To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the graduate teachers recruited under the Teach First scheme are teaching in (a) Greater London; (b) the South East; (c) Yorkshire; and (d) the three English northern regions. [HL358]

The Teach First initiative was launched in London in 2003, extended to Manchester in 2006, the Midlands in 2007, Liverpool in 2008 and Yorkshire from 2009.

Participants join the scheme for two years. Employment data for trainees recruited via Teach First are currently only available for those who were trained in London. The majority of trainees on the Teach First programme in providers in Manchester have programme end dates of 31 August 2007, so they will be included in statistics relating to 2007-08 academic year (expected to be available later this year).

Of the 150 trainees who completed their initial teacher training via the Teach First scheme in 2005-06, 150 were teaching in London schools one year later; 130 were teaching in London schools two years later. Of the 210 trainees completing their training in 2006-07, some 200 were teaching in London schools a year later. Additionally there was a small number (less than five) of trainees who completed their training in 2005-06 teaching in schools in the south-east, and a small number of trainees who completed their training in 2006-07 teaching in schools in the south-east and in the north-west.