Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Simon Hughes (Liberal Democrat). It was answered on Monday, 30 June 2008 on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Teacher Recruitment

Question: That is a good general answer, but the Minister will know that a report published today states that we have a reduction by more than a quarter of applicants for teacher training in physics. We know that about 25 per cent. more physics teachers are already leaving the profession than are joining, that a quarter of all state schools have no qualified physics teacher, and that in the inner cities half have no such teacher. Is the only answer in the short and medium term that schools should now recruit abroad for the specialist teachers whom we need?

Answer: I have seen the claims made by Professor Smithers this morning regarding the shortage of physics teachers. The combination of the higher bursary of £9,000 and a £5,000 golden hello when people start teaching will certainly help. The expansion—the doubling—of Teach First over the next five years, announced by the Prime Minister last week, will add to that. The £140 million investment in science, technology, engineering and maths, and the improvement that we are just starting to see in the take-up of physics A-level will be important. Over the medium to long term, I therefore certainly do not see it as a necessity for people to recruit physics teachers from abroad, but in the short term individual schools in local authorities will have to do what they need to do to ensure that we have the necessary specialisms in our classrooms.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 478 c579
Session: 2007-08
Oral question type: 1st Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Subjects: Languages Recruitment Teachers Science Mathematics Physics Training
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk