The high level of bursaries on offer to trainee teachers may be damaging the status of the profession, a report says today.

Bursaries, which can be as much as £30,000, should be replaced with “forgivable fees” - to allow trainees who stay in teaching to have a portion of their student loan written off by the state - recommends the report Whither Teacher Education and Training?, by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI).

John Cater, vice-chancellor of Edge Hill University and author of the report, writes: “The focus on bursary support for trainees damages rather than enhances the status of the profession.

“If one has to be ‘bribed’ to the tune of up to £30,000 simply to train, just how demanding is the role seen to be and, with press stories of teachers wearing body cameras, how unsatisfactory are the working conditions?”

Bursaries are used to attract people into teaching, but the government has failed to meet its teacher training targets for the past five years, and the number of people leaving the profession increased between 2011 and 2014.

The report points out that while bursaries were first offered for a limited range of Stem subjects and languages, from 2012 the number of subjects covered has increased and the amount offered has risen.

“The current model of funding support, with incentives that exceed teachers’ starting salaries…rewards training rather than teaching,” Dr Cater writes. “And there is anecdotal evidence of individuals undertaking a postgraduate certificate course as a fallback if other employment opportunities do not materialise.”

The report points out that despite the hundreds of millions being put into bursaries, the number of postgraduate trainees has remained “broadly static” and predicts that the position is likely to become worse in 2017-18.

Applicant numbers down

Ucas data shows that applicant numbers were down by 8 per cent in March 2017, compared with last year, and the number of applicants from the EU has fallen by 13 per cent, the report states. Data released earlier this year showed that shortage subjects, such as computer studies, were hit particularly hard.

“Large sums have been splurged on bursaries for trainee teachers to stem the flow, but without much effect,” says HEPI director Nick Hillman.

The report also warns that there seems to be a “waning interest” among recruits in School Direct, although there has been an increase in the numbers of candidates applying for school-centred initial teacher training (Scitts).

Dr Cater warns that government plans to extend the length of time it takes to qualify as a teacher - and the proposal to shift much of this training into schools - could mean that graduates see salaried school-based training as a more viable route.

But he is concerned that, in the long-term, separating teacher training from higher education could damage the status of the profession, and argues that all routes to qualified or accredited teacher status should be treated on an equal and fair basis.

As well as replacing bursaries with “forgivable fees”, the report recommends that: all schools should be expected to provide placements for trainees, all providers are given three- to five-year allocations, and better physical working conditions in schools - as they now no longer match those in other professions.

“This is no longer the time for hackneyed debates about the merits of different types of provision of initial teacher training, which should be judged solely on the quality of provision and the success in recruiting and retaining future teachers” Dr Cater says.

“But it is the time for all stakeholders to work together to ensure that an emerging issue does not manifest itself into a crisis which affects the life chances of a generation.”

In a speech last month, education secretary Justine Greening said: “I want to see Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) as foundation stone for a great career in teaching. So I don’t believe QTS should be scrapped. Instead, I want QTS strengthened. I want it to be of such high quality that school leaders will naturally want their staff to have it.

“I know that many fantastic teachers leave in the early years of their careers, but with a stronger approach on QTS we can make it about development from the word go in a teacher’s career: strong CPD has to become the norm.”

Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow Tes on Twitter and like Tes on Facebook