§ Mr. David Youngasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will collect statistics on pupil-teacher ratios in the private sector.
§ Dr. BoysonAverage pupil-teacher ratios for independent schools are published each year in Statistics of Education, Volume 1, Schools, which is available in the Library.
§ Mr. David Youngasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what 565W is the national pupil-teacher ratio in local authority secondary and primary schools; and if he will take action to lower the pupil ratio to teachers in local authority schools.
§ Dr. BoysonThe ratios in England in January 1979 were: within primary schools 23.1:1; and, within secondary schools, 16.7:1. In January 1979, the overall pupil-teacher ratio, which relates all the teachers being paid by authorities to the pupils in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools, was 18.9:1. The Government's expenditure plans provide for an overall ratio in 1979–80 and 1980–81 of 18.7:1. This is the lowest ever recorded.