The government has announced a boost in bursaries for design and technology trainee teachers after just a quarter of the trainees needed were taken on this year.

Today’s announcement reveals the Department for Education has scrapped the idea of varying the level of bursaries by degree class.

All design and technology trainee teachers with a degree classed 2:2 or higher will get the same bursary of £12,000 next year.

In the current year, only those design and technology trainees with a first class degree or doctorate got £12,000, while those with a 2:1 or a master’s degree got £9,000 and those with a 2:2 got nothing.

The change also boosts bursaries for history, RE and music trainees.

Trainees in history will get £12,000 in 2019 and those applying to be RE or music teachers will get £9,000.

In 2018, trainee teachers in these three subjects with a first class or doctorate degree got £9,000, but those with a 2:1 or master’s got £4,000. There was nothing for those with a 2:2.

Graduates applying to be maths, science or language teachers will still have the largest scholarships and bursaries.

In 2019, trainees in physics, computing, languages, geography or chemistry can claim a £28,000 scholarship or a £26,000 bursary.

Secondary maths trainees can claim a £22,000 scholarship or a £20,000 bursary.

There are also £26,000 bursaries for trainees in classics and biology.

These are the same amounts as in 2018.

As last year, primary maths teachers can claim a £6,000 bursary.

And as in previous years, there is no bursary for students who graduate with a third class degree.

Statistics published last month revealed that the government missed its targets in all but four secondary subjects: PE, biology, English and history.