Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has made to increase the number of high-quality secondary school teachers, other than the role of financial incentives.

The Department for Education is committed to recruiting high-quality graduates into the teaching profession, and we have a range of initiatives designed to attract the best potential teachers.

In September 2014 we launched a new marketing campaign called ‘Your Future | Their Future’. We use a range of activities including national newspaper advertising, targeted digital communications and face-to-face events to reach excellent potential teachers, including career changers, and to persuade them to pursue a career in teaching.

Additional funding has been made available to schools offering School Direct (salaried) places to boost starting salaries and encourage more experienced graduates to enter teacher training across a range of subjects. School Direct (salaried) is an employment-based route for high-quality, experienced graduates who earn a salary whilst training.

We provide an information service for anyone looking to enter teaching through the Teaching Line. Those interested in teaching a priority subject are given access to the Premier Plus programme. This includes support from a dedicated recruitment advisor, access to exclusive events and regular communications with important news and application hints and tips.

We have extended the School Experience Programme (SEP) this year to include non-funded subjects as well as funded priority subjects. SEP gives prospective teachers the chance to gain school experience, helping them to choose teaching as a career.

Prestigious scholarship awards are available to outstanding graduates with a 2:1 or first-class degree in maths, physics, chemistry, and computing. Scholarships come with a package of non-financial benefits, such as membership of the appropriate professional body, mentoring, and continuous professional development.

New entrants to initial teacher training are becoming better qualified. Overall, we have seen an increase each year in the percentage of new entrants who hold a first class or 2:1 degree; rising from 61% in 2009/10 to 73% in 2014/15.

In addition, we have supported the expansion of Teach First , which focuses on getting the highest quality teachers into our most challenging schools, by more than doubling the number of programme participants since 2010, and ensuring the programme covers all English government regions.