MATT RODDA called for government chiefs to help end the town's teacher shortage.

The Reading East MP grilled secretary of state for education Justine Greening during a commons debate this week.

He claims the shortage of affordable homes and the price-hike in private sector renting mean teachers are less likely to work in Reading.

He said: ""The high cost of a home in Reading is pushing teachers away and I'm concerned that we are losing experienced staff and that the quality of our children's education could suffer as a result.

"I'm calling for the public sector pay cap to be scrapped and for extra help for our area to ease the pressure on local schools."

Speaking during the debate this week, Mr Rodda asked the Ms Green to visit Reading and discuss the teacher shortage with headteachers.

She retorted: “The proportion of people entering teaching with a degree or a higher qualification is now 98.5 per cent, which represents a 4.3 per cent increase since 2010.

"Indeed, 19 per cent of this year’s cohort of trainees have first-class degrees, which is a higher proportion than in any of the past five years.”