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Application Process

The Mathematics Teacher Training Scholarships has its own application process, which is separate to that for teacher training, and consists of two stages; the initial application and Assessment. For completeness, we have also provided details of what happens after an award is made; confirmation of degree classification and place on an eligible ITT course, and reference. This flow chart sums up How the Scholarship Criteria is assessed through the Application Process.

Initial Application

The initial application consists of completing the online application form, which can be found by clicking on the big pink button that says ‘Apply now’ on the home page (you’d be surprised how many people miss it…)

Your completed application form allows us to assess that you meet the following components of the Scholarship criteria:

  • Eligibility for student finance (please see the eligibility section of our FAQ page for more information)

  • Qualifications

  • The wider criteria to become a Maths Scholar

We assess your degree subject and classification, and your eligibility for student finance, from the responses you provide in your application to the first two points listed above. If it is not obvious to us from your answers to these questions, then we will contact you for more information to help us make a decision. Due to limited resources, we only assess this information as part of your application.  Please do not send this information to us for assessment separately.

Your personal statement allows us to judge if you begin to meet the wider criteria to become a Maths Scholar. The personal statement has its own specific requirements, so we can judge all applications equally. Ensure that you have read carefully the introductory text to this part of the application as you will advised what is required. The majority of applications rejected at the initial application stage in previous years were due to having an inadequate personal statement which is why it is crucial that you put the time and effort into this part of the application, and focus on providing the information that we are looking for. We recommend you read the Want to submit a successful application? and Writing a Successful Personal Statement articles before submitting your application.

Our online application system does not have the facility to save part completed application forms. To help you prepare your application, download the Sample Application Form 2023-24.pdf.

Once you have submitted your application, you will see a confirmation message to inform you that it has been successfully submitted and that the Scholarships Team will be in contact within 10 working days (not including weekends or bank holidays). You will not receive an email confirmation.

We have policies in place for those who require additional support at assessments and these are explained in our Making ourselves clear article. Should you require the application in an alternative format, or experience any issues completing the online form, please email us for further assistance at scholarships@ima.org.uk

Assessment

At the Assessment, we continue to assess candidates to determine whether they meet the wider criteria to become a Maths Scholar. Our Assessments are held online and are 45-minutes in duration, comprising of three parts:

  • Answering “Why am I learning about..I'll never need it!; to assess your ability to: explain the relevance of a KS3 mathematics topic in an appropriate way: show mathematics is an engaging subject to learn and present your ideas on how you can use resources to support the learning of mathematics.

  • Linking a topic across the school curriculum to assess your ability to show applications and benefits of a KS3 mathematics topic across the wider curriculum.

  • Wider questions about the scholarship scheme and mathematics to enable us to judge your personal qualities, motivation and enthusiasm to be an inspirational mathematics teacher, and your understanding of mathematicians and their relevance to secondary school students.

Applicants who meet the strong-mathematical content criteria by undertaking a mathematics SKE course of at least 20-weeks in duration will have a slightly different format to their assessment. They are required to:

  • Sit a one-hour mathematics test, which will also be held online, scheduled to take place in July of the current academic year and must be passed in order to be invited to an online Assessment, as described above.

  • Mathematical knowledge and Competency. At your Assessment, in addition to the three bullet listed in the preceding paragraph, we will also ask you three questions on mathematical concepts and their application in real life. This means your Assessment will last one hour instead of 45-minutes.

Applicants who are invited to attend an Assessment will be provided with further details of the activities that are part of the Assessment, as well as details of using our chosen online software. Applicants who are required to sit the mathematics test will also be provided with further details for that activity.

Confirmation of Degree Classification and place on an eligible ITT Course

Towards the end of the academic year, we contact those awarded a Maths Scholarship to confirm their degree classification (if they are in the final year of their degree) and the name of their ITT provider. We do this because:

  • We accept applications from those who are yet to graduate and/or secure a place on an eligible ITT course so we need to confirm that those awarded a Maths Scholarship meet the Scholarship criteria in full

  • We are required to provide the names of the successful Maths Scholars to the Department for Education (DfE)

  • The DfE uses the name of your ITT provider to ensure that our Maths Scholars receive the additional funding that comes with the Maths Scholarship.

Reference

The Maths Scholarship is also dependent on us receiving a reference for a Maths Scholar. Requests for references are issued when an applicant goes through to the second stage, Assessment, and if they have not been received, we will chase the referee. However, we can only chase a referee so much. So if we are yet to receive a reference for someone awarded a Maths Scholarship, then we may ask for their help in obtaining one or ask them for details for an alternative referee.

If you’re not sure who to ask to be your referee, read our References – Who Should You Nominate? article.

Awarded a Maths Scholarship?

If you have been awarded a Maths Scholarship, you may be thinking ‘should I be doing something?’ or are excited to start receiving the non-financial benefits that come with a Maths Scholarship. The Maths Scholarship Team will be in contact with you at the appropriate time to inform you of the next steps, so do wait until you have been contacted. There is more information in our article You’ve Been Awarded a Scholarship – Now What?

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