The latest data on applications to postgraduate ITT courses appeared this morning. Such are the wonders of modern technology that data generated on the 18th of August can be programmed to appear on the bank holiday Monday in order to keep up the sequence of posting the data on the last Monday of the month by the DfE. Initial teacher training application statistics for courses starting in the 2025 to 2026 academic year – Apply for teacher training – GOV.UK
As is already known, 2025 is going to be best year for recruitment to graduate teacher preparation courses since 2013, especially in many traditional shortage subjects, such as the sciences and mathematics. But it is not ’a bed of roses’ all round.
| AUGUST 2025 OFFER | |||||
| SUBJECT | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 TARGET | DIFF ON 2024 | DIFF TO TARGET |
| CLASSICS | 66 | 53 | 60 | -13 | -7 |
| ENGLISH | 2399 | 2080 | 1950 | -319 | 130 |
| RE | 494 | 491 | 780 | -3 | -289 |
| OTHERS | 454 | 472 | 2520 | 18 | -2048 |
| DRAMA | 298 | 337 | 620 | 39 | -283 |
| MUSIC | 378 | 407 | 565 | 29 | -158 |
| COMPUTING | 642 | 884 | 895 | 242 | -11 |
| D&T | 680 | 764 | 965 | 84 | -201 |
| BUS STUDIES | 252 | 324 | 900 | 72 | -576 |
| PE | 1675 | 1734 | 725 | 59 | 1009 |
| ART & DESIGN | 871 | 1087 | 680 | 216 | 407 |
| HISTORY | 963 | 1100 | 790 | 137 | 310 |
| MATHEMATICS | 2597 | 3004 | 2300 | 407 | 704 |
| MFL | 1498 | 1677 | 1460 | 179 | 217 |
| GEOGRAPHY | 942 | 1093 | 935 | 151 | 158 |
| CHEMISTRY | 920 | 1054 | 730 | 134 | 324 |
| PHYSICS | 1285 | 1677 | 1410 | 392 | 267 |
| BIOLOGY | 1415 | 1600 | 985 | 185 | 615 |
Three subjects have recorded fewer offers this year than last year. Two, classics and drama, will miss their target. In English it would be touch and go to meet the target by the date of the ITT census in early December from just this source of trainees. However, Teach First and other routes should mean that the target will be comfortably met. But, the applications patterns for 2026 will need careful monitoring.
Five subjects won’t meet their targets this year, even with Teach First. Computing should, although it hasn’t yet done so from the courses included in this dataset.
The remaining subjects have all recorded increased offers this year and, in most cases, are way over target. This raises the question about whether or not the DfE should once again consider recruitment controls in some subjects. After all, although we will need teachers to cover the missing trainees in the group of ‘other’ subjects, will the 1,000 extra PE teachers offered places over the target have the appropriate skill sets to fill those vacancies? They are certainly unlikely to fill the music vacancies, but presumably could be offered business studies teaching.
Hopefully, the DfE will be matching up to date vacancy data with the targets generated from historical data to see what changes might be needed for 2026 entry. After all, there isn’t money to waste in the public exchequer.
There also appears to be over supply in the primary sector
| SUBJECT | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 TARGET | DIFF ON 2024 | DIFF TO TARGET |
| PRIMARY | 10610 | 11405 | 7650 | 795 | 3755 |
But I wonder whether, as in some secondary subjects, some candidates are recorded holding more than one offer. Even so, this is a sizeable overshoot and may cause issues next September in some parts of the country for trainees seeking teaching posts in primary schools. Especially, if a combination of falling rolls and a reluctance to move jobs in a deteriorating labour market overall sees fewer posts advertised.
I believe that Ministers need to do some hard thinking about balancing supply and demand for teachers and the cost to the public purse.
John Howson 