§ 14. Mr. Lawsonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of junior secondary schools in Scotland provide extended courses; and what proportion of the junior secondary school population follow those courses.
§ Mr. NobleDetails for the present session are not yet available centrally, but last session rather more than a quarter of the junior secondary schools or departments provided fourth-year courses, which were taken by about 2 per cent of pupils following junior secondary courses.
§ Mr. LawsonIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that I am not asking about fourth-year courses? I am asking about extended courses being provided in junior secondary schools. That is quite a different question from fourth-year courses. Will he tell us the number of extended courses which are being provided in junior secondary schools?
§ Mr. NobleI should certainly like to see more done. I am afraid I have not got the exact figures for the extended courses but, as the hon. Gentleman knows, a working party on the linking of secondary education and further education is at work on this subject and we shall study its results.
§ Mr. LawsonIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that many of these three-year junior secondary school courses, so far as they go, are dead-end courses? They lead nowhere. This is what we on this side of the House are concerned with. Will the right hon. Gentleman see to it that these three-year courses at least have the possibility of opening up to four- or five-year or other types of courses?
§ Mr. NobleThere are at the moment certain intensive fourth-year courses of a vocational type in commerce and engineering. This is an excellent development.