§ 14. Mr. Dempseyasked the Secretary of State for Scotland, in view of the employment restrictions placed on students leaving colleges under the special temporary employment programme, if he will relax the provisions of circular 819 in order to create more teaching 456 appointments; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MillanProvision has already been made in the rate support grant settlement for 1978–79 for the employment of more teachers than are required to meet the staffing standards recommended in circular 819 and the Red Book. Additional posts have also been made available under the schemes for the creation of extra teaching posts in urban areas of deprivation and for the secondment of teachers in special schools to take further training.
§ Mr. DempseyIs my right hon. Friend aware that competent education opinion in Scotland has publicly stated that were the curbs on staffing levels in schools to be removed it would lead to considerable employment opportunities? Has he noticed that, among a number of suggestions which have been made, a reduction in the size of composite classes to 25 and a general reduction in primary classes from 33 to 30 per class would result in many students being employed in the profession for which they have been educated and trained?
§ Mr. MillanThe figures quoted by my hon. Friend might be a little misleading. For example, in September 1977 the pupil-teacher ratio in the primary sector was 22.4. Therefore, the figures are comparatively favourable. We are already providing for something above that standard. I am not sure that I can go any further at the moment. I am very much aware of the problem that we shall have this year with the output from the colleges, as I anticipated that we would. I have been getting the intake figures reduced to eliminate this problem as soon as possible.
§ Mrs. BainWhen he is studying the implications of the special temporary employment programme for youngsters leaving Scottish colleges of education, will the Secretary of State pay particular attention to applications from local authorities for the establishment of nursery classes in schools where classrooms have been closed? Teachers may then be employed to establish these nursery classes, to meet the high demand, particularly in the West of Scotland, for preschool facilities.
§ Mr. MillanI am not aware that my Department is holding back nursery class 457 provision. I shall certainly check on that. The fact is that the authorities, for reasons of their own—financial stringency and the rest—have not been enthusiastic about expanding this sector of education as rapidly as some people would like, but if one compares the situation with what it was three or four years ago one sees that there has been a substantial expansion. As school accommodation not otherwise needed becomes available, the opportunities for further expansion will arise.
§ Dr. BrayIs my right hon. Friend aware that the widening of tasks for which teachers can be recruited is welcome, but that there is scope for going a great deal further in this direction? The in-service training of teachers could be extended to special schools and secondary education generally. Is my hon. Friend aware that there is a very serious need for the extension of remedial education?
§ Mr. MillanWith special schools one runs into the factor of securing basic qualifications. There has been a tremendous expansion of in-service training in secondary education generally over the last few years. My proposals for the colleges of education assume a continuing growth in in-service training. We are therefore already providing a tremendous amount of such training.