§ 37. Mr. Arnold Shawasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how soon he will consider measures to alleviate the teacher shortage in Greater London.
§ Mr. ArmstrongObviously the raising of the school leaving age this year, which has added 250,000 pupils to the school population, has created staffing difficulties in some areas. My right hon. Friend is looking to a continuing increase in the total supply of teachers and an equitable distribution of them throughout England and Wales.
§ 50. Mr. Molloyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a further statement on the shortage of teachers in Greater London.
§ Mr. ArmstrongMy right hon. Friend is extremely concerned about the number of pupils in Greater London who have been missing part of their regular schooling. The local education authorities in London have, however, been making good progress in reducing the number of unfilled vacancies. In the ILEA, for example, the current figure of 107 full-time secondary vacancies compares with well over 300 at the beginning of the school year.