§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the present number of specialist religious education teachers in county secondary schools; how many such schools have no specialist religious education teachers; and what have been the relevant numbers for the past five years.
§ Dr. BoysonThe secondary school staffing survey, carried out in the autumn of 1977, showed that there were then 14,791 full-time teachers, and 551 full-time equivalents of part-time teachers, whose qualifications included religious education. Information on the number of schools without specialist teachers of religious education is not available.
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§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many county secondary schools at present have specialist religious education posts unfilled; and how many teaching posts the figures cover.
§ Dr. BoysonIn January 1979 local education in England and Wales reported 73 unfilled vacancies for teachers of religious education. The survey was repeated on 17 January and the results will be available in March. Information about individual schools is not available.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) how many county secondary schools have dropped religious education from the school timetable due to staff shortages or other reasons; and what those reasons are;
(2) what proposals he has to monitor future development in, or cutbacks in, the provision of religious education in budgets and the vulnerability of religious schools given the reduction in school education as an academic subject.
§ Dr. BoysonMy Department does not collect information about curricular changes in individual schools. Her Majesty's inspectors' survey of "Aspects of Secondary Education in England", published in December 1979, indicated that religious education was generally included in the curriculum for all pupils up to the age of 14. 58 per cent. of the schools sampled continued to provide religious education for all pupils in the fourth year, and 24 per cent. for some pupils, while in the remaining 18 per cent. of schools there was no clear evidence of any provision at this stage. Religious education is one of the matters to be considered in the forthcoming discussions on the recently published consultation paper "A Framework for School Curriculum", which draws attention to the relevant provisions of the Education Act 1944.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many sixth form colleges and county secondary schools, respectively, with sixth forms offer an A-level in religious studies; and how many pupils have been entered from such schools over the past five years.
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§ Dr. BoysonInformation in the form requested is not available. The estimated numbers of pupils in England and Wales leaving school with A-level passes in religious knowledge have been:
1974–75 3,020 1975–76 3,220 1976–77 3,670 1977–78 3,430 A comparable figure for 1973–74 is not available.