The number of teenage pregnancies in England and Wales has risen for the first time in five years, figures published today show.

Ministers admitted they were disappointed by the latest data on conception rates but said they were confident a government programme to drive down teen pregancy rates was still on course.

Conception rates among girls rose from 40.9 per 1,000 in 2006 for those aged 15-17, to 41.9 per 1,000 in 2007.

In light of the media furore this month surrounding a 13-year-old boy reported to have fathered a child with his 15-year-old girlfiend, focus is likely to rest on the increase in the number of girls under 16 getting pregnant.

The number of conceptions per 1,000 girls aged 12 to 15 has risen from 7.8 in 2006 to 8.1 in 2007, today's figures show.

Around 8,196 girls under 16 are estimated to have become pregnant in 2007, which represents just under 1% of all conceptions.

The government said it would pump an extra £20m into schemes to help teenagers get better access to contraception and information on the risks of unprotected sex.

It said evidence showed that where its teenage pregnancy strategy had been implemented rigorously, significant reductions in teenage pregnancy rates were achieved. It cited Oldham, where teenage pregnancy rates have dropped by 29%.

Ministers called for a redoubling of efforts by local health services to ensure that the underlying trend of cutting teenage pregnancies was maintained.

Children's minister Beverley Hughes said: "Today's teenage pregnancy statistics are disappointing, although the reduction in the last quarter of 2007 over 2006 gives me cautious optimism that the drive to reduce teenage conceptions is still on track."

Juliet Hiller, of the sexual advice organisation Brook, said the figures were disappointing but not surprising. "It is essential that funding finds its way to local areas where the need is greatest and this is simply not happening consistently," she said. "Sex and relationships education is still too little, too late and too biological. Statutory PSHE [personal, social and health education] which includes SRE [sex and relationship education] will not be in place until 2010-11 – this is too late for this target. We know what works – let's get on with making sure it happens."

The young women's charity YWCA said the figures bucked a positive long-term trend. A spokesperson said: "There has been an increase in the number of teenage conceptions in the last year but we feel that this is just a blip in the overall downward trend. We don't feel that there should be any concern that teen pregnancies are on the increase again."

The £20.5m government support package includes:

• £7m for a new "contraceptive choices" media campaign to raise awareness of the different contraceptive options;

• £10m for local health services to ensure contraception is available "in the right places at the right time";

• £1m to support further education colleges develop and expand on-site contraception and sexual health; services – 80% of under-18 conceptions are among 16 to 17-year-olds;

• £2.5m to help develop a healthy college programme.