Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the numbers of primary school teachers with (1) a science degree, or (2) a science A-level, as their highest science qualification.

The Government would like to see many more science graduates and candidates with a science A Level becoming teachers – both primary and secondary – to raise the quality of science teaching.

However, the responsibility for making recruitment decisions rightly rests with schools, including what specialist qualifications and experience they expect individual teachers to have. Through the new School Direct training route, we have given schools more control over the selection and training of the teachers they need for the future.