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The number of postgraduate teacher trainees fell last year, according to new government figures.

The for 2023-24 was released by the Department for Education today.

It shows that the number of primary postgraduate trainee teachers fell, but the number in secondary increased on the previous year.

The data breaks down teacher trainee numbers by region, phase and course outcomes. 

Here are seven key findings.

1. Postgraduate trainee numbers were down overall

In 2023-24, there were 22,760 postgraduate trainee teachers with course outcomes, down from 24,277 in 2022-23.

The DfE has said this is in line with a similar decrease in postgraduate entrants to ITT in 2023-24.

A similar decrease in the number of postgraduate trainees who achieved qualified teacher status was also reported.

Of the 22,760 postgraduate trainees with course outcomes, 21,210 (93 per cent) achieved QTS.

While this is a lower figure compared with 2022-23 (22,437), there has been a one percentage point improvement in the proportion receiving a course outcome at 93 per cent.

2. Fewer postgraduates in primary but more in secondary

In 2023-24, there were 9,378 primary postgraduate trainees with course outcomes, a decrease from 11,457 in 2022-23. 

However, the percentage achieving QTS remained the same as the previous year (93 per cent).

In comparison, there were 13,382 secondary postgraduate trainees with course outcomes, an increase from 12,820 in 2022-23. 

The number of secondary postgraduate trainees who achieved QTS rose by one percentage point to 93 per cent.

The Labour government has set a target of hiring 6,500 extra teachers, but as Tes revealed, this figure does not include primary school teachers, whose numbers are falling.

3. DfE expects 3 in 4 postgraduate trainees to be working in a state school within 16 months

The DfE says that it provisionally estimates that 15,921 postgraduate trainees will be teaching in a state-funded school within 16 months of the end of the 2023-24 academic year.

This represents 75 per cent of all those who achieved QTS. This is the same percentage as last year but there has been a decrease in the absolute numbers compared with 2022-23, when 16,720 trainees entered employment within 16 months.

4. Physics QTS achievement increased slightly

Physics had previously had the lowest or joint lowest QTS achievement rate of the secondary subjects since 2017-18, but improved by 3 percentage points this year to 90 per cent.

Business studies and drama both saw decreases in their QTS achievement rate compared with 2022-23 (89 per cent and 92 per cent respectively).

5. Achievement rates varied across regions

In 2023-24, there was a 5 percentage point difference between the regions with the highest and lowest QTS achievement rates for postgraduates. This was one percentage point bigger than the gap seen in 2022-23. 

The East of England and the South West regions had the highest achievement rate at 95 per cent, while the North East had the lowest rate at 90 per cent.

While postgraduate employment rates often show significant regional variation, the gap was smaller this year, with a range of 18 percentage points compared with 23 percentage points in 2022-23. 

In 2023-24, the East of England had the highest provisional employment rate at 82 per cent, and the North West had the lowest at 64 per cent.

6. Highest recorded number of assessment-only candidates

Gaining QTS through assessment only (AO) is an option for unqualified teachers, support staff or teaching assistants to show that they already meet the QTS standards without further training.

In 2023-24, there were 1,705 AO candidates, a 6 per cent increase on 2022-23.

This is also the highest recorded number of AO candidates in any academic year since 2017-18, when official statistics on AO candidates began.

7. Undergraduate student numbers slightly lower but still high

In 2023-24, there were 5,641 undergraduate trainee teachers with course outcomes, a decrease from 5,812 in 2022-23. 

This is the second-highest figure since statistics have been recorded, and is in line with a higher number of entrants to undergraduate ITT in 2020-21 and 2021-22. 

The DfE estimates that, of the 4,635 undergraduate trainees who achieved QTS in 2023-24, 64 per cent will be teaching in a state-funded school within 16 months of the end of the 2023-24 academic year. This is two percentage points higher than 2022-23.

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