§ Mr. Trewasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science in how many 248W cases she has approved the conferring of qualified teacher status on teachers of long experience; and whether it is her policy to discriminate against experience obtained in private schools as opposed to maintained schools.
§ Mrs. ThatcherThe answer to the first part of the question is 86 unqualified teachers—other than uncertificated and supplementary teachers. As to the second part, I do not discriminate, but I look for a positive favourable recommendation from the local education authority in whose service an unqualified teacher is employed. The phasing out operation now in process affects only maintained schools.