Rowan's Story

Meet Rowan, 27, from Hendon in London. After completing her degree, she was ready to train as a teacher in a subject with critical shortages. But when she applied for teacher training, she discovered that HM Treasury and the Department for Education had slashed bursaries for her subject area, despite London's acute need for teachers. The classrooms were there. Qualified graduates like Rowan were ready to teach. What was missing was Westminster's political decision to fund the training places that would connect willing teachers to schools that desperately need them. Instead, Treasury spending rules force departments to compete for artificial budget caps, as though the government that creates the pound must somehow find it first. This is Blocked Britain. Contains strong language and references to financial stress.