§ 17. Mr. Christopher Priceasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will apply the teachers quota to independent and direct grant as well as voluntary and county schools.
§ Miss BaconNo, Sir. But the Department's control of fees in direct grant schools is a safeguard against extravagant staffing.
§ Mr. PriceIs my right hon. Friend aware that this voluntary system works very well among the local authorities? Is she prepared to consider putting a scheme to the private sector to institute a voluntary arrangement in regard to what is, largely, manpower trained at the taxpayers' expense?
§ Miss BaconThe average number of pupils per teacher in maintained grammar schools in January 1967 was 16.8 and in the direct grant grammar schools it was 15.9. As my hon. Friend knows, the quota is a voluntary scheme operated by the local education authorities through 636 their associations. It might be difficult to secure the same degree of voluntary co-operation with the managers of the direct grant schools.