HC Deb 28 June 2000 vol 352 c544W
Mr. Clappison

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many(a) primary and (b) secondary school teachers left the teaching profession before reaching the age of 40 in each of the last 10 years; and how many of them did so within five years of qualifying as a teacher. [126315]

Ms Estelle Morris

The following table shows the number of maintained nursery, primary and secondary full and part-time teachers in England who left the maintained nursery, primary, secondary, special and PRU sector1,2 under age 40 and the number who left within five years of qualifying as a teacher.

Nursery/primary teachers aged under 40 Secondary teachers aged under 40
Financial year All leavers Leavers within five years All leavers Leavers within five years
1988–89 6,300 1,300 10,000 2,300
1989–90 5,900 1,800 8,900 2,400
1990–91 6,800 2,200 8,600 2,400
1991–92 5,900 2,000 6,600 2,000
1992–93 5,100 1,800 5,700 1,800
1993–94 4,600 1,800 5,100 1,700
1994–95 5,100 2,100 5,400 2,100
1995–96 4,400 1,900 5,000 2,300
1996–97 4,700 2,100 4,900 2,400
1997–98 5,000 2,200 5,100 2,500
1Excludes those leaving sixth form colleges. Sixth form colleges became part of the FE sector as at 1 March 1993.
2Includes those taking ill-health retirement, barred and dying in service, which amounts to less than 200 in either phase for any year

Note:

Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.

There was a growth in total numbers of 3,500 full-time equivalent regular teachers in maintained nursery/primary schools and 3,100 full-time equivalent regular teachers in maintained secondary schools between January 1998 and January 2000.