maths or modern foreign languages.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds said: “Academic standards are rising, with 1.9 million more children in good or outstanding schools and a record 15,500 more teachers than in 2010. We want this trend to continue and to explore every opportunity to attract the best and brightest into teaching.

“Our ex-servicemen and women – who have already contributed so much to our country – have a wealth of experience and expertise that can be shared in the classroom, teaching pupils the knowledge they need to succeed alongside vital skills, such as leadership and self-discipline.”