To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the proportion of applicants accepted on to a primary teacher training course was in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. (169803)

Applications for primary initial teacher training (ITT) can be for either an undergraduate or postgraduate course. The number of trainees accepted to undergraduate ITT courses is not held centrally so it is not possible to calculate the overall proportion of applications which are accepted.

The following table shows the number of postgraduate applicants and acceptances to primary ITT courses in England along with the proportion of these applications which were accepted in each year between 2001/02 and 2007/08.

The figures are published on the GTTR website at:

http://www.gttr.ac.uk/stats.html

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many qualified primary school teachers worked in maintained primary schools in each year since 1997. (169804)

The available information is given in table 2 of SFR29/2007 School Workforce in England (including pupil: teacher ratios and pupil: adult ratios), January 2007 (Revised) which can be found at:

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000743/index.shtml

The following table shows the available figures, in thousands, for full-time equivalent regular qualified teachers in maintained nursery and primary schools as at January each year.