Teacher training applications fall 12 per cent
These figures take into account both university led courses as well as school-led training, such as School Direct, and will likely add to growing fears of a teacher shortage.
The number of applicants in England dropped by 4,500 to 33,500 (12 per cent), while the total applications across England and Wales dropped 13 per cent from 122,500 to 106,500.
James Noble-Rogers, executive director for the Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers, has said the government should consider making bursaries available for all trainee teachers. Bursaries of up to £25,000 are currently available, but only on offer to ‘priority subjects’ such as physics, maths, computing, chemistry and languages.
He said: “There are very generous bursaries in some areas and we should look at making them available to all trainee teachers, not just for those with first-class degrees in particular subjects… It is right to incentivise recruitment in particular subjects but there is a case for across-the-board bursaries, because we want good people applying in all subjects.”
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