asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of physical science graduates from universities and polytechnics have opted to undertake teacher training over the past five years; and how this percentage is changing.
Figures for the most recent five-year span and in the most readily available form are as follows:
| Graduates in Biological and Physical Sciences: England and Wales | |||
| Numbers graduating (1) | Numbers entering Teacher training (2) | (2) as percentage of (1) in previous year | |
| 1978–79 | 13,880 | — | — |
| 1979–80 | 14,740 | 1,930 | 13·9 |
| 1980–81 | 16,080 | 2,280 | 15·5 |
| 1981–82 | 16,840 | 2,260 | 14·0 |
| 1982–83 | 16,690 | 2,260 | 13·4 |
| 1983–84 | — | 2,050 | 12·3 |
Notes:
1. Biological and physical sciences include all natural sciences and mathematics. Graduates from public sector colleges validated by universities are excluded.
2. Columns 1 and 2 include graduates from FE institutions other than polytechnics (who cannot be separately distinguished).
3. All figures relate to home students only.
4. Column 1 figures relate to students awarded their degree at the end of the appropriate year; column 2 figures relate to those on the first year of their course in the subsequent academic year.
5. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.