The UK needs to address a shortage of new teachers across the board in order to protect the range of subjects being taught to children in schools nationwide, it has been reported. 

Professor John Howson, a government education advisor, said that in a number of key subjects recruitment of new teachers in 2015 is markedly below target figures set at the start of the year. This could mean that some of the larger state schools across the country could cut a number of different subjects. 

The warning comes in the weeks after the government released data regarding recruitment for the past few years. This information showed that there was a shortfall of ten per cent in the volume of new teachers being recruited to the sector. Data shows that this is now the third consecutive year that the government has failed to hit targets with regards to the recruitment of new teachers. 

This shows that the government needs to be doing more to ensure that young people want to get into teaching in order to make sure that key subjects are being taught in all schools across the UK. 

Governmental figures also highlight the subjects that could be most at risk from the shortfall. The recruitment of trainee design and technology teachers was 57 per cent below the target level. There was also a gap of 37 per cent when it comes to the recruitment of religious education teachers. 

For music and geography there was a shortfall of some 25 per cent, while English and maths came in at some 12 per cent and 11 per cent below targets respectively. 

Professor Howson said that more work will be required in order to make sure that recruitment grows, so schools are not having to cut certain subjects or have teachers working in areas that they are not qualified to. 

“Without drastic action, more headteachers will be forced to employ staff not qualified in their subjects or for the age group they are teaching, or simply remove subjects from the curriculum," he said. 

"The government has acknowledged that it faces a challenge, but not a crisis."

The good news for now is that the number of teachers coming out of education who will be qualified to teach in schools as of the start of the 2016 academic year will be higher than it was this year. But it's clear that a push to recruit more young people into teaching is needed from the government.