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Around one in 10 of those teaching these subjects, along with technology, quit the classroom each year, according to an analysis of official data conducted by the National Foundation for

Educational Research (NFER). The study, based on data from 2010 to 2015, calculated that around 10.4 per cent of science teachers left the profession each year, along with 10.3 per cent of

maths teachers, 10.2 per cent of those teaching languages and 10 per cent of technology teachers. English was just behind, with 9.7 per cent leaving each year. This is higher than other

subjects - for example, 5.9 per cent of PE teachers left each year, along with 8.4 per cent of those teaching arts subjects such as art, drama and music, and 8.5 per cent teaching humanities

such as history and geography. Those teaching core academic subjects were also more likely to move between schools each year. "We found that rates of early-career teachers in science,

maths and languages leaving the profession are particularly high," the study concluded. "We also found that high leaving rates of science and modern foreign languages teachers, and

shortfalls in the number of entries to teacher training in these subjects compared to the Government's target, may make it difficult for the Government to achieve its aim for 90 per

cent of pupils to be entered for the English baccalaurate (EBacc)." The EBacc is a measure that recognises pupils who score at least a C at GCSE in English, maths, science, history or

geography and a language. "Rates of teachers leaving the profession are highest in the first few years after qualifying to teach, for teachers of all secondary subjects and for primary

school teachers," the researchers said. "This has consistently been the case for at least 15 years. Switching career is easiest when an individual has invested relatively little in

a particular career path." It adds that leaving rates of maths, science and languages teachers are above average in their first five years in the profession. One of the reasons why

teachers with a Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) background leave could be better job prospects in other industries, the study said. The Government has previously said that

teacher retention figures in England remain steady, with around 70 per cent of those who start teaching still in the classroom five years later, and that the rate is comparable with other

professions. In March, Education Secretary Justine Greening said there were challenges to deal with and she wanted to work with the profession to work out what the issues are at a local

level. "We know that schools in different circumstances face different problems, and that's part of the difficulty in fixing this," she said. "Some of it is to do with

the geography, some of it's to do with the subject, some of it's to do with the school. So there's no one-size-fits-all answer."