Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government why they have removed financial support for Initial Teacher Training bursaries in art and design for the 2026–27 academic year.

Initial teacher training (ITT) bursaries are offered to incentivise more applications to ITT courses. The department reviews the bursaries annually to take account of ITT recruitment to date, forecast economic conditions, and teacher supply need in each subject. Whether a bursary is offered or not, student trainee teachers can access a tuition fee loan, maintenance loan and additional support dependent on their circumstances, such as the Childcare Grant.

Between the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years, postgraduate ITT recruitment for art and design increased by 95%, the largest increase of all subjects. Acceptances for ITT courses starting in the 2025/26 academic year indicate a further improvement. At the same time, demand for art and design trainee teachers has fallen due to this higher ITT recruitment and more favourable teacher retention forecasts. As a result, the postgraduate ITT target in art and design reduced by 38% for courses starting in 2025/26. The department will publish the ITT census for 2025/26 this December.

As part of our Opportunity Mission, we want high-quality arts education for every child in all state funded schools, which is why we announced our intention to launch a new National Centre for Arts and Music Education to deliver excellent continuing professional development for teachers in all the arts subjects, including in art and design.