§ Mr. Peter Bottomleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will make a statement of policy on the problem of falling school rolls.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsIt seems probable that the school population in England and Wales will fall from 9 million now to about 7 million in 1990. Our policies over this period must embody two guiding principles. The first is that there should be a planned contraction, through the closure of redundant school places, in the interests of educational efficiency as well as economy. My Department's circular 5/77 gave guidance on this subject to local education authorities. The second is that we should take advantage of the opportunity offered by the reduced school population to improve the quality of education. On both aspects I will be keeping in close touch with the representatives of the local authorities and the teachers.