HC Deb 11 March 1980 vol 980 cc534-5W
Mr. Frank R. White

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the pupil-teacher ratio in primary and secondary schools in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Mr. Alexander Fletcher

The following table sets out the information requested for education authority schools:

Session* Primary Secondary
1975.76 22.4 15.1
1976.77 22.4 14.7
1977.78 22.4 14.7
1978.79 21.4 14.6
1979.80 (provisional) 20.3 14.4
* The figures relate to the position at September

Mr. Frank R. White

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many primary and secondary schools there are in Scotland; what is the total school population for each group; and what is the ratio of both primary and secondary schools to the school population.

Mr. Alexander Fletcher

Provisional figures for September 1979 indicate that there were 545,223 pupils attending 2,530 education authority primary schools, a ratio of 216 pupils per primary school; and 410,266 in 445 education authority secondary schools, a ratio of 922 pupils per secondary school. Figures for September 1979 are not at present available for grant-aided or independent schools. Figures for September 1978, which include all pupils in education authority, grant-aided and independent primary and secondary schools, indicate that there were 581,904 pupils attending 2,625 primary schools, a ratio of 222 pupils per primary school; and 431,483 pupils were attending 525 secondary schools, a ratio of 822 pupils per secondary school.