Thousands of secondary teachers are expected to teach subjects in which they do not have a relevant degree, statistics from the Department for Education show.

More than one in four teachers taking maths classes during the census day in November 2011 did not have a qualification higher than an A level in the subject, with this figure dropping to 21.7 per cent for English. Biology has the highest proportion of teachers with a degree in the subject, at 76 per cent. In total, 86 per cent of biology teachers have either a degree or other post-A level qualification, which can include a PGCE.

The subjects that have the highest proportion of teachers without post-A level qualifications are those that are newest to the school timetable. These include citizenship and media studies.