Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government which areas of the country are most at risk of an actual or projected shortage of teachers in schools.

The government is committed to making teaching an attractive career for talented people, and will continue to support schools recruit and retain the brightest and best teachers. At a national level, our indicators show that the system overall is recruiting and retaining a sufficient number of teachers to meet demand. However, we fully recognise that, as the economy improves, schools face a challenge to recruit teachers, with schools in certain areas, such as coastal and rural areas, often facing greater difficulties.

We are supporting schools through policies that help them to attract and retain good teachers, such as reducing unnecessary workload, tackling poor pupil behaviour, and increasing pay flexibility.