§ Mr. James Whiteasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has taken decisions on the numbers of students to be admitted to courses of teacher training in session 1978–79; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MillanI have carefully considered the latest available information on all the factors involved in determining levels of intake to teacher training courses in session 1978–79. I have also taken the views of the General Teaching Council for Scotland, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Joint Committee of Colleges of Education in Scotland on overall levels of intake for next session, the distribution of intake among the colleges and the priority to be given to individual subjects in the selection of students for secondary training.
As a result, I have decided that the total intake to pre-service courses of teacher training should not exceed 700 students for the primary diploma course, 150 for the primary postgraduate course and 1,600 for secondary courses, including BEd courses. These figures take 239W account of the provision which is made in the rate support grant settlement for 1978–79 and in the Government's expenditure plans for later years for the employment of more teachers than are required to meet the school staffing standards recommended in SED Circular No. 819 and the Red Book, and also of the extent to which staffing levels in the schools are already in excess of these standards.
Primary Intake Diploma Post-Graduate Secondary Intake Quota Proposed Quota Quota Proposed Quota Quota Proposed Quota College 1977–78 1978–79 1977–78 1978–79 1977–78 1978–79 Aberdeen … 75 100 20 20 170 210 Callendar Park … 65 55 10 10 — — Craigie … 55 50 10 10 — — Craiglockhart … 50 50 10 10 35 60 Dundee … 75 50 10 10 85 130 Dunfermline … — — — — 110 100 Hamilton … 85 60 10 15 30 25 Jordanhill … 130 120 45 30 640 545 Moray House … 115 125 30 25 380 350 Notre Dame … 100 90 25 20 200 180 Total … 750 700 170 150 1,650 1,600 The proposed total intake for the two Roman Catholic colleges is related broadly to the Roman Catholic school population, bearing in mind that courses of secondary training in certain subjects are not provided in these colleges. The share of that total apportioned to Craiglockhart College of Education has been calculated so as to ensure that the student population of that college remains at an educationally viable level. The proposed intake to Dunfermline College of Education takes account of the estimated national need for physical education teachers. The quotas for the other colleges are based on the latest available information about non-denominational primary and secondary school population in each education authority area, and about the colleges from which newly qualified primary and secondary teachers have been recruited by each authority in recent years.
It is important, in my view, that the selection of students for admission to courses of secondary training should have regard to the likely future needs of the schools for teachers of individual subjects. I am therefore asking the colleges, in allocating places to applicants for admission to secondary training, to give
240WI am required to consult the governing body of each college before issuing directions regarding the number of students of different categories to be admitted to the college. For session 1978–79 I am proposing to the colleges that the allocation of the total intake to pre-service courses of teacher training should be as in the following table, which also shows the quotas for session 1977–78 for comparison:
highest priority to applicants for admission to courses leading to a teaching qualification — secondary education — in business studies, mathematics, music, physics and technical education, and to give lowest priority to applicants for training in geography, history and modern studies. I am also suggesting to the colleges that they should consult the education authorities in their areas with a view to ascertaining whether any departures from this general advice might be necessary in the light of local school staffing needs.