[holding answers 1 March 2010]: The available information is given in two tables. The first shows recruitment to employment based initial teacher training courses, excluding the Teach First programme. The second table shows recruitment to school centred initial teacher training courses.
1997/98 2004/05 2006/07 2008/09 Secondary 50 4,560 4,410 3,930 Of which: Mathematics * 530 460 440 Science * 700 550 490 Biology n/a n/a 90 110 Chemistry n/a n/a 70 90 General sciences n/a n/a 350 220 Physics n/a n/a 50 80 n/a = Not available * = Less than 5 Notes: 1. Includes recruitment to the Graduate Teacher Programme, Registered Teacher Programme and the Overseas Trained Teacher Programme. Excludes the Teach First programme, which started in 2003/04. 2. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Figures for 1997/98 have been taken from TDA records at the end of the academic year and are not directly comparable with data for later years. 4. The latest available full year figures for recruitment to employment based courses are for 2008/09. Recruitment data for 2009/10 relate to the autumn term only. Source: TDA’s Employment Based Routes Database
1997/98 2004/05 2006/07 2008/09 2009/10 Secondary 430 850 890 820 880 Of which: Mathematics 30 90 90 100 110 Science 70 140 160 160 150 Biology n/a n/a 20 20 20 Chemistry n/a n/a 10 10 20 General sciences n/a n/a 120 120 110 Physics n/a n/a 10 10 10 n/a = Not available Notes: 1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Recruitment numbers for 2009/10 are provisional and include actual and forecasted trainees who are expected to enter initial teacher training courses during the academic year. Source: TDA’s Trainee Numbers Census
[holding answer 2 March 2010]: The available information is presented in the table and shows the number of trainees at the end of their first year of the Graduate Teacher Programme by age group in 2003/04 and 2007/08.
The Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) was introduced in 1997/98 as a route for mature trainees with a lower age limit of 24. The anticipation of age discrimination legislation and a desire to widen access to GTP without threatening postgraduate and undergraduate routes led to the removal of the age restriction. The age limitation did not apply from 2003/04 in anticipation of the introduction of the age discrimination regulations in 2006 (Equal Employment (Age) regulations 2006).
Age group Under 25 25 to 29 30 to 34 35 to 39 40 to 44 45 to 49 50 to 54 Over 55 Total 2003/04 380 1,760 890 780 770 420 170 60 5,210 2007/08 1,200 1,710 670 570 560 350 110 20 5,190 Notes: 1. Data relating to the age of trainees are not collected on entering initial teacher training courses. This information is collected as part of the Performance Profiles at the end of the trainees' first year. 2. The Graduate Teacher Programme was introduced in 1997/98 but a breakdown by age is not available for this year. 3. Performance Profiles data are collected at the end of a trainees' first year. Data for 2008/09 were collected in autumn 2009 and will be published in July 2010. 4. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: TDA Performance Profiles.