HC Deb 10 February 1977 vol 925 cc754-5W
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science by what proportion the number of places for the Bachelor of Education Degree is to be cut in England and Wales under her recent proposals.

Mr. Oakes

The policy of successive Governments has been to encourage the development of the Bachelor of Education degree in place of the Certificate in Education as a method of entry to the profession. The number of students currently following non-graduate initial teacher training courses is about 77,000, of whom some 24,000 are on BEd courses. Future BEd numbers will reflect student recruitment and staying-on rates but may well approach 30,000 by 1981.