§ Mr. St. John-Stevasasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many religious education specialists he expects to come into the schools each year 479W between 1981 and 1986; and whether he estimates that this will be sufficient to remove the need for any secondary school pupils from then onwards to be taught by teachers unqualified in the subject.
§ Dr. BoysonIt is not possible to estimate accurately the number of new religious education specialists likely to enter the schools in the period up to 1986. This will depend on the decisions of individual local education authorities, governing bodies and head teachers about the staffing needs of their schools. I expect that between 400 and 500 specialist religious education teachers a year will complete their training this year and next, and that, together with the number returning to RE teaching, they will be sufficient to meet the demand for recruits. I hope that local education authorities will seek to ensure that as far as possible teaching in all subjects of the secondary curriculum is placed in appropriate hands.
§ Mr. St. John-Stevasasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will seek from all local education authorities in England and Wales details of the number of schools within such local education authority where no provision is made on the school timetable for
Full-time teachers who taught religious education Number teaching Percentage Percentage of timetabled tuition in religious education provided by these teachers Teachers whose main subject of highest qualification was religious education 4,800 23 51 Teachers with other qualifications in religious education 3,800 18 20 Teachers with no qualification in religious education 12,300 59 29 Total 20,900 100 100 The figures quoted have been grossed up from a sample and are subject to margins of error.
§ Mr. St. John-Stevasasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total number of existing teacher posts in maintained secondary schools in England and Wales officially designated head of religious education, or the equivalent title.
§ Dr. BoysonThe latest information is for 1977 when it is estimated that there were about 3,200 teachers who held the responsibility of head of religious education in maintained secondary schools.
§ Mr. St. John-Stevasasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the number of unfilled vacancies for religious education specialists in January 1982; and what were the comparable figures for each of the years 1970 to 1981.
§ Dr. BoysonFigures for January 1982 are not yet available. Figures for previous years of vacancies for religious education specialists advertised but unfilled in maintained secondary schools in England and Wales were 76, 96 and 58 in 1979, 1980 and 1981 respectively. No figures are available on a comparable basis for earlier years.
§ Mr. St. John-Stevasasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is satisfied with the adequacy of the current provision for religious education in the light of the percentages given in table 8 of his Department's
480Wpupils to study for public examinations in religious education in CSE, and in GCE at 0-level and A-level, respectively.
§ Dr. BoysonThis information is not available in the Department and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the Education (School Information) Regulations 1981 require the publication of information about the religious education provided at individual schools and about the number of pupils obtaining graded results in public examinations at 16-plus and 18-plus.
§ Mr. St. John-Stevasasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many teachers currently teaching religious education in (a) maintained primary schools or (b) maintained secondary schools in England and Wales (i) have trained with religious education as their main subject or (ii) possess a religious education qualification of any type.
§ Dr. BoysonInformation is not available for maintained primary schools. The latest information for maintaied secondary schools in England and Wales is as follows. It relates to 1977.
statistical bulletin 6/80, The Secondary Staffing Survey: Basic Data on Teaching and Tuition; and what steps he is taking to improve the situation.
§ Dr. BoysonMy colleagues and I have made clear the significance we attach to religious education; and our Document "The School Curriculum", published last year, called on local education authorities to keep their provision for religious education under review, bearing in mind the requirements of the Education Act 1944.
§ Mr. St. John-Stevasasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will estimate the number of religious education specialists required each year to compensate for actual wastage brought about by retirement or by transfer to another subject.
§ Dr. BoysonNo. The Department does not collect information about the number of teachers leaving or entering the profession differentiated by subject taught, or about changes in teaching assignments.
§ Mr. St. John-Stevasasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many members of Her Majesty's Inspectorate, and of what grades, are directly concerned with religious education.
§ Dr. BoysonSpecialist national responsibility for religious education in England is assigned to one staff inspector under the supervision of a chief inspector, and 481W eight other members of Her Majesty's Inspectorate devote a major part of their assignment to this field. A further five inspectors give significant but lesser proportions of their time to it, and all inspectors concerned with schools may be called upon to inspect religious education in the course of their general duties.
§ Mr. St. John-Stevasasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is satisfied with the present inspection of religious education in English schools.
§ Dr. BoysonInspection by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of the provision of religious education in county and certain voluntary schools in England is carried out in accordance with section 77 of the Education Act 1944. My right hon. Friend is satisfied with the present arrangements for inspection which are consistent with the current manpower levels.