Prior Information Notice - Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Scholarships

This is not an invitation to bid. The purpose of this Prior Information Notice (PIN) is to invite organisations to participate in market engagement to:

- establish supplier interest in; - obtain market insights about and - explore commercial options for

the delivery of the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Scholarships programme starting in Oct 2022 to recruit to the AY2023/24 cohort.

The ITT Scholarships programme was introduced in 2012 and is one of a range of initiatives to boost teacher supply in priority subjects currently chemistry, computing, mathematics, Languages and physics. ITT Scholarships are awarded to the most talented trainees in priority subjects.

The current strategic objectives of the programme are to: · Improve the quality of the teaching workforce by attracting applicants who:

o have an excellent understanding of their subject and the ability to explain it to pupils, o are committed to teaching and o have the personal attributes to make them a good classroom teacher.

Raise the status of the teaching profession.

·Increase teacher supply by attracting high-quality applicants who might not otherwise have considered teaching as a viable career option.

·Attract as many high-quality applicants as possible through a targeted marketing campaign and encourage these applicants to progress to ITT whether they are awarded a scholarship or not.

·Maximise retention across the scholarships cohort by ensuring alumni have continued support and links with the wider professional community in their early careers.

·Establish communities of scholars who will continue to have a positive impact inside and outside of education as their careers progress.

·Share best practice and pool resources with the other subject associations involved in scholarships in order to utilise economies of scale and improve recruitment.

We are keen to learn what the market can offer trainees by way of a scholarship package that complements their ITT; utilises their subject expertise to benefit pupils and schools; shapes the early career development of a subject expert teacher; and supports teacher retention in the profession.

The budget for the programme is currently subject to approval. Further details will be provided should we proceed with a procurement process for the programme.

Additional information: We would like to hear from organisations who; · Would be interested in potential commercial opportunities for scholarship support services for candidates training to teach in priority subjects in England. · Have experience providing subject specialist support to trainees and teachers and understand the factors that make teaching attractive. · Have experience leading and managing a similar programme. Outline Requirement We are exploring solutions for the delivery of the ITT Scholarships programme and currently expect any service to: · Advertise and market a subject specific Scholarship programme to potential applicants. · Assess candidate applications for eligibility and suitability for a scholarship. · Support the scholars through their ITT by providing activities designed to enhance teaching ability and increase subject knowledge. · Support retention of scholars in teaching · Be aligned to a royal chartered professional body, or professional organisations with similar standing, specialising in apriority subject within the context of teacher recruitment. Currently these are chemistry, computing, mathematics and physics but geography and modern foreign languages have previously been in scope. Any potential solution would need to wrap around existing ITT courses leading to Qualified Teacher Status. Any funding provided by the DfE will be to support the costs of the programme. Our expectation is that delivery organisations will invest in the programme and support elements that relate to the marketing, assessment, design, and delivery of each Scholarship programme. Our existing delivery model has a different partner providing the programme for each priority subject and is based on in depth subject expertise and links to wider professional networks. Our current intention is for this model to continue, and we do not anticipate pursuing a national model that delivers all scholarships. However, we are open to receiving views from market on this delivery arrangement.

This notice is for information only and is not a call for competition. The Department reserves the right not to enter a formal procurement process and not proceed with award. Accordingly, the Department will not be liable for any bid cost, expenditure, work or effort incurred by any school or other organisation in acting on the basis of this Prior Information Notice.

All future information will be issued to interested applicants via the DfE e-Tendering Portal. Applicants can access this system at:

https://education.app.jaggaer.com for details of how to register and the terms of free registration.

Market event:

Further to your response to the recent Prior Information Notice for the ITT Scholarships programme we are inviting potential providers to a market engagement presentation on Thurs 17 March where the Department will provide an update on the potential procurement and provide an opportunity for further questions.