Having sufficient teachers to meet the needs of schools will be one of the issues that Amanda Spielman, the government’s recommendation for Ofsted Chief Inspector, will face in her new role.

According to a report by the Public Accounts Committee, an urgent review of teacher training in England is needed to address the difficulties schools face in recruiting teachers.

Whilst the Committee recognises that the recent education white paper may address some of the challenges, the report concludes:

• The DfE has missed its targets to fill teacher training places for four years running with significant shortfalls in some subjects. This means that lessons in some important subjects are being taught by teachers without relevant post A Level qualifications
• There is significant local variation across the country in teacher recruitment
• Recent expensive methods for recruiting teachers are experimental, evolving and lack coherence with little evidence that they result in more, better quality teachers.

The Education Select Committee has welcomed the publication of the report and will consider the findings in its own inquiry into the supply of teachers. The Committee will also now meet Amanda Spielman before deciding whether to proceed with the Chief Inspector appointment.

According to Nicky Morgan, Ms Spielman has been recommended for the role because of her "extensive experience at the front line of the education system". Ms Spielman is co-founder of the ARK academy chain and is currently the Chair of Ofqual.