The number of applications from aspiring maths teachers is down 8 per cent on this time last year, latest figures show.

Data published by Ucas shows that by 16 September, the admissions body had received 9,160 applications from people who want to begin maths teacher training this year, compared to 9,960 at the same point in 2018 (excluding abridged courses).

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This is equivalent to roughly 800 fewer applications from would-be maths teachers, or a drop of 8 per cent.

A total of 116,270 teacher training applications have been submitted so far this year, down from 118,290 in September 2018.

Courses in chemistry, languages and PE are among those which have also recorded a drop in interest from aspiring teachers.

However, there were more applications for English, biology and history courses compared with the same period in 2018.

Each would-be teacher can make up to three applications, meaning application numbers are higher than the numbers of people applying.