§ 27. Mr. Iremongerasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many vacancies for teachers in schools in Redbridge have occurred during the past two years; and how many applicants there have been for these posts from colleges of education.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsI am informed that there were 116 vacancies suitable for newly qualified teachers in Redbridge in 1966 and 171 applicants from colleges of education; in 1967 there were 130 vacancies and 290 applicants.
§ Mr. David Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is satisfied that sufficient qualified teachers are available for the teaching of educationally subnormal children in special schools; and what is his estimate of the number of additional teachers required within this service.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsYes, and an increasing proportion of them have taken the special course giving them additional qualifications for this particular work; but although teachers are encouraged to take such courses the demand is well below the number of places available.
§ Mr. David Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average pupil-teacher ratio in local education authority schools for the educationally subnormal; what proportion of these teachers are qualified; and how these figures compare with equivalent independent schools for the educationally subnormal.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsThe average pupil-teacher ratio in maintained schools for educationally subnormal children in 1966 was 12.9; in the same year, 97.4 per cent. of teachers at these schools were qualified; corresponding figures for independent schools are not available.