§ Mr. Simon Mahonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the total number of children who have attended schools inside the county borough of Bootle in each year from 1960 to 1971; what is the estimated number of children who will attend such schools in the next three years; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. van StraubenzeeThe number of full-time pupils attending maintained primary and secondary schools in January of each year were:
1960 … … … 14,738 1961 … … … 14,904 1962 … … … 15,190 1963 … … … 15,270 1964 … … … 15,694 1965 … … … 15,945 1966 … … … 15,886 1967 … … … 15,943 1968 … … … 15,883 1969 … … … 15,805 1970 … … … 15,987 1971 … … … 15,597 Estimated numbers for the three following years are:
1971 … … … 15,982 1973 … … … 15,875 1974 … … … 16,310 Numbers in primary schools are already falling; the increase in total numbers forecast for 1974 mainly reflects the raising of the school-leaving age.