HC Deb 31 July 1998 vol 317 cc800-1W
Mr. Ian Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the minimum pay of a newly qualified teacher relative to the average salary for newly qualified graduates. [54501]

Ms Estelle Morris

The minimum starting pay of a newly qualified teacher with a good honours degree as at 1 December 1998 will be £15,012 (£17,178 in Inner London). The median salary in 1998 for newly qualified graduates covered by the latest survey of the Association of Graduate Recruiters is £16,500.

Mr. Ian Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many teachers are currently employed in England; and how many were in each of the last five years. [54560]

Mr. Charles Clarke

The full time equivalent number of teachers employed in maintained nursery, primary, secondary, and special schools, pupil referral units and education elsewhere in England in January 1998, and in January in each of the previous five years, is shown in the following table.

thousand
Year Number
19931 415.6
1994 409.3
1995 411.8
1996 412.4
1997 412.8
19982 411.4
1 Figures for 1993 include sixth form colleges. Sixth form colleges are excluded from 1994–98
2 1998 data are provisional

Mr. Ian Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the reasons given by teachers for leaving their profession prior to normal retirement age; and if he will publish them. [54486]

Mr. Charles Clarke

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has made no such assessment.

Mr. Ian Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the availability of trained teachers to meet the planned expansion of education provision. [54485]

Mr. Charles Clarke

The supply of an adequate number of well-trained and well-motivated teachers is central to our aim to raise standards in schools.

We set each year targets for the number of trainees who need to enter initial teacher training courses in order to meet the future demand for newly qualified teachers. The calculations take account of the likely demand in future years—including any changes resulting from current education initiatives, such as measures to reduce infant class sizes or improve the provision for under-fives. Details of the process by which targets are set may be found in the recent DfEE publication "Teacher Supply and Demand Modelling: A technical description", a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

Policies are expected to have a greater effect upon the demand for primary teachers than upon that for secondary teachers. The targets for recruitment to primary training courses have been exceeded in each of the last 10 years.

We will be reviewing recruitment targets in the autumn and will issue targets for courses starting in 1999/2000.