THE huge rise in entries for A-level RS over the past decade is flattening, this year's examination results, announced last week, suggest. A total of 20,851 students took the examinations this year, compared with 20,640 in 2012. At AS level - where students often choose to study the subject for one year only - entries rose from 30,883 last year to 32,040.

The one-per-cent A-level increase has to be seen against the near doubling of RS entries over a decade, which includes a rise of 40 per cent in the past five years. Also, this year's entries would have been unaffected by the introduction of the EBacc group of core subjects, from which RS is excluded.

The GCSE results, which were set to be announced yesterday, are likely to be a clearer indication of how far Government's education reforms have disadvantaged the subject.

Analysis of the entries by gender indicate that, as with English, Sociology, and Art and Design, about two-thirds of RS candidates are female.

RE teacher-training numbers fall.Recruitment to training places for specialist RE teachers is significantly reduced in comparison with last year, recent figures suggest. At the beginning of this month, acceptances for PGCE and school-based places totalled about 320 - about 150 fewer than last year.

Last-minute acceptances are less likely than in previous years, because new rules require teacher-training candidates to pass basic skills tests before beginning their course rather than during training, as in previous years.