Special Schools (Hansard, 31 January 1978)

§ Mr. Spriggs
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will seek powers to stop county and borough education authorities employing unqualified teachers for their special schools while suitable qualified teachers are signing the register for teaching posts.

§ Miss Margaret Jackson
The employment of teachers in special schools is
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ments made to firemen and air traffic controllers in view of the similarity existing in the pay claim of university teachers.

§ Mr. Oakes
A pay settlement for the university teachers is now being negotiated and it is open to the negotiators to draw lessons from any other settlement, subject to the Government's pay policy.

§ Mrs. Bain
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will list in the Official Report, for each appropriate grade of university lecturers, the cumulative loss of real income between October 1974 and October 1977 resulting from the failure of university salaries to keep pace with movements in the retail price index, giving the answers in £ sterling adjusted to 1977 values and showing what fractions of annual salaries at that time the sums represent.

§ Mr. Oakes
In the table below, the fourth column of figures represents the difference between the salary rates payable since 1st October 1976 and the salary rates at 1st October 1974, notionally augmented in proportion to the change in the retail price index between October 1974 and October 1977. A pay settlement with effect from October 1977 is under negotiation.
governed by the Handicapped Pupils and Special Schools Regulations 1959, as amended. Regulation 15 prescribes the normal requirement, which is that a teacher must be a qualified teacher or fall within one of certain other very limited categories. Regulation 16 authorises the employment of an instructor where a suitable qualified teacher is not available to give instruction in a specialist skill. Regulation 16A(1) 117W authorises the employment of an unqualified teacher who was employed in training mentally handicapped pupils at any time before 1st April 1971, when these children became the responsibility of the education service. Regulation 16A(2) provides for the employment of a person not authorised under the foregoing regulations where no person so authorised is available.
Appointments under Regulation 16A(2) have been confined to the teaching of mentally handicapped children and the Department wrote to chief education officers on 28th April 1976 saying that in view of the difficulties being experienced by qualified teachers in finding posts, no new unqualified teachers should be

£ million (out-turn prices)

Expenditure, including postgraduate training, on:

Financial year Engineering Nuclear Physics Astronomy and Space (including a small amount spent on radio research)

1971–72 … … … … 4.7 24.5 14.8

1972–73 … … … … 6.1 25.1 13.6

1973–74 … … … … 6.2 29.7 14.6

1974–75 … … … … 6.9 34.4 17.2

1975–76 … … … … 8.7 40.2 24.7

1976–77 … … … … 11.9 44.6 26.9

Figures for 1972–73 and 1978–79 for the whole science budget, to which I assume the hon. Member is referring in the second part of his Question, are contained in the line "Research Councils etc." in Table 2.10 of Cmnd. 7049–11 (pp. 74–75). They are, however, not comparable, because the scope of the science budget has changed in various ways since 1972; in particular, substantial funds have been transferred to customer Departments for the placing of research commissions in accordance with the White Paper "Framework for Government Research and Development" (Cmnd. 5046). In view of the changes,

January

1967 1972 1977

Primary (including middle deemed primary and immigrant centres) … … … … 27.9 26.1 23.8

Secondary (including middle deemed secondary):

Grammar schools … … … … 16.8 16.5 16.3

Schools other than grammar … … … … 18.7 17.8 17.1

All secondary schools … … … … 18.2 17.6 17.0

Note: The staffing standard in schools is the ratio of all pupils on the school register—counting each part-time pupil as 0.5—to all the qualified teachers—including the full-time equivalent of part-time teachers—employed in the school on the day of the annual count.

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appointed for this work and that the contracts of those first appointed since 1971 should not be renewed.

£ million (out-turn prices)
	Expenditure, including postgraduate training, on:
Financial year	Engineering	Nuclear Physics	Astronomy and Space (including a small amount spent on radio research)
1971–72	…	…	…	…	4.7	24.5	14.8
1972–73	…	…	…	…	6.1	25.1	13.6
1973–74	…	…	…	…	6.2	29.7	14.6
1974–75	…	…	…	…	6.9	34.4	17.2
1975–76	…	…	…	…	8.7	40.2	24.7
1976–77	…	…	…	…	11.9	44.6	26.9

	January
	1967	1972	1977
Primary (including middle deemed primary and immigrant centres)	…	…	…	…	27.9	26.1	23.8
Secondary (including middle deemed secondary):
Grammar schools	…	…	…	…	16.8	16.5	16.3
Schools other than grammar	…	…	…	…	18.7	17.8	17.1
All secondary schools	…	…	…	…	18.2	17.6	17.0
Note: The staffing standard in schools is the ratio of all pupils on the school register—counting each part-time pupil as 0.5—to all the qualified teachers—including the full-time equivalent of part-time teachers—employed in the school on the day of the annual count.