HC Deb 28 June 1984 vol 62 cc517-8W
Mr. Ernie Ross

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if education authorities are required to inform parents seeking information about placing requests that a school has composite classes.

Mr. Allan Stewart

Information to be made available to parents is prescribed in the Education (Schools and Placing Information) (Scotland) Regulations 1982. There is no specific requirement with regard to information about composite classes although authorities may make such information available should they so decide.

Mr. Ernie Ross

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the net change in the number of composite classes in each education authority in the current school session.

Mr. Allan Stewart

The information requested will not be available until the detailed results of the 1983 school census are processed later this summer. The most recent information currently available on composite classes was published in the Scottish Education Department Statistical Bulletin No. 8/B5/1983, copies of which are available in the Library.

in the table. Participating schools in Scotland operate the scheme in accordance with annual cash allocations. The number of assisted pupils which a school may admit in any one year depends on several variable factors, including its capacity to accommodate new pupils, the level of parental incomes and the amount allocated to the school for fee remission in that year. It is not possible at this stage to forecast the number of places in each school in 1988.