HUNDREDS of would-be teachers have applied for postgraduate training courses this month, prompting claims that the Government’s offer of pound;10,000 training salaries may be bearing fruit.
Applications for postgraduate secondary courses were up 50 per cent in the first two weeks of April compared to the same period in any of the past five years.
A total of 801 applications were received in the two weeks that followed the announcement on March 30, compared to only 524 in the same fortnight last year -a 53 per cent increase.
The figures were released as the Teacher Training Agency reported that calls to its information line have doubled to 4,000 a week since the announcement.
Recruitment expert and TES columnist John Howson described the statistics as “encouraging”. He said: “These figures are certainly more positive than any we have had in recent weeks.
“Were this trend to continue throughout April and May, we could say with some certainty that it was linked to the salaries.”
