The National College for Teaching and Leadership released the provisional allocation of initial teacher training (ITT) places for the 2014-15 academic year today. Analysis by the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET) showed that the total core - undergraduate and postgraduate - allocations at higher education institutions dropped around 14.5 per cent from the final 2013-14 figures, falling from 26,790 to 22,900. Core postgraduate allocations went down by over 3,800, a 19 per cent decrease.

At the same time, the number of allocations to School Direct went up to 15,400 - a 12 per cent leap in the scheme¡¯s share of places. School Direct now accounts for over a third of total allocations up from a quarter last year. The allocation is made the National College for Teaching and Leadership, which is an arm of the Department for Education.

Michael Gunn, vice-chancellor of Staffordshire University and chair of Million+ - whose membership covers a number of post-1992 universities - said: ¡°The decision by ministers to transfer over 15,000 teacher education places from universities to the Government¡¯s School Direct programme will threaten the viability of initial teacher training courses and education departments in universities and undermine teacher supply in the regions.

¡°In all high performing countries the role of universities in training teachers and ensuring they have academic and professional qualifications which combine study and practical classroom experience is highly valued.

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¡°The government has now adopted an ideological approach to teacher education which disregards the evidence. There was massive under-recruitment of School Direct places in 2013-14 and confusion among applicants. There is no reason to believe that this situation will improve next year.¡±

James Noble-Rogers, executive director of UCET, said that while universities have been engaging with School Direct and trying to make it a success, he had been calling for a ¡°more measured approach in order to protect the teacher education infrastructure and ensure a proper supply of teachers¡±.

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¡°That would have meant, at best, only a modest expansion of School Direct from its current share of 25 per cent [of all places],¡± he said. ¡°Increasing that to 37 per cent is significantly more than we feel confident with.¡±

john.elmes@tsleducation.com