§ 15. Mr. Flanneryasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many pupils of secondary age are being educated in (a) comprehensive schools, (b) secondary modern schools and (c) private schools, respectively.
§ Dr. BoysonIn January 1982 the numbers in round figures of pupils aged 11 years and over in England in comprehensive schools, secondary modern schools and independent schools were 3.3 million, 211,000 and 311,000 respectively.
§ Mr. FlanneryWill the Minister pay tribute to the reorganisation of education, which abolished the 11-plus? Is he aware that vast numbers of children hated it and parents suspected it from the very beginning? Will he pay a tribute to those teachers who brought the reorganisation to fruition, with the result that children are now passing more examinations than ever before? Will he reconsider his and the Government's plans to disrupt this step by such nonsense as the introduction of voucher schemes, assisted places schemes and other such elitist schemes, which are all destined to give a better education to fewer children than ever before?
§ Dr. BoysonIf the hon. Gentleman judges educational results by examinations at 16 and 18, the most rapid improvement in Britain took place between 1958 and 1968. The improvement since then has been marginal. With regard to his second point, where local authorities have reorganised at their wish, at the wish of parents and at the wish of teachers, we will by all means congratulate them, but where schools are reorganised at the direction of the Government against the wishes of parents and teachers of the area, no congratulations will be given.
§ Mr. LathamHas my hon. Friend noticed that the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hillsborough (Mr. Flannery) is so bigoted that he could not even manage to mention in his question the grammar schools of this country?
§ Dr. BoysonI note what my hon. Friend says. If the hon. Gentleman had asked how many children were going to those schools, I could have told him. The number is 123,822.
§ Mr. Ioan EvansWill the Minister take the opportunity to compliment the comprehensive schools on their tremendous achievements since their inception? Will he resist any attempt to bring back a 10-plus education system which, in the past, denied great education opportunities to youngsters?
§ Dr. BoysonI am sure that everyone will congratulate any school—comprehensive, grammar or independent—that does well. The test should be the value of the school, not the label put on it outside. With regard to the second part of the hon. Gentleman's question, we do not change things. Changes come about now only at the wish of local authorities. The direction operated under the Labour Government no longer applies.