Thousands of would-be teachers not in classes

More than one in 10 of those in their final year of training failed to pass or meet the requirements to become a qualified teacher, it found.

The latest Good Teacher Training Guide also reveals that would-be teachers who train in schools are more likely to take up teaching posts than those who train on university courses.

But university-led teacher training is more likely to attract applicants with good degrees.

The findings come as the Government attempts to overhaul teacher training, moving it away from universities and into schools.

Researchers at Buckingham University’s Centre for Education and Employment Research analysed official figures on teacher training for the 2011/12 academic year, looking at where trainees study, the numbers entering the profession and the types of qualifications they hold.

They reveal that of the 36,898 people in their final year of training in 2011/12, around one in four (25.3 per cent) – about 9,328 individuals – were not in teaching the following January (six months later).

Around 3,927 (10.6 per cent) of these never achieved Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) while the others were simply recorded as not being in teaching posts.

“Together they amount to a quarter of the recruits not making it into the classroom, at least straightaway,” the report says.

A breakdown of the figures shows that 80.9 per cent of those who-trained on programmes led by schools entered teaching, compared to three-quarters (76.1 per cent) of those on university-led courses.

But Ministers have also been trying to attract more top graduates and new bursaries, worth up to £25,000 in some subjects from this September, are being introduced to attract them.