Teacher-Pupil Ratio (Hansard, 29 January 1974)

§ 13. Mr. David Steel
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will now increase efforts to improve the teacher-pupil ratio in United Kingdom schools.

§ Mrs. Thatcher
My right hon. Friends and I are aiming at a continuing steady improvement in the maintained schools.

§ Mr. Steel
The right hon. Lady was quoted last night as urging the invitation into schools of retired teachers and other visitors who presumably would help in some non-teaching capacity. Does she agree that some such alternative, although it might be a short-term help, is no substitute for increasing teacher supply?

§ Mrs. Thatcher
I also pointed out yesterday that this year we had had an increase of over 22,000 teachers net, which was more than we expected. We had expected a figure of 20,000. I also pointed out that the increase last year was more than the 18,000 that had been calculated. Extra teachers are coming in considerable numbers. The difficulty to which I referred was of children being sent home early. I thought it far better to get in someone to supervise them.

§ Mr. Hattersley
Will the right hon. Lady answer one of the questions she would not answer yesterday? What is her opinion of local authorities which are responding to her cuts in the education budget by abandoning plans to recruit extra teachers next year?

§ Mrs. Thatcher
I thought I had made it quite clear, by repeating the Chancellor's statement, that the cuts were not meant to go to staffing costs at all. As the hon. Gentleman knows, I have no absolute control over local authorities and cannot override their decisions. I hope that they will employ available teachers.

§ Mr. Hattersley
Irrespective of where the local authorities want the cuts to go, is the right hon. Lady aware that we now have a good deal of evidence that they are not going to increase teaching staffs? Is she aware that we have evidence that authorities which would have employed more teachers in September will not do so? What is her advice to them?

§ Mrs. Thatcher
I have repeated the Chancellor's statement that cuts should not go to staffing costs. He made that quite clear and I make it clear. I also point out that there have been questions and alarms about either teacher unemployment or teacher shortage for the past four years, including the period of office of the last Labour Government. There are now 80,000 more teachers than there were four years ago.