§ Mr. Harry Ewingasked the Secretary of State for Scotland, further to the statement made by the Under-Secretary of State in the debate in the Scottish Grand Committee on Thursday 19 July that pupil-teacher ratios are higher than the agreed standards and savings can be made, how many teachers in Scottish schools he estimates are surplus to requirements.
§ Mr. Alexander FletcherThe pupil-teacher ratios for which provision was made in "relevant expenditure" for 1979–80 by the previous Administration implied the employment of 25,080 primary 35W teachers and 27,450 secondary teachers. The actual number of teachers employed by education authorities at September 1979 is not yet available centrally but at September 1978 they were employing 26,630 primary and 28,200 secondary teachers.
§ Mr. Harry Ewingasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the present pupil-teacher ratio in grant-aided schools in Scotland; and how this compares with the ratios in primary and secondary schools in the State system.
§ Mr. Alexander FletcherThe latest figures available are for September 1978. At that date the pupil-teacher ratio was 20.9 in the primary departments of grant-aided schools and 21.4 in education authority primary schools; the secondary ratios were 13.6 in grant-aided schools and 14.6 in education authority schools.