Martin Fisher, North-East principal officer of the National Union of Teachers, said that although the help for new teachers was welcomed as a positive step, the proposals would not solve the problem of keeping people in teaching.

He said: "This shows that the Government is at last inching towards a full recognition of the teaching supply crisis, which some people in the Government have been denying.

"But while we welcome the new initiatives for new teachers, the Government is still failing to recognise the true problems. We are calling for a full review of all the factors which make teaching unattractive, such as pay and conditions."

Mr Fisher recently told The Northern Echo that the teaching supply crisis was hitting the North-East and, if not addressed properly and quickly, the consequences in five years time could be "dire".

He said: "The nationwide teacher shortage is beginning to have an impact on the North-East and North Yorkshire. The situation regarding supply teachers is absolutely desperate."