§ 20. Mr. Powleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many pupils there were in maintained secondary schools in 1982–83; what was the figure for 1979–80; and what is the expected figure for 1986–87.
§ Mr. DunnThere were 3.74 million pupils in maintained secondary schools in England in January 1983, and 3.87 million pupils in January 1980. The projected number of pupils in maintained secondary schools in England is 3.3 million in 1986–87.
§ Mr. PowleyI thank my hon. Friend for that informative answer. Does he agree that, while it is regrettable that any secondary school has to close, there comes a point when the numbers in a secondary school fall below a certain level when it is not viable to provide a broad curriculum? Does he further agree that it is to the benefit of future pupils to be educated in a school large enough to provide the wide range of facilities that our children's education needs?
§ Mr. DunnThat point is continuously before us when we decide a section 12 proposal. The House must accept that there are limits to what the country can afford to spend on education. What we spend must be spent constructively and not wasted on keeping open empty classrooms and buildings.