Number of trainee teachers not achieving QTS rises

According to the latest DfE figures, the proportion of trainee teachers who did not achieve qualified teacher status (QTS) in 2022/23 has risen one percentage point from the previous year - and has doubled since 2019.

The data on teachers who took postgraduate training courses in the academic year 2022-23 show that 8 per cent of did not go on to gain qualified teacher status, up from seven per cent the year before and four per cent in 2019-20.

However, those who did get a QTS, the proportion who went on to teach in a state school rose from 73 per cent of those who trained in 2020-21 to 76 per cent in 2022-23.

The figures also show there were almost 8,000 fewer trainee teachers in 2022/23 than the previous year.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the school leaders’ union, NAHT said: "These teacher training recruitment figures paint a depressingly familiar picture of a profession that faces an intractable supply crisis at every level, from graduate entry to leadership aspiration and retention.

"The new government clearly recognises this –  and has made it clear that tackling the recruitment and retention crisis will be a top priority. We look forward to working with ministers and officials to tackle the causes of the crisis, rather than the symptoms.  

“Immediate progress can be swiftly made to reduce stress and ill-health by removing single word or phrase inspection judgements from inspection reports; and bearing down on a whole raft of unnecessary workload burdens.

"For example, abolition of performance related pay progression, removal of current overly-bureaucratic publication requirements for schools on how they use the pupil and sports premium, and a commitment to pause statutory changes to sharing pupil attendance data would yield immediate benefits.”