Mr. John D. TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the enrolment in each of the past five years at Ballywalter primary school; what is the expected enrolment of the school in each of the next five years; what proposals there are to provide additional accommodation at the school; how many places in primary one will be available in the next academic year; how many applicants there are for places in primary one at the school for the next academic year; how many pupils there have been per teacher for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement. [26964]
§ Mr. AncramThe enrolments in each of the past five years are as follows:
Year Number of pupils enrolled 1991–92 138 (at January 1991) 1992–93 135 (at October 1992) 1993–94 141 (at October 1993) 1994–95 141 (at October 1994) 1995–96 153 (at October 1995) It is not possible to project accurately an enrolment figure for each of the next five years. However, the Department has approved a temporary variation to increase the enrolment number of the school to 161 for the 1996–97 school year.
Provision of controlled primary schools places in Ballywalter is the responsibility of the South-Eastern education and library board. The provision of a temporary classroom at Ballywalter primary school is currently under consideration by the South-Eastern education and library board.
The Department has approved a temporary variation to the school's admissions number from 21 to 25 for the 1996–97 school year. The school has received 27 applications.
The number of pupils per teacher—the pupil: teacher ratio—over the last five years are:
Year Pupil: teacher ratio 1991–92 23.0 1992–93 19.9 1993–94 21.2 1994–95 20.9 1995–96 21.0