§ Mr. Beithasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the present ratio of teachers to children in school in England and Wales; and what he projects that the ratio will be in the years 1980, 1985, 1990 and 1995 if his proposals for the future of colleges of education are carried out.
§ Mr. ArmstrongThe pupil-teacher ratio in maintained primary and secondary schools was about 21:1 in January 1974. On current expectations this ratio should be between 18 and 19:1 by 1980; but the 127W uncertainties of demographic and other factors make projections beyond that year increasingly speculative.