We have been taking a range of measures to boost the primary school teaching work force to prepare for languages becoming compulsory in primary schools in 2011. In total nearly 4,000 trainees had graduated through the primary initial teacher training course in a languages specialism by the end of the 2007/08 academic year. More trainees will be funded for this course, including a projected 900 in 2008/09.
The Training and Development Agency for Schools is also piloting this year, in partnership with 10 ITT providers, additional routes to boost the primary work force teaching languages. A projected 3,000 trainees will go through these courses in 2008/09. Of these trainees, about one third are postgraduate trainees and two thirds undergraduate trainees.