§ 20. Mr. WESTWOODasked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of teachers, male and female respectively, who left the teaching profession after 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years' service respectively, between the years 1922–25?
§ Sir J. GILMOURAs the answer contains a number of figures, I will, with the hon. Member's consent, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the answer:
§ In the absence of precise and complete data as to the numbers of teachers withdrawing finally from the profession, it is only possible to furnish figures as to the numbers of teachers who, during a given period, retired with pension or gratuity (on account of age or disability), or died in service, or secured repayment of their superannuation contributions. For this purpose the period from 1st June, 1922, (the date as from which contributions became payable under the 1922 Act) to 31st December, 1925, has been taken. In addition separate figures have been given for the year 1925, as some indication of the annual rate of wastage in a more normal period.
1561§ The corresponding figures relating to the year ended 31st December, 1925, which may be regarded as a normal year, are as follow:—
| — | Number of years of pensionable service at date of withdrawal. | |||||||||
| Under 5. | 5–10. | 10–15. | 15–20. | 20–25. | 25–30. | 30–35. | 35–40. | 40 and over. | Total | |
| Men— | ||||||||||
| Retirement (age) | — | — | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 37 | 85 | 141 |
| Retirement (infirmity) | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | — | 14 |
| Death | — | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 25 |
| Contributions repaid‡ | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
| Total | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 16 | 45 | 86 | 182 |
| Women— | ||||||||||
| Retirement (age) | — | — | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 45 | 51 | 132 |
| Retirement (infirmity) | 2 | — | 7 | 11 | 17 | 6 | 12 | 4 | — | 59 |
| Death | — | 8 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | l | 42 |
| Contributions repaid‡ | 107 | 239 | 85 | 32 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | 470† |
| Total | 109 | 247 | 101 | 55 | 32 | 19 | 33 | 55 | 52 | 703 |
| * Of this number 35 teachers have since returned for periods of varying duration, but only two were in service on 1st January, 1926. | ||||||||||
| † Of this number 10 teachers have since returned. None of these, however, were in service on 1st January, 1926. | ||||||||||
| ‡ Under the provisions then in force, the contributions of men were returnable only on death or ultimate ineligibility for superannuation benefit. In the case of women, however, contributions were conditionally returnable also on marriage. |
§ 27. Sir ROBERT HAMILTONasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that 6,361 pupils attending primary schools were in 1925 granted exemption from school attendance after reaching 12 years of age; and whether he will cause arrangements to be made by education authorities for continuing educational supervision of exempted pupils and imposing conditions for compulsory attendance by these pupils at continuation classes carried on either lay the same or some other authority?
§ Sir J. GILMOURThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, subject to the qualification that in the great majority of cases where the exemptions were not, as they frequently were, temporary, they were granted either to pupils who were already almost 14, or to pupils who, having actually passed that age, were being detained in school under a "fixed date" arrangement for leaving. As to the second part of the question, I think that, in the circumstances just explained, the fact that a condition of attendance at continuation classes was attached in as many as 2,453 of the 6,361 cases, is evidence that as a 1562 rule education authorities take a serious view of their responsibilities in this matter. The Department certainly are fully alive to its importance, and exercise a constant watchfulness.
§ 28. Sir R. HAMILTONasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he can state the number of primary classes in Scottish schools in which one teacher has to teach 30, 40, 50, or more pupils, respectively?
§ Sir J. GILMOURI regret that the figures available do not quite cover the ground required for a categorical reply. But I may say that last year's returns show 22,279 primary classes as having fewer than 50 pupils habitually under the charge of one teacher, 2,205 as having between 50 and 60, and 40 as having a number in excess of 60. Later information from the areas concerned indicates an all-round improvement, the last figure being now reduced from 40 to 26.