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Written question asked by Andrew Mitchell (Conservative) on Tuesday, 24 March 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 26 March 2026. It was answered by Georgia Gould (Labour) on Wednesday, 1 April 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Physics: Teachers

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support schools to recruit qualified physics teachers in the West Midlands.

Answer

The department’s Plan for Change commits us to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools and our colleges over the course of this Parliament.

In 2023/24, just 17% of the postgraduate initial teacher training target for physics trainees was met. In 2025/26, this increased to 78%, with 1,095 new entrants, reaching the highest number for physics since comparable statistics began in 2014/2015.

Additionally, full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state-funded schools in the West Midlands increased by 353 to 52,658 per the latest census, and across the country the workforce has grown by 2,346 FTE in secondary and special schools, which are the schools where they are needed most.

We are continuing to support physics teacher recruitment with bursaries worth £29,000 and tax free scholarships worth £31,000. We are also supporting retention alongside increased recruitment, with a targeted retention incentive, worth up to £6,000 after tax, for teachers in years 1-5 of their career who choose to work in the most disadvantaged schools.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
123131
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Recruitment West Midlands Teachers Physics
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk