25. Mr. R. C. Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice she has given to local education authorities, and in particular to Hampshire education authority, concerning the need to maintain pupil-teacher ratios in both the primary and secondary schools.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsGuidance on the implications of the 1977–78 rate support grant settlement was issued to all local education authorities last month in Circular 14/76 which made it clear that the settlement is designed to enable authorities to maintain in the school year 1977–78 their current staffing ratios in primary, secondary and special schools.