SCHOOLS are facing a shortage of for new maths and English teachers as fewer graduates train for the classroom, a study warned today.

Overall applications for postgraduate teacher training courses have fallen by 9% compared to February last year, according to Education Data Surveys.

In physics, applications fell by 30%, while maths and English recorded drops of 15%, the report found.

Professor John Howson, who compiled the figures, said: "Unless graduate demand elsewhere in the economy experiences a downturn, it is difficult to see how all teacher training places will be filled this year.

"Any failure will impact on schools in the summer of 2009."

He suggested that graduates could prefer to train on the job, earning a salary while learning how to teach, rather than continuing life as students. Tweet