§ 19. Miss Herbisonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many appeals he has had from parents against the decision of education authorities in 990 Scotland on the type of secondary education offered for their children; and in how many of these cases he upheld the decision of education authorities.
§ Mr. N. MacphersonSince the present procedure was introduced in 1948 there have been in all 390 such appeals. The education authority's decision was upheld in 325 cases.
§ Miss HerbisonIs the Under-Secretary aware that there is growing feeling among parents in Scotland about this division of children into different types of school at the age of 12? Is he also aware that many children who fell only one mark below what is considered to be the percentile are deprived of senior secondary education?
§ Mr. MacphersonI am aware that there is a certain amount of feeling about this matter in Scotland, and the figures suggest that there is more feeling about it this year than there was a year ago. That is probably due more to the circumstances in England, and their repercussions, than to the situation in Scotland. It was because the present promotion procedures were introduced ten years ago that my right hon. Friend asked the advisory council, in February of this year, to review the methods of selection for secondary courses.
§ Miss HerbisonDoes not the Minister feel that he is being complacent when he suggests that this feeling among parents in Scotland is derived from the situation in England? Is he aware that many parents in Scotland now clearly realise that if their children are to have any chance in future they must have a senior secondary education? What does he propose to do to ensure that these children get it?
§ Mr. MacphersonThe fact remains that a very high proportion of pupils in Scotland go on to senior secondary courses. The average is 36 per cent.