§ Mr. Crawshawasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the number of nursery educational places available for children between the ages of 3 and 5 years in Liverpool; and how this compares with similar places available in Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham.
§ Miss Joan LestorIn January 1975, the number of pupils in maintained nursery schools and in nursery classes in maintained primary schools in the areas of the respective local education authorities were as follows:
on special schools was £140 million at outturn prices.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children are at present resident in hospitals for mentally handicapped children, how many of these children receive lessons in hospital schools how many are going out to school; how many are receiving educational awards; how many 137W are not receiving any education, respectively; and if she will make a statement.
§ Miss Joan LestorI understand from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Social Services that the number of children aged 5 to 16 in hospitals for the mentally handicapped in England and Wales and in units not forming part of these hospitals, was about 5,800 in December 1973. Information collected by my Department shows that the number of children who were on the rolls of schools in hospitals for the mentally handicapped, including those receiving education on the wards, was 4,740 in January 1974 and 4,614 in January 1975. In addition, a very few children in these hospitals attend schools outside. The gap between 5,800 and 4,740 is largely accounted for by the children in units, who are not included in the DES figures; and the number of mentally handicapped children in hospital who now receive no education at all is thought to be very small.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many special school day places and how many special school boarding places were completed in the building programmes in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
§ Miss Joan LestorThe Department's records of special school places completed do not distinguish between day and residential places. In the following table, which includes information about schools for which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales has responsibility, column one gives the total number of places actually completed; column two shows the number of residential places intended to be provided by projects included in authorised building programmes for each of the years.
1 2 1972–73 4,646 650 1973–74 4,565 666 1974–75 5,331 811
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many handicapped children were in full-time attendance at special schools and were receiving full-time education in special classes at ordinary schools, respectively, on the last date for which figures are available.
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§ Miss Joan LestorIn January 1975, about 132,000 pupils attended special schools and about 16,000 attended special classes in ordinary schools in England and Wales.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many teachers are employed in hospital schools for the mentally handicapped; and what percentage of those teachers is qualified to teach the handicapped.
§ Miss Joan LestorIn England and Wales in January 1975, 786 teachers were so employed. Of these, 584–74 per cent.—held either qualified teacher status or a qualification leading to such status on completion of further service. The regulations do not lay down requirements additional to qualified teacher status for teaching mentally handicapped pupils.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students are starting courses directed towards the teaching of educationally sub-normal children in 1975.
§ Miss Joan LestorThe annual statistical returns provided at the beginning of each academic year by institutions offering courses for the training of teachers are still coming in for 1975–76. I shall write to my hon. Friend as soon as the information requested is available.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the latest figures of the pupil-teacher ratio in schools for ESN(S) children.
§ Miss Joan LestorIn January 1975, the number of pupils per teacher in England and Wales was about eight and per qualified teacher about 10.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the progress of the regional conferences concerning the education of handicapped people.
§ Miss Joan LestorMeetings have been held this year in eight out of nine regions in England. The idea of a fresh review of educational provision for the handicapped in each region has been well received, and the groups of local education authorities concerned are now considering what practical steps they can 139W most usefully take. The meeting in the remaining region, the North-West, will take place in Manchester on 14th November.