§ 22. Mr. Silvesterasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what survey he has made of the reasons for 611 teachers leaving the profession at different ages; and if he will list the main reasons given.
§ Miss BaconThe Government Social Survey is conducting on my right hon. Friend's behalf a survey of male teachers who left English and Welsh schools in the last school year. We hope to have provisional results in a month or two.
§ Mr. SilvesterI welcome that reply, but does the right hon. Lady agree that it is important to find out the stage in a person's career at which dissatisfaction with salary and responsibility is the main reason for leaving, so that an intelligent career structure can be arrived at?
§ Miss BaconYes, I think it is very important, although there is sometimes an exaggerated idea of the wastage. For instance, in 1967–68 the net wastage of men under 60 was about 2 per cent. Very often those who move out of teaching go to other sides of the education service, and are, therefore, not lost to the education service generally.