Listen to this story Members can listen to an AI-generated audio version of this article. 1.0x Audio narration uses an AI-generated voice. 0:00 0:00 Become a member to listen to this article Subscribe Ministers have been blasted for axing bursaries for overseas applicants hoping to become trainee physics and languages teachers without notice. The mid-year change was quietly announced at 5pm on Thursday. It means overseas students are no longer eligible for sizeable financial incentives to train to teach physics or languages. The Department for Education said the decision to “pause” overseas eligibility was taken because recruitment has improved. But experts warned this was 鈥渘ot a time for scaling back鈥 approaches to improving teacher supply, and have criticised the DfE for rolling out the change without warning. Recruitment picture improving Bursaries and scholarships to train as a physics or languages teacher were expanded to international students in 2023, as recruitment lagged significantly below target. This year’s funding includes a 拢29,000 physics bursary and 拢20,000 bursary for languages. Physics recruitment has almost doubled since 2023, rising from 564 to 1,095 postgraduate trainees, while modern foreign languages recruitment increased by nearly a third, from 1,105 to 1,422. However, the government still missed its recruitment targets for the subjects last year. A DfE spokesperson said: “We have paused the bursary offer for international candidates in physics and languages as a result. Candidates that already have an offer are unaffected, and we will continue to review the offer ahead of the next recruitment cycle.鈥 In 2025-26, almost two-thirds of new physics trainees were from overseas. While 37 per cent were from the UK, 5 per cent were from the wider European Economic Area (EEA), and 58 per cent were of other nationalities. For modern foreign languages, 27 per cent were from the EEA and 15 per cent other nationalities. 鈥楧eeply disappointing鈥 The DfE on Thursday to say that from 5pm on 7 May, trainees are only eligible for bursaries or scholarships 鈥渋f they are entitled to support under the student finance criteria鈥. Non-UK nationals are not eligible for student finance support. The DfE said candidates who held an ITT offer before 5pm on 7 May are not affected, and it is contacting all relevant applicants directly. Tony McBride, director of advocacy at the Institute of Physics, said the change, in the middle of a recruitment cycle, 鈥渋s deeply disappointing鈥 and will leave many candidates 鈥渋n limbo鈥. He said the expansion of bursary eligibility 鈥渉as been flawed from the outset, with little account seemingly taken of the huge increase in applications which teacher training providers had to deal with or the challenges faced by international student teachers, including securing visas after qualifying.鈥 鈥淢eanwhile England continues to face a national shortage of physics teachers. 鈥淚nstead of unpredictable piecemeal reforms we need positive action that works for recruits, training providers and schools, as part of a holistic approach to recruitment, alongside retention and retraining.鈥 Warning over long-term access to languages Meanwhile Professor Ren茅 Koglbauer, chair of the Association for Language Learning, warned the move 鈥渨ill have a direct and longer-term impact on children鈥檚 access to a broad curriculum, including languages鈥. 鈥淭he most immediate impact will be on applicants who have already applied but not yet secured offers, many of whom will now find training financially unviable.鈥 Koglbauer said some providers were already reporting international candidates, who were due to be interviewed this week, 鈥渨ill now almost certainly have to withdraw鈥. 鈥淭here are also real risks to course viability for providers,鈥 he added. 鈥淚n a subject that already struggles to recruit, policy stability is absolutely crucial. Greater notice and transitional protections would have been more appropriate.鈥 Emma Hollis, CEO of the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (NASBTT) agreed the change “is exceptionally unhelpful and creates avoidable disruption for ITT providers”. Emma Hollis “Our members are particularly concerned by the lack of fair warning,鈥 she said, calling for the DfE to “consider clearer monitoring and early-warning mechanisms, such as live funding indicators”. Stefanie Sullivan and Joanna McIntyre, joint executive directors of the Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers, also urged the DfE to “explore ways of avoiding mid-cycle policy changes”. 鈥楴ot a time for scaling back鈥 The DfE has framed the change as a pause, to be reviewed for the next recruitment cycle. Jack Worth, teacher workforce lead at the National Foundation for Educational Research, said the move 鈥渃ould lead to trainee numbers in these subjects falling, given that eligibility changes introduced previously had contributed to a big rise in trainees.鈥 Jack Worth In 2025-26, physics saw the highest number of entrants since statistics began in 2014-15 鈥撀燽ut still missed its target by 22 per cent. NFER forecasts predicts it will recruit 鈥渨ell above鈥 its target in 2026-27, at 147 per cent. But Worth warned the physics target 鈥渄oes not capture the deep underlying shortages of physics specialists within science teaching鈥. 鈥淭his is therefore not a time for scaling back effective approaches to improving physics teacher supply, and the government should continue to pursue cost-effective and well-targeted recruitment and retention measures.鈥 previously showed persistent under-supply of physics specialists had left at least 600 secondary schools, of around 2,300 it looked at, without a physics specialist. But Worth also by the Association for Science Education that suggested international trainees may be less likely to enter state-sector teaching due to visa issues and financial pressures. 鈥淭his raises important questions about whether the approximately 拢73m spent on the policy between 2023 and 2025 translated into significantly greater teacher supply and represented good value for money.” NFER forecasts predict modern foreign languages will also exceed its target this year (107 per cent). MFL hit 94 per cent of its target in 2025-26 鈥撀爑p from just 43 per cent the previous year.