Teacher training costs: FOI release

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.


FOI reference: FOI/17/02047
Date received: 8 September 2017
Date responded: 26 September 2017

Information requested

You asked for information relating to the cost to the state of training new teachers per teacher trained, in particular the costs to the state of teacher training:

  • via the undergraduate programme
  • via the post-graduate programme
  • via the recently launched PGCE with supported induction route at Dundee University

In addition you requested this information broken down as follows:

  • Costs met by central government
  • Costs met by the school
  • Costs met by any other state entity

Response

The answer to your question is that in essenceall of the funding for Initial Teacher Education (ITE) comes from the Scottish Government as it is the Scottish Government who provides the funding to the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS).

The cost of ITE per student for both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes is made up of three elements, comprising £4,547 unit of resource, £1,820 in tuition fees, and student support which varies in amount (the average figure for student support is £1,746).

In addition the Scottish Government also funds, through the local government settlement, a total of £1.2million per annum to support student placements in schools during their period of ITE. There are no additional costs to schools.

Dundee Supported Induction Route:

In relation to the Supported induction Route at Dundee – this is a three year pilot and the Scottish Government has committed to pay £6,367 per student. There will be no requirement for student support as these students will be in receipt of the probationer salary of £22,416 (pay award pending) as this course combines PGDE and the Induction Year. We will not know the exact costs until we have the final intake figures which will not be known until January 2018 when this course commences.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses

Contact

Please quote the FOI reference

Central Enquiry Unit
Email: ceu@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000

The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

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