A leading academic has warned of a teacher workforce crisis in the primary sector because of falling applications, low staff morale, and rising pupil numbers.
Professor John Howson has described the triple hit as a "perfect storm" and says the government must act.
He highlights a 17 per cent fall in teacher training applications – both undergraduate and postgraduate – and compares this with a forecasted rise in primary pupil numbers of eight per cent by 2015. The drop in applications is significant in key subjects such science, maths and English, he adds.
The report, The Future Teacher Workforce: Quality and quantity, also claims that 55 per cent of school leaders think staff morale is poor or worse, with less than 10 per cent saying it is good or better.
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