Bright students who want to become teachers will be paid to do a degree as part of Government plans to recruit high-calibre new entrants to the profession.

Anyone wanting to qualify for the new scholarships would have to sign up to spend a fixed period of time in charge of a classroom after graduation.

They would also have to train or work with children during their university holidays in return for the financial support.

Education secretary Michael Gove thinks the scheme, similar to recruitment programmes run by the armed forces, would boost the numbers of top graduates going into teaching.

He also wants to pay off the student loans of new teachers with degrees in shortage subjects such as maths and physics. They will also be offered other incentives, not yet detailed, for those with “good degrees” who train to become teachers.

The bid to recruit the brightest students will run alongside the start of major changes to teacher training in England. The Training and Development Agency for Schools will become part of the Department for Education, rather than a quango, and staff will be directly accountable to ministers.

Mr Gove also wants an expansion in the number of teacher training schools. Outstanding primaries and secondaries will lead a national network and will be responsible for providing training and professional development.

More universities will be encouraged to open training schools and a national scholarship scheme will be introduced for teachers who want to undertake further study in their subject or “broaden their experience”.