HC Deb 22 February 1962 vol 654 cc622-3
28. Mr. Boyden

asked the Minister of Education what were the main faults in the 1,397 applicants failing for training college places in September, 1961, whose academic qualifications were adequate but who were considered borderline by the Clearing House; and what steps have been taken to encourage these students to remedy their weaknesses and to secure for them places in 1962.

Sir D. Eccles

Five hundred wanted to train for secondary schools when priority has had to be given to good candidates for primary schools. Among the rest the most common defect was, I understand, weakness in English. Colleges and schools normally encourage reasonably promising candidates to remedy their weaknesses and are ready to advise them how to do so, but competition for places is becoming increasingly keen.

Mr. Boyden

This is a confession of failure. If these students are available, steps should be taken to ensure that they are given places. Would not the right hon. Gentleman make arrangements to earmark places for September, 1962, for those candidates who bring themselves up to scratch, and could he ask the local education authorities to take a special interest in this type of student so that they can come forward in 1962?

Sir D. Eccles

The hon. Gentleman may be glad to know that of the borderline cases in 1960–61 who did not get a place then, 200 have secured a place in 1961–62. I hope that, as far as possible, if the candidates are suitable, those who try once will succeed a second time.

Mrs. White

Can the Minister rest content with a situation in which he appears to have lost 500 potential teachers, because naturally very many of them prefer to take secondary school training rather than primary school training? It is not that our secondary schools are so well staffed. Surely, some emergency measures are justified to deal with this situation? Is it not a fact that our educational position is serious when we are so short of teachers and no fewer than 500 may have been turned away from the profession for good?

Sir D. Eccles

The colleges are crowding up in a very remarkable way, but there is a limit to overcrowding and for the longer term we are now providing a great many new places. I am answering a Written Question by the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland (Mr. Boyden) about the numbers. I cannot put on one side my responsibility to try to get a balance of teachers for the needs of the schools, and it is the fact that the needs of the primary schools at the moment are the more pressing.

Mrs. Slater

Is not this process continually going on? One year it concerns the primary schools and a few years afterwards the secondary schools. To revert to the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Bishop Auckland (Mr. Boyden), does not the Minister think that students who did not get in last year will not get in this year and possibly will not get in next year will decide that teaching is not the job for them, since they are getting too old for it? Because the Government are not taking emergency steps, they are not measuring up to the need to acquire the necessary number of teachers.

Sir D. Eccles

The only way to meet the situation, which I agree is disappointing, is to provide more places, and that is what we are doing.