09 June 2005
The Church of England today warmly welcomed a package of reforms from the Teacher Training Agency that includes larger bursaries and ‘golden hullos’ for PGCE students in Religious Education (RE), as a recognised shortage subject.
The bursary for such students in training is set to increase from £6,000 to £9,000; a ‘golden hullo’ of £2,500 when they begin teaching will be introduced for the first time - an aggregate increase of £5,500.
Canon John Hall, the Church’s Chief Education Officer, said: “We have had a series of meetings both with ministers and with the Teacher Training Agency, and we are delighted that our sustained pressure has now borne fruit. This recognises not only the importance of RE as a subject, but also its growing popularity in schools.”
The Rt Revd Dr Kenneth Stevenson, Bishop of Portsmouth and Chair of the Archbishops’ Council’s Education Division, said: “The government’s decision is extremely welcome. The importance of RE is that it helps pupils understand the place of Christianity and other great religions in our society; it helps them respond to important questions for their own lives; and the understanding it brings contributes to a more just and cohesive society.”
The press statement from the Department for Education and Skills may be found at:
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2005_0060