'50% RISE IN MEN APPLYING TO BE TEACHERS'

The number of men applying for teacher training has risen sharply because of the recession, says the body responsible for training teachers.

There was a 52% rise in the number of men wanting to be primary school teachers - more than 4,700 in 2009/10, up about 1,500 compared with 2008/09.

Redundancies in the City have prompted the change, says the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA).