HC Deb 18 May 1982 vol 24 cc181-2
11. Mr. Eggar

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is satisfied with the standard of secondary school education.

Sir Keith Joseph

The Government's aim is to raise standards, within the resources available, for pupils of all abilities and aptitudes.

Mr. Eggar

Is my right hon. Friend aware of the concern among industrialists about the standard and type of education offered in our secondary schools? Has my right hon. Friend any suggestions to make for a revision of the curriculum and the introduction of pupil profiles?

Sir Keith Joseph

I am aware of the anxiety in many quarters about the quality of some of the output of some of the schools. Something special should be done about making the curriculum more relevant for the 40 per cent. in our schools who are least academic. However, hon. Members ought to take into account the point that the key factors in education are motivation on the children's part and effectiveness of teachers. Those two factors are hard to reach by Government.

Mr. Flannery

Has the Secretary of State read the report of Her Majesty's Inspectorate? On page 12 of that report there is a horrifying list of deficiencies in secondary education, entirely due to lack of cash and inability to buy the things that are necessary to educate our children. In paragraph 12, under sections (a)and (b), there is a terrible list, which is an utter disgrace to this country and is the result of money going to private education and not to State education.

Sir Keith Joseph

Without seeking to mitigate the comments in the report, I think that it would have been more honourable if the hon. Gentleman had pressed his Government to take the initiative to publish that report, as my predecessor and I have done.

Sir William van Straubenzee

In judging standards, is it wise for some people to identify particular types of school as if only they were responsible for falling standards? Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that many Conservative areas and Conservative parents take great pride in their comprehensive schools and feel that what matters is not the type of organisation but the quality of the headmaster, the organisation and the motivation of the children?

Sir Keith Joseph

I agree with what my hon. Friend has so wisely said. The performance of schools varies very much, from the excellent to the worrying.

Mr. Sheerman

Is the Secretary of State aware that many teachers believe that motivation in our schools is disappearing because of the prospect of unemployment or the total collapse of the higher education system, resulting in a lack of places for students? That is at the heart of the Government's policies and the problems in secondary education.

Sir Keith Joseph

The hon. Gentleman is grotesquely exaggerating any elements of truth that there might be in his case. It is true that rising unemployment presents a worrying climate for many schools. Of course that is true, but it is also true that both pupil-teacher ratios and real spending per child in our schools are at record levels.