Trainee teachers in subjects with the biggest shortages are less likely to find a job than those wanting to teach more popular subjects, new data reveals.

New government statistics show that trainees in English, history and geography have the highest employment rates once they qualify.

By contrast, newly qualified physics and modern foreign languages teachers have lower rates of employment, despite the fact that many headteachers say that they struggle to recruit teachers in these subjects.

Trainees who have qualified to teach English had approximately 88 per cent employment rates in 2015-16, the most recent year for which statistics are available. New English teachers have had consistently high employment rates since 2009-10.

Trainees who have qualified to teach physics and modern foreign languages have consistently had the lowest level of employment of all teachers in English Baccalaureate subjects.

Employment rates for physics teachers were around 78 per cent in 2015-16 - and for language teachers approximately 75 per cent.

Trainee teachers shortfall

Headteachers questioned for the report said that they found it hardest to recruit maths and science teachers. They also said they struggled to recruit English, geography, physics and modern foreign language teachers.

In its evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body this month, the Department for Education revealed that there are 4,100 specialist physics teachers, with 1,600 more needed: a shortage of 28 per cent.

English, by contrast, has 30,600 qualified teachers, with a further 3,600 needed: a shortage of 11 per cent.

So, schools need more English teachers than physics teachers, in numeric terms, even though the shortage of physics teachers is greater in percentage terms.

Modern foreign languages, however, lack teachers in both percentage and numeric terms. There are 15,100 qualified teachers of various languages - including French, German and Spanish - with a further 6,700 needed: a shortage of 31 per cent.

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