Demand for EBacc subject teachers set to rise

Government figures show that the demand for teachers in EBacc subjects is set to increase, which indicates the demise of creative subjects.

The Department for Education (DfE) has published its initial teacher training allocations for the next school year, which shows that twice as many trainees in geography, for example, are needed.

Demand for new teachers in creative subjects is expected to fall by up to 11 per cent in some cases.

Among the data was the government’s teacher supply model predictions that reveal how many teachers it presumes should be trained in each subject to meet national demand next year.

It forecasts a huge increase in the need for teachers of EBacc subjects, with some estimations nearly doubling.

Associations representing non-EBacc subjects say the figures are “deeply concerning” and criticise the government for “pre-judging” the outcome of the delayed EBacc consultation.

The teacher supply predictions show that that number of would-be geography teachers has risen by 97 per cent, from 778 in the last academic year to 1,531.

History places have also seen an increase of 42 per cent from 816 to 1,16.

Whereas, the number of places for trainees in design and technology has fallen 11 per cent from 848 in 2016-17 to 751 next year. Demand for new teachers in food technology is also down 11 per cent from 186 to 166.

Julie Nugent, chief executive of The Design and Technology Association, said the “continued impact” of the EBacc was “reducing the demand for design and technology in schools despite the wider demand for these skills from UK industry”.