HC Deb 13 June 2003 vol 406 cc230-1W
Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the subjects which have missed targets for teacher training recruitment, with the extent of undershoot in each case; and if he will make a statement on(a) the consequences for schools and colleges and (b) his strategy for improving the situation. [115589]

Mr. Miliband

The table shows the number of places available on, and recruits to, courses of initial teacher training in England since 1999/2000.

1999/2000 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03
Places Recruits Places Recruits Places Recruits Places Recruits
Geography 1,030 872 1,090 899 1,175 1,025 1,100 946
Physical Education 1,040 1,190 1,200 1,205 1,200 1,330 1,200 1,325
Art 940 799 850 851 850 843 850 885
Music 570 518 630 560 705 654 700 596
Religious Education 600 528 665 573 650 588 700 576
Citizenship2 — — — — — — 200 185
Other 350 283 330 319 450 378 300 174
Secondary Reserve — — 200 — 350 — 100 —
Total secondary 16,610 13,871 16,615 14,542 17,390 15,976 17,790 16,661
Overall Total 28,610 25,967 29,715 27,715 29,890 29,085 31,790 31,112
Fast Track — — — — — 109 — 117
Total (including Fast Track) — — — — — 29,194 — 31,229
1 Technology includes design and technology, business studies and information technology.
2 2001/02 was the first year for recruitment to citizenship, and was included in other subjects along with economics and social studies. In 2002/03 places allocated to citizenship were separated out and shown separately.
Note:
The number of Fast Track recruits are shown separately because Fast Track places are not part of the TTAs number of allocated places.
Source:
TTA

The figures do not include 10,887 recruits to employment-based teacher training programmes over this period, including 6,884 training to teach secondary subjects and 1,932 in mathematics and science alone. These programmes were designed to attract career-changers and, in tapping a new source of recruits, have more than bridged any shortfalls in conventional recruitment.

Recruitment to courses of initial teacher training in England fell for eight years in succession from 1992/93. Since the introduction of teacher training bursaries in September 2000, numbers of new entrants to teacher training have risen year on year. There have been 20 per cent. more new entrants to conventional teacher training courses in the current academic year than in 1999/2000. Figures published by the Graduate Teacher Training Registry on 7 May showed that there have been 38,118 applications for Postgraduate Certificate in Education courses so far this year, over 5,500 more than at the same point in 2002.

The increase in the numbers of entrants to teacher training that the Governments policies has secured has been accompanied by rising numbers of qualified teachers working in schools. National statistics published by my Department on 29 April show that these now stand at their highest level for 19 years.