HC Deb 26 February 2001 vol 363 cc383-5W
Mr. Simon Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the wastage rate for teachers in each of the last five years was; what the average earnings of teachers in each of the last five years were; and how many days on average were lost per teacher due to sickness in each of the last five years. [150473]

Ms Estelle Morris

The statistics on full-time and part-time teachers leaving the maintained schools sector in England for the last five years for which data are available are as follows:

Financial year Leavers1,2 Rate3
1994–95 32,510 7.8
1995–96 31,150 7.4
1996–97 33,150 7.9
1997–98 34,250 8.2
1998–994 27,570 6.6
1 Teachers leaving the maintained nursery, primary, secondary, special and PRU sector including those moving to the FE, HEE or the independent schools sector.

Teachers retiring but then rejoining the maintained nursery, primary, secondary, special and PRU sector have not been included in the figures. Teachers retiring and then joining the FE, HE or the independent schools sector are included.

Teachers barred from service and dying in service are included

2 The number of teachers leaving on early or ill-health retirement has now stabilized it a lower level, following the reform of the Teachers Pensions Scheme in 1997.

3 Leavers expressed is a percentage of teachers in post at the start of the year shown.

4 Provisional.

Average salaries of full-time teachers in the maintained schools sector in England for the last five years were as follows:

£
March 1996 22,180
March 1997 22,920
March 1998 23,570
March 1999 24,460
March 2000 25,320

Note:

The March 2000 salary is estimated by increasing the March 1999 figure by the 1 April 1999 pay rise of 3.5 per cent.

It is estimated that the average pay of a full-time qualified teacher (including heads and deputy heads) in the maintained nursery, primary and secondary sector at April 2001 will be £27,900 (including the post threshold pay scale).

From April 2001 new graduate recruits can expect to earn £17,000 a year (up 6 per cent. from the previous year) and starting salaries in Inner London will rise to £20,000 (up 9 pet cent. from the previous year).

In calendar year 1999, full-time and part-time teachers in maintained schools in England took an estimated average of five days' sick leave. This is the only year for which data are available.

The number of regular teachers in maintained schools in England increased by 6,900 between January 1998 and January 2000,

There was a growth of more than 2,000 in the number of people training to be teachers between 1999–2000 and 2000–01, the first such increase since 1992–93.

Mr. Hayes

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of(a) the number of qualified supply teachers and (b) the number of these that were in post in schools on 17 January for each of the last five years. [150091]

Ms Estelle Morris

The number of qualified supply teachers is not collected centrally.

The number of qualified short-term supply teachers on contracts of under one month employed in maintained schools in England for the whole day, on the third Thursday in January over the last five years, is as follows:

Year
1996 12,600
1997 13,600
1998 13,100
1999 14,100
2000 16,700

Note:

All numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100

A number of factors may have affected the demand for short term supply teachers in January 2000 including the requirement for schools to give teachers in their induction year a 10 per cent. reduction in timetable, and the flu epidemic that some LEAs reported at the time.

Supply, temporary and agency teachers on a contract of at least one month cannot be separately identified from teachers in regular service. The number of regular teachers (ie excluding short term supply) in maintained schools in England increased by 6,900 between January 1998 and January 2000.

There was a growth of more than 2000 in the number of people training to be teachers between 1999–2000 and 2000–01, the first such increase since 1992–93.