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Teachers: Manpower

Volume 485: debated on Monday 8 December 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many and what proportion of teachers who qualified in each year since 1997 are known to be teaching in maintained schools; (240597)

(2) how many teachers who have qualified since 1997 are no longer in the profession;

(3) how many teachers under the age of 60 have left the profession since 1997.

The following table provides the headcount number of teachers who attained qualified teacher status (QTS) in each year from 1997 to 2006 who were recorded in full or part-time regular service in the local authority maintained sector in March 2007, the latest year available.

Number and percentage of teachers gaining qualified teacher status in full and part-time regular service by year of qualification, 1997 to 2006, coverage: England and Wales1

Year of attaining QTS

Total in maintained sector service March 2007

Percentage in service2

1997

16,400

57.5

1998

16,000

59.1

1999

17,100

62.9

2000

15,900

64.4

2001

17,300

66.6

2002

20,000

69.5

2003

23,100

70.2

2004

25,900

71.9

20053

27,100

72.7

20063

25,300

68.6

Total

204,000

66.9

1 The location where all teachers gained QTS cannot be determined within England and Wales and therefore this table covers those qualifying and in maintained service in both countries. 2 As a percentage of all teachers recorded as attaining QTS irrespective of whether or not they ever entered service anywhere. 3 Provisional. Source: Database of Teacher Records (DTR).

Provisional figures from the DTR, which records all teachers attaining QTS, show that in March 2007 there were 37,600 full and part-time teachers in England gaining QTS since 1997 who entered and then left service in any recorded sector. Recorded sectors on the DTR include maintained schools in England and Wales, independent schools that are members of the Teachers' Pensions Scheme, further education colleges and certain higher education colleges. The source also shows that there were 132,800 teachers aged under 60 attaining QTS at any time who were no longer in service in any recorded sector.

These figures may exclude teachers whose current service status information has not been received as yet. It is also estimated that between 15 and 20 per cent. of part-time teachers service is not recorded on the DTR. The numbers in service are, therefore, an underestimate and those out of service an overestimate. The figures also include teachers who have left the profession temporarily.