A new lower target for primary teacher training recruitment has been exceeded by 26 per cent, but secondary still misses its goal, according to the latest government data.

The initial teacher training (ITT) census for 2025-26 comes after the government reduced its official target for recruiting postgraduates into ITT earlier this year.

The number of overall recruits has increased by 11 per cent, up from 26,920 in 2025-26 to 33,355 in 2024-25.

While primary has exceeded its target, secondary teacher training recruitment numbers remain 12 per cent away from its goal.

Postgraduate initial teacher training (PGITT) targets were missed in 10 out of 18 secondary subjects: business studies, Classics, computing, design and technology, drama, modern foreign languages, music, physics, religious education and “other”.

Primary and secondary recruits up

The number of primary teacher training recruits has increased from 8,853 in 2024-25 to 9,645 in 2025-26, which is a 9 per cent increase. Last year it reached 90 per cent of its target, but it has now exceeded its new, lower target (7,650 entrants) by 126 per cent.

At the time, the Department for Education said the reduction in the primary target was “principally a result of more rapidly falling pupil numbers”.

However, it is also attributed to better forecasts for teacher retention and the recruitment of newly qualified teachers who have deferred their entry to the profession.

In comparison, the number of secondary recruits has increased from 15,255 in 2024-25 to 16,975 in 2025-26, an 11 per cent increase.

Secondary reached 88 per cent of the revised target (19,270 entrants), compared with 61 per cent of the target last year.

Record recruits for computing, physics and DT

Computing has reached the highest number of entrants (715) since 2012-13, a 44 per cent increase on 2024-25 entrants.

Physics saw a similarly high increase (1,086), 36 per cent up on 2024-25 and the highest number of entrants since 2014-15.

However, both computing and physics missed their target, reaching 80 per cent and 77 per cent of the 1,410 target, respectively.

Physics saw its proportion of UK nationals decrease from 49 per cent to 37 per cent. This means that more than half of (59 per cent) entrants are nationals from non-UK, non-European Economic Area countries.

Design and technology also missed its recruitment target by 30 per cent, but saw the highest number of entrants (680) since comparable statistics began in 2012-13.

English and maths exceeded their targets by 106 per cent and 113 per cent, respectively.

Accepted candidates rise

The number of candidates applying to primary PGITT courses remained steady: 19,157 in 2025-26 is down slightly from 19,237 in 2024-25. The number of accepted candidates increased by 10 per cent to 9,634.

For secondary subjects, the number of candidates applying for 2025-26 courses increased by 5 per cent to 39,259 compared with 2024-25, while the number of accepted candidates increased by 12 per cent to 16,448.

Computing, physics and business studies accepted the most candidates.

Jack Worth, school workforce lead at the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), welcomed the improved recruitment “after years of severe under-recruitment”.

He said: “Further policy efforts to improve teacher recruitment and retention will be needed to maintain the stronger recruitment, reverse the impacts of previous persistent under-recruitment and deliver on the government’s objective to recruit 6,500 new teachers.”

Schools ‘struggling with staff shortages’

The target for secondary recruitment to ITT has been missed every year with one exception since 2012-13, said Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders.

He added: “The target has been missed in around half of all secondary subjects, despite targets being substantially reduced in many cases. While improvements in subjects such as music and design and technology are to be celebrated, the actual increase in the number of new teachers is very small.

“The reality on the ground is that school leaders are struggling with staff shortages in many subject areas. The government cannot afford to rest on their laurels and think that one year of slightly better recruitment can fix such a widespread problem.”

The percentage of trainees coming from Asian and Black backgrounds has been steadily increasing since pre-pandemic. For 2025-26, 16 per cent of trainees were from Asian backgrounds, and 8 per cent were from black backgrounds, up on 10 and 4 per cent respectively in 2019.

The NFER has previously warned that teachers of colour are considerably underrepresented in teaching and face barriers from entry to senior leadership level.

The government has pledged an additional 6,500 teachers in classrooms by the end of the Parliament to tackle several years of difficulties recruiting and retaining teachers.

The National Audit Office said earlier this year it was not clear whether the 6,500 pledge would “fully address current and expected teacher shortages”.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Today’s figures are further evidence of the strong progress in teacher recruitment after years of crisis, with growth in critical [science, technology, engineering and maths] subjects particularly encouraging as we work to give more children the skills and knowledge to succeed.”

You can now get the UK’s most-trusted source of education news in a mobile app. Get Tes magazine on iOS and on Android