OXFORD Brookes University has cancelled art, music and religious education teaching training courses after the Government reduced the number of places available.

Last night mum-of-one Rebecca Herreros, 40, said she had been forced to put her teaching career on hold after her place was dropped.

She was due to start a PGCE course in art and design in September but the course is not going ahead because the Government wants a greater focus on maths and physics. Ms Herreros was one of 11 students given a provisional offer but the Government said it would only fund five places and the course was cancelled.

She said: “By the time Brookes told me last month that the course was cancelled it was too late for me to enrol at other colleges.”

Oxford Brookes spokesman Ed Reed said: “Allocations for teacher training places are tightly controlled by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA).

“The university had to make the extremely difficult decision not to run the course as it was unworkable with such low numbers.

“However, we are working with local schools to devise other routes to Qualified Teacher Status for those wishing to teach art and design at secondary level.”