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Schools minister Nick Gibb has rejected claims of a crisis in the recruitment and retention of teachers.

He was responding to a National Audit Office report which showed the government had missed its teacher recruitment targets for the last four years.

Mr Gibb told the Daily Politics: "There are more teachers now in teaching than ever before, the pupil teacher ratio has remained stable and more people are joining, are coming in to teaching, than are leaving."

He said the increased numbers leaving the profession was "a consequence of a very strong economy and increasing opportunities for graduates".