§ Mr. Eldon Griffithsasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what is the total of children in primary and secondary schools, respectively, in the administrative county of Suffolk; and by how many he estimates these numbers will increase over the years 1978 to 1983;
(2) what is the number of full-time teachers at present employed in primary and secondary schools, respectively, in the administrative county of Suffolk; and by how many he estimates these numbers will increase or decrease over the five-year period 1978 to 1983;
(3) what is the average class size in primary and secondary schools, respectively, in the administrative county of Suffolk; and by what approximate numbers these figures will increase or decrease over the same period.
§ Mr. MulleyIn January 1975, the information requested in respect of maintained primary and secondary schools in the area of the Suffolk education authority was as follows:
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Primary Secondary* Full-time pupils 49,572 46,675 Part-time pupils 832 — Full-time teachers† 1,955 2,479 Average class size‡ 28.5 24.9 pupils pupils * Including middle schools deemed secondary. † Qualified teachers only. ‡ Primary classes are "as registered" and secondary "as taught". Due to internal migration and other local factors reliable projections of the school population up to 1983 in a local authority area can be made only in the light of detailed local knowledge which is not collated by my Department. The number of teachers employed by a local authority in any year is a matter for that authority. Class size is affected by the policy on deployment of teachers within a school which is a matter for the head teacher.