§ 46. Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the recent survey carried out by the Scottish Education Department into parental views on schools' education in Scotland.
§ Mr. LangThe survey was carried out by the MVA Consultancy and Jordanhill college of education. The main findings of the survey are summarised in the report "Talking about Schools" which was published on 16 October. A copy has been lodged in the House of Commons Library.
The survey was commissioned to support policy-making, policy evaluation and development.
The findings indicate that parents were supportive of schools; welcomed the opportunity to be involved; were in favour of testing in key subjects in primary schools; and that the vast majority of parents thought that it is a good thing to have a choice of school for their children.
The summary report should be of particular interest to school boards.