Quality of Trainee Teachers Entering England’s Schools Continues to Rise According to New Statistics

The quality of trainee teachers entering England’s schools continues to rise according to new statistics published today. Once qualified, these highly trained new teachers are being snapped up by schools keen to benefit from their skills and talent.

The data, compiled by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA), from providers of teacher training in England during the academic year 2006/2007, show:

* 10,035 (58 per cent) of secondary school trainee teachers with a UK degree had a 2:1 or better degree - a seven percentage point rise since 1999/2000 (51 per cent or 5,840);

* 5,943 (60 per cent) of primary school trainee teachers with a UK degree had 2:1 or better degree - up seven percentage points from 53 per cent (or 2751) in 1999/2000; and

* 22,177 (90 per cent) of the 24,605 newly qualified teachers whose employment status is known were employed in teaching within six months of completing their training.

Graham Holley, Chief Executive of the TDA said:

“It is encouraging to see that the quality of our new teachers remains high, and that schools are recognizing what these highly-trained candidates have to offer by employing nine in 10 of them within six months of completing their training.

“These figures back up the findings of Ofsted inspectors, who have rated the current generation of teachers as the best ever.

“But we’re not complacent, and recognize that we’re competing with other professions for the best graduates - particularly those who have qualifications in subjects like science and maths.

“We continue to do as much as possible to persuade people to turn their talent to teaching through incentives, better pay and support, and structured career progression that, in time, will allow all teachers to reach Masters level.”

Other findings include:

* 10,216 (26 per cent) of all first year trainees were male, but only 2,468 of primary school trainees were male (14 per cent);

* 4,477 trainees were from a minority ethnic group (12 per cent) - up a percentage point from 11 per cent or 4,358 the previous year; and

* 1,926 (5 per cent) of trainees declared themselves to have a disability, on par with 2005/06.

Also published today are the findings of a survey of 14,000 teachers who qualified this year (Newly Qualified Teachers or NQTs) and were asked to rate the quality of their training. The survey’s key findings reveal that, of respondents:

* 86 per cent of newly qualified secondary school teachers rated the overall quality of their training as very good or good; compared with 85 per cent of newly qualified primary school teachers; and

* 96 per cent of secondary NQTs and 95 per cent of primary NQTs were employed in teaching.

Graham Holley added:

“The NQT survey results are pleasing because they confirm that the trend of high satisfaction levels with the key elements of teacher training continues.

“To have an overall satisfaction rating of 85 per cent or better on overall quality is something most sectors could only dream of.”

Source: Training and Development Agency for Schools

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