2008-9 a high proportion of students (40 from 287 = 14%) withdrew from undertaking a school placement. Various reasons given e.g.

job opportunity, have to go home, too much academic work to do.

blend predominantly quantative data with qualitative data in a flexible design

Self completed questionnaire administered to 220 students at 3 training venues in 2010; 199 returned =90% response rate.

Visiting tutor reportsHistorical documentary evidence

ANXIETY ‘if I’m not suited to

it’ ‘the culture

difference between China & England’

‘realising it's still not for me’

‘if I really don't enjoy it and feel under pressure’

I wish to apply for a place on a PGCE AND I

already have a place on a PGCE P1  SO17 (31%) 44 (76%) I’m considering teaching but not yet AND I’m

not considering teaching but will put the experience on my CV

P1   SO36 (66%) 13 (22%) 

15 & 14.8% BUT actual number of students who

withdrew in the ‘P1’ category is four times that of the ‘SO’ category (16/4).

However this = proportional withdrawals

Consequently given that there are four times as many P1 recruited as SO there seems to be no particular significance in these results.

• 6 SO - strong interest in teaching compared

3 P1. • Overall the P1 sample showed a

balance between the responses; ‘strong interest’, ‘considering teaching’ and ‘positive experience’ with roughly a third of the sample in each category.

• Whereas the SO sample was skewed towards the positive in relation to pursuing teaching as a career.

InterviewsStatistical analyses - Chi squared? –

help!Any suggestions?

• Shortage subject advocates to continue to go into schools - how? Volunteers?

• Structured opportunity such as the SAS to build and encourage the skills of beginning teachers in the shortage subjects so that they 'believe' that they are 'suited' to teaching.

• A HE taught programme/module in collaboration with the National STEM Centre.

• Introducing and reinforcing exciting teaching and learning strategies that Priority 1 students could practise firstly during the programme and then in the classroom.

 Collins, P. (2010) ‘Supporting and improving retention in initial teacher education shortage secondary subjects: The starting out scheme’ Worcester Journal of Learning & Teaching 4 http://www.worc.ac.uk/adpu/documents/FinalPCollinsITERetention.pdf [accessed 22 February 2011]

Cooper, P. and D’Inverno, R. (2004) ‘Those who can teach: Addressing the crisis in Mathematics in UK schools and Universities’ Educational Studies in Mathematics. 56 pp.343-357.

Cooper, P. and D’Inverno, R. (2005) ‘The future of the discipline? Mathematics and the undergraduate Ambassadors Scheme’ Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education. 8 pp.329-342.

Macdonald, D. (1999) ‘Teacher attrition: a review of literature’. Teaching and Teacher Education 15 pp.835-848.

Smithers, A., and Robinson, P. (2008) Physics in schools and universities: IV Supply and retention of teachers. Buckingham: Carmichael Press http://wordpress.buckingham.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/physics-teachers.pdf [accessed 23 March 2011.]

 The Training and Development Agency for Schools http://www.tda.gov.uk/Recruit/experienceteaching/jointhestudentassociatesscheme.aspx [accessed 8.3.10.]