Home > Job News > Graduates > Maths teacher figures don't add up < Job News and Info

There is a shortage of maths and science teachers and the situation is being made worse by the lack of statistics, according to a report.

The research, by the Royal Society, suggests that students looking for graduate jobs in teaching should not find it too hard at the moment.

Professor Dame Julia Higgins, chair of the Royal Society, said: "The last ten years have seen lots of initiatives launched in education, yet science and mathematics still appear to be dangerously under-resourced. Without enough specialist teachers these initiatives may be doomed to failure. We have seen our schools drop from 4th to 14th in international league tables for science since 2000. It is time to stop the rot."

However, the report also highlighted the need for more information on the sector. It said that no accurate estimate of the number of science and mathematics teachers in the UK exists.

It is hard for a teacher that just takes science and maths classes to be defined in employment figures.

The report also showed that the number of people enrolling on teacher training courses is falling below government targets by ten per cent in science and 18 per cent in maths.

The Royal Society is the national academy of science for the UK and the Commonwealth.

Find and apply for graduate jobs through our Graduate Job Search facility, or broaden your horizons through the All Jobs Search