§ 63. Mr. EvennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he plans to introduce any initiatives to assist teacher recruitment in the Greater London area.
§ Mrs. RumboldYes. We are planning, in conjunction with the teaching as a career unit (TASC), to mount a special careers fair to attract more people into teaching in London and the south-east, particularly in shortage areas. We are in close touch with the local authority associations and with individual LEAs involved over teacher recruitment problems in Greater London. We and TASC already have an energetic national publicity campaign, involving advertising, conferences and exhibitions to promote the attractions of teaching and to improve recruitment to initial teacher training. Its impact can be measured by the fact that recruitment to initial teacher training courses is up this academic year by 13 per cent.