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<p>The Department for Education is committed to recruiting high-quality graduates
into the teaching profession, and we have a range of initiatives designed to attract
the best potential teachers.</p><p>In September 2014 we launched a new marketing campaign
called ‘Your Future | Their Future’. We use a range of activities including national
newspaper advertising, targeted digital communications and face-to-face events to
reach excellent potential teachers, including career changers, and to persuade them
to pursue a career in teaching.</p><p>Additional funding has been made available to
schools offering School Direct (salaried) places to boost starting salaries and encourage
more experienced graduates to enter teacher training across a range of subjects. School
Direct (salaried) is an employment-based route for high-quality, experienced graduates
who earn a salary whilst training.</p><p>We provide an information service for anyone
looking to enter teaching through the Teaching Line. Those interested in teaching
a priority subject are given access to the Premier Plus programme. This includes support
from a dedicated recruitment advisor, access to exclusive events and regular communications
with important news and application hints and tips.</p><p>We have extended the School
Experience Programme (SEP) this year to include non-funded subjects as well as funded
priority subjects. SEP gives prospective teachers the chance to gain school experience,
helping them to choose teaching as a career.</p><p>Prestigious scholarship awards
are available to outstanding graduates with a 2:1 or first-class degree in maths,
physics, chemistry, and computing. Scholarships come with a package of non-financial
benefits, such as membership of the appropriate professional body, mentoring, and
continuous professional development.</p><p>New entrants to initial teacher training
are becoming better qualified. Overall, we have seen an increase each year in the
percentage of new entrants who hold a first class or 2:1 degree; rising from 61% in
2009/10 to 73% in 2014/15.</p><p>In addition, we have supported the expansion of Teach
First , which focuses on getting the highest quality teachers into our most challenging
schools, by more than doubling the number of programme participants since 2010, and
ensuring the programme covers all English government regions.</p><p> </p>
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