Trainee teacher numbers hit target - graduate jobs

Graduates have added to the number of people recruited onto teacher training courses, which has exceeded Government targets for the first time.

The Training Development Agency for Schools (TDA) has revealed that the targets set according to the predicted need for new teachers had been met or exceeded in every main phase and subject area.

The percentage of people training with a 2:1 or better UK degree has increased from 56% to 61% for primary school teaching and 53% to 58% for secondary schools - compared to the previous year's figures.

Subjects such as maths and science, which have failed to attract the number of desired trainees in the past, have met the Department of Children, Schools and Families' (DCSF) targets. The number of new maths teachers has reached 2,897 in 2009/10, exceeding the target by 8%.

The number of studying science teachers has also improved, with 3,701 people signing up, exceeding the target by 9%.